NCJ Number
74043
Editor(s)
S S Nagel
Date Published
1980
Length
252 pages
Annotation
This book presents a compilation of papers on the new developments in the increasingly important field of policy analysis research, or methods associated with determining the nature, causes, and effects of governmental decisions on policies designed to cope with specific social problems.
Abstract
Discussions highlight the relevance of deductive modeling and optimizing to policy analysis research. Deductive modeling, or drawing conclusions concerning the effects of alternative public policies from premises that have been empirically validated or intuitively accepted, is illustrated with various examples, including determining the impact of jury size on the probability of conviction. Optimizing, or deducing what policy will maximize benefits in view of economic, legal, and political constraints, is illustrated with an example such as determining an optimum percentage of defendants to hold in jail prior to trial. A method for embodying intentions of the designs in complex decision rules is also developed, and medical malpractice litigations and tenants rights legislation are used to illustrate the value of the related methodology of economics. Next, the book deals with a political prospective on policy analysis with the emphasis on the role of interest groups, governmental personnel, and procedures in determining policy formation and impact. In addition, the book focuses on evaluation research, with the emphasis on the need to combine administration and experimentation. Methods are suggested to overcome difficulties in gathering and measuring data. The last section discusses how to implement more effectively the work of policy analysis researchers. A discussion of the role of policy research centers, utilization of social science results, and the need for creating a policy analysis profession is included. Footnotes and references accompany individual chapters. An index is provided. Also see NCJ 74044-45.