Public Policy Analysis

The analysis of policy depends on many disciplines and techniques and so is difficult for many researchers to access. This module provides a mixed perspective on policy analysis, taking both an academic and a practitioner perspective. This is because the same tools and techniques can be used in academic research on policy options and change as those used in practice in a policy environment. This course is provided as three 2 hour sessions delivered as a mix of lectures and seminars. No direct analysis work will be done in the sessions themselves, but sample data and questions will be provided for students who wish to take the material into practice.

This module is designed for MPhil and PhD students as part of the Social Science Research Methods Centre (SSRMC) training programme - a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills that are relevant across the social sciences.

Enrolment on this module's Moodle course page: How to Enrol on Moodle

Number of sessions: 3

Session 1
How do we analyse policy development and change over time? The policy cycle and models of policy change In studying how policies are developed and chosen there are two different timescales to consider- the immediate process of policy development (the policy cycle) and the evolution of a policy over long periods of time (models of policy change). This session will outline both timescales and discuss how these models can be applied to study policy change, highlighting the contested nature of most models of policy.

Session 2
What tools do we use to analyse policy options I – CBA and MCDA in policy analysis Policy analysis is a distinct practice that is forward looking, taking an issue and trying to both develop options and to provide a decision framework for making a policy choice. This first of two sessions provides a brief overview of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and gives examples of their use in policy decision making.

Session 3
What tools do we use to analyse policy options II – using regressions in policy analysis Much of the information that policymakers need is provided through the outputs of regression analysis of varying complexity. This session will review the output of ordinary least squares and logistic regressions and use examples of their use in policy to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using regression analysis in different policy analysis contexts.

Presentations, demostrations, some practicals

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Students will not be given certification or proof of attendance for any module for which they have not provided feedback.

2 hour lecture

1 lecture per week for 3 weeks