Rebooting Policy Analysis
Strengthening the Foundation, Expanding the Scope

First Edition

Peter Linquiti - The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Other Titles in:
Policy Analysis | Policy Analysis & Evaluation

February 2022 | 616 pages | CQ Press

Rebooting Policy Analysis: Strengthening the Foundation, Expanding the Scope is a savvy introduction to policy analysis that gets students thinking, not just about how decisions should be made, but how they are made. The text highlights practical skills needed to advise decision-makers on matters of public policy in ways that are well-informed and solutions-oriented, while managing limitations like time, resources, and information. In a world that has become increasingly complex and partisan, the strength of policy analysis rests not only in its classical academic methods, but on the development of a practical, analytic mindset.

Part I: Introduction: The Classical Models and their Limitations

1. Thinking about the Future: Prospective Policy Analysis

2. Thinking About the Past: Retrospective Program and Impact Evaluation

3. Obstacles to Using Classical Policy Analysis Models in the Real World

Part II: Introduction: Thinking Clearly

4. Using Metacognition to Check Your Own Biases & the Biases of Others

5. Using Logic to Identify Tentative Truths

6. Collecting and Evaluating Evidence for Use in Policy Analysis

7. The Mindset of an Effective Policy Analyst

Part III: Looking at Policy Issues Through Different Lenses

8. The Equity Lens

9. The Economics Lens

10. The Political and Institutional Lenses

11. The Legal, Sustainability, and Science and Technology Lenses

Part IV: The Building Blocks of Policy Analysis

12. Incorporating Systems Thinking in Policy Analysis

13. Using Policy Analysis to Visualize the Future

14. Designing and (Re)Designing Public Policies

15. Having an Impact While Preserving Your Integrity

"The book should be required reading for teachers and practitioners of policy analysis, and I recommend it highly to all JPAM readers and APPAM members. While ingenuity may be needed to fit this book into a one-semester course in hands-on policy analysis, policy analysis instructors—an
innovative bunch by nature—will undoubtedly welcome the challenge."

Karen J. Baehler

Dean of Faculty at American University

Journal of Policy Analysis and Management Vol. 0, 1-5 (2022)

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Sample Materials & Chapters

CH01 - Thinking about the Future

CH02 - Thinking about the Past

Peter D. Linquiti

Peter Linquiti is an Associate Professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He joined GW’s faculty in 2012 after a 23-year career as a policy analyst at ICF International, where he supported clients on a wide variety of assignments related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies at the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Energy, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, United Nations Environment Program, the World Bank, and the governments of Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and... More About Author

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