This text for students of politics and public policy, and for learning on the job by new policy analysts, provides a practical introduction grounded in the author’s experience of working in public policy. In four concise chapters, Part I steps through doing policy analysis in practice: from clear commissioning and project planning, to doing analysis through collective thinking, to telling a compelling policy story, to peer review and quality assurance.

The six chapters in Part II are a resource for reflective practice, introducing theory to address questions policy analysts confront in the course of their work. What is the purpose of politics and public policy? How do I know I am making a difference? How do I tackle working with stakeholders with different, competing, or conflicting interests? How might I navigate conflicting claims relating to identity and culture? And how can I balance responsiveness to current demands with responsibility to future generations? Every chapter closes with suggestions for group exercises and questions for individual reflection.

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