Teaching policy analysis is compared to teaching research skills. Both involve the selection of an appropriate analytical tool to be used with multiple units of analysis; and in both, the selected instrument must fit the purpose of the analysis or the product is not useful. Policy analysis frameworks characteristically address policy process, content, and performance. However, these frameworks are based on different worldviews, with embedded assumptions and with deep philosophical roots that may be rational (classical), interpretive, or progressive (radical). These different assumptions can lead to very different analytical expectations and results. Here, we justify teaching policy analysis as research, categorize a number of frameworks, and provide recommendations for equipping students to critically assess issues that arise in the development and use of policy analysis frameworks.
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