Analyzing Policy Choices, Conflicts, and

This readable and comprehensive introduction to the principles of public-policy analysis is the first book to integrate the tools students need to analyze policies with the common sense they need to understand how real policies are made. Analyzing Policy not only helps students learn the conceptual foundations of policy analysis, but it also empowers them to apply what they learn and to engage in their own analysis.

Preface

xi

Policy Analysis as a Profession and a Process: An Overview

3

(27)

The Process of Policy Analysis

6

(16)

Policy Analysis as Part of a Broader Profession: Expert Advice on Policy

22

(1)

Looking Ahead

23

(7)

Deciding How to Decide: ``Experts,'' ``The People,'' and ``The Market''

30

(24)

The State of Nature: No Policies

35

(12)

Public Decisions Versus Collective Decisions

47

(2)

Summary

49

(5)

A Benchmark for Performance: The Market

54

(47)

Overview of Markets

54

(4)

Opportunity Costs and Scarcity

58

(4)

How Do Markets Work?

62

(7)

Looking Inside Market Processes

69

(13)

Summary

82

(19)

Case 1: A Prison Camp Economy

``Evaluation and Market Failure'': Criteria for Intervention

101

(33)

Tools for Evaluating Policy

101

(12)

The Rationale for Government Intervention: The Market Failures Perspective

113

(14)

Summary

127

(7)

Experts and ``Advocacy'': The Limits of Policy Analysis

134

(28)

Is Policy Analysis ``Value Neutral''?

135

(1)

Alternatives to the Value-Neutral Focus on Market Efficiency

136

(17)

What Is the ``Best'' Alternative?

153

(2)

Summary

155

(7)

Democratic Decisions and ``Government Failure'': The Limits of Choice by the People

162

(38)

The General Problem of Decision

163

(8)

Institutions: The Choice of a Decision Rule

171

(7)

Alternative Decision Rules

178

(11)

Summary

189

(11)

Case 2: A Place of One's Own

The Welfare Economics Paradigm

200

(38)

The Representation of Preferences

202

(6)

Individual Demand and Consumer Surplus

208

(7)

Market Demand

215

(2)

Cost, Marginal Cost, and Prices

217

(5)

Market Supply and Equilibrium

222

(2)

Public Goods and Externalities

224

(6)

Summary

230

(8)

Choice of Regulatory Form: Efficiency, Equity, or Politics

238

(42)

Markets versus Experts

240

(6)

Markets versus Politics

246

(15)

Experts versus Politics

261

(4)

Summary

265

(15)

Case 3: Social Security Crisis?

Discounting 1: Expected Values, Probability, and Risk

280

(42)

Risk Discounting Using Probability

281

(5)

Basic Concepts of Probability

286

(9)

The Logic and Language of Probability

295

(3)

General Rules of Probability

298

(9)

Risk Aversion

307

(2)

Decision Analysis

309

(6)

Summary

315

(7)

Discounting II: Time

322

(30)

Interest and the Rental Price of Money

324

(4)

Discount Rates: Getting Back from the Future

328

(7)

Net Present Value: Combining Future Costs and Benefits

335

(2)

The Internal Rate of Return and the ``Public'' Discount Rate

337

(8)

Summary

345

(7)

Cost-Benefit Analysis

352

(31)

Assumption I: Cost and Benefits Can Be Measured, and Added Up, in Dollars

353

(10)

Assumption II: Risks of Failure and Chances of Success Can Be Captured through Probability Discounting

363

(1)

Assumption III: Future and Present Values Can Be Measured Using Time Discounting

364

(1)

Cost-Benefit Analysis in Action

364

(12)

Summary

376

(7)

Conclusion

383

(14)

Review of the Policy Analysis Approach

384

(1)

Ideology as a Template for Policy Decision

385

(6)

Priming, Framing, and Attention: The Psychological Model

391

(2)

Final Remarks

393

(4)

References

397

(8)

Answers to Selected Problems and Questions

405

(10)

Index

415

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Analyzing Policy Choices, Conflicts, and Practices

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials