Role of Policy Analysts and Their Environment

Some people believe that governance at both the national and
state levels has been corrosively influenced by the modern divisive
partisan environment. The public policy analyst’s role of
information-collecting and data analysis may be impacted by the strains
and divisiveness of partisanship. This can occur at both the federal and
state levels. However, fractious partisanship is hardly a modern
phenomenon, having existed in various forms throughout the nation’s
history. Simply put, partisan politics has always played a role in how
the policy analyst performs his or her job and frames analyses.

What is the role of the policy analyst in the contemporary
political environment? How do public policy analysts, to the best extent
possible, provide objective, practical, and pragmatic advice to
decision-makers who work in an intensely partisan environment? To what
extent should public policy analysts be involved in the rancorous
political debates that often consume Washington? You consider these
questions as you engage in this week’s Discussion.

Explore the impact of a range of stakeholders upon the policy
analysis process. Specifically, reflect upon the role of the policy
analyst in an age of instant communication, political gridlock, and
lobbying interests. Integrate any firsthand knowledge you may have about
how objective analyses can be produced in the current political
setting.

The Assignment Must be at least 1 page and include:

1. An explanation of the role of public
policy analysts in a politically divisive environment—that is, what they
do and what they bring to the process.

You must use the class resources for this assignment and cite them in the text.

I will provide the pages for Bardach & Patashnik (2016), but you must have access to Anderson (2016)

Anderson, J. E. (2015). Public policymaking: An introduction (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

• Chapter 2, “The Policy-Makers and Their Environment” (pp. 61–72)
• Chapter 3, “Policy Formation: Problems, Agendas, and Formulation” (pp. 87–89)

Bardach, E., Patashnik, E. M. (2016). A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.

• Part I, “The Eightfold Path”
  • “Step Three: Construct the Alternatives” (pp. 18-27)