Public policy analysis – Revisiting the fundamentals: rationale, methodology and application

The discipline known as public policy is among the more esoteric in the social sciences with such a wide interpretation of its meaning, its process, and its impact. The problem of obfuscation remains endemic throughout the public policy arena – from the many influencers of policy, to the law makers, to the policy analysts, to the policy entrepreneurs. Assumptions abound on not only what public policy means, but also on how policy is born – particularly in a competitive, representative democracy. The student and practitioner of government, business and society deserve clarity on not only what public policy is, but equally, what are its roots, rationale and tools by which policy moves from ideas (mainly on resolving problems in civic life) to formation, implementation and evaluation.

The objective of this paper is to answer the primary question – what is public policy? The supporting questions include – what is the rationale for public policy and what are the methods and strategies required for effective policy implementation and ultimately, its analysis. The fundamentals of policy analysis are rooted in the methodological tools of economics and political science. Here we will develop the economics of market failure and the political science of public choice theory to argue the rationale for public policy. Case studies of select federal law will showcase the complete policy process from formulation to evaluation. The expected results aim to provide a useful pedagogical framework for both student and practitioner while consolidating the wide interpretations of public policy from what it might be to what it is.