A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis - International Student Edition: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving

by Eugene S. Bardach, Eric M. Patashnik

Drawing on more than 40 years of experience with policy analysis, best-selling authors Eugene Bardach and Eric M. Patashnik use real-world examples to teach students how to be effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts. The Sixth Edition of A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis presents dozens of concrete tips, new case studies, and step-by-step strategies for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional.

Genres: Politics

216 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2019

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written book (it's by academics; the writing is impeccable) and includes a lot of helpful information and insights. I will keep it on hand for future reference as I remember and use parts or all of the Eightfold Path going forward when working on or analyzing policy. The book started as an evolution from a paper, and in some cases, that shows: there are parts of the book that could be more brief. There are also parts where it didn't seem 100% clear what the recommendations are, but to be fair, there are many ways to create and analyze policy, and academics are bound to include all the angles and options, whereas someone reading this book may be looking for "here are the exact steps to take." Having worked on policy before, and being someone who enjoys nuance and debate, I understood where the authors were coming from but also felt like some areas of the book just took too long to get through. All of that said, the book is useful and helpful, and you do not have to read it cover to cover to make use of its contents. It's definitely worth having in your library.

[Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid 3.5 stars and a good primer for a public policy course I took. The Eightfold Path was easy to understand and I appreciated the examples throughout. The 3rd and 4th sections were a bit difficult to chug through. A better addition would be more discussion of implementation planning. The Appendix about "Things Governments Do" is very handy as well.