Samenvatting Policy Analysis
Academiejaar 2025-2026
Politieke wetenschappen
Prof: Marleen Brans
Te kennen delen van het boek staan op toledo.
De vragen op het einde van het hoofdstuk staan beantwoord in deze samenvatting.
Part 1: Meta-analysis of Policy (making): Methods
and approaches – Macro approach
1. The development of public policy analysis and policy sciences
Overview of introductory session
o Public policy and public policy analysis?
o Actors and types of policy analysts
o Organisational issues
o Compulsory literature and further reading
o Overview of the syllabus / lectures
o Info about the exam and portfolio assignment
Public Policy
o Governments make Public policy =/ Politics, Polity
o Studying public policy
Why are certain decisions taken at certain times and not others?
How do policy decisions add up into policy regimes or mixes? Are those
decisions in contrast incompatible or contradictory?
Do decisions result in recognizable patterns, or can we merely discern
(quasi)random accumulations of multiple decisions in the past?
What actors are involved in public policies, what do these policy actors do,
why and what difference do they make?
Core actors: ministers, executive politicians, judiciaries, president,
bureaucrats, experts, international organization, socio-economic
players, lobby, interest groups.
o Public policy includes healthcare access, environmental protection, education
funding, economic growth, social welfare, security measures, technology
regulation, immigration management…
Public policy analysis…
Analysis of policy (hierover gaat het vak) Analysis for policy
Descriptive Applied
Theoretical Prescriptive
Policy sciences Applied Policy Analysis
Academic Policy Analysis (kan zonder applied, maar niet
omgekeerd
Wij doen analysis of policy: eerst hierin goed zijn, voor je goed
analysis for policy kunt maken.
o Policy analysis ≠ policy studies
Policy analysis: focuses mainly on the effects of policy outputs, and says
very little about the policy processes that created those outputs
, Policy studies: broader in scope, examining not
just individual programs and their effects, but also
their causes and presuppositions, and the
processes that led to their adoption
o Exam Question: Juist of fout vraag:
Academic policy analysis does not
need to be concerned with applied
policy analysis
--> correct, but not in the other way around
o Never a question about the difference
Public policy analysis
o Academic discipline
Multi-disciplinary
Multi-method
Problem-oriented
Mapping of contexts, alternatives and effects
o Daniel Lerner & Harold Lasswell !!!: The Policy Sciences (1951)
The "policy sciences" are defined as "the disciplines concerned with
explaining the policy making and policy executing process, and with
locating data and providing interpretations which are relevant to the policy
problems of a given period" (p. 14)
De “policy sciences” w gedefinieerd als “de disciplines die zich bezighouden
met het verklaren vh beleidsvormings- en uitvoeringsproces, en met het
lokaliseren van gegevens en het verstrekken van interpretaties die relevant
zijn voor
beleidsproblemen v/e bepaalde periode”
The term "policy“ is used "to designate the most important choices made
either in organized or private life" (p. 5)
Definitions of policy (Niet op examen wat is Dye’s definition, wel vergelijken en sterkte/zwaktes van de
definitie geven.)
o Thomas Dye (1972): Public policy is “anything a government chooses to do or not to do.”
Advantages: catchy, mentioning the government (key factor)
Specifies that the primary agent of public policymaking is a government
Clarifies that private decisions by business, social groups, or individuals
are not in themselves public policies
Only governments can make authoritative decisions on behalf of citizens, that
Is, ones backed up by legitimate sanctions for transgressors in events of
noncompliance –
beslissingen die worden ondersteund door legitieme sancties vr overstreders
in geval vn niet-naleving
Public policymaking involves a fundamental choice on the part of
governments to either do something or to do nothing about a problem and
that this decision is made by elected politicians and other government
officials
So, also the things that the governments ignore to do, like climate
change (the decision not to take actions against the) migrant crisis…
public policy is a conscious choice/decision by government, so
government actions and decisions often yield unintended consequences
(f.e. the black market with the regulation of the tobacco consumption)
making choices= policy
iets niet doen= ook policy
This definition highlights the need to carefully examine conscious,
, deliberate government decisions in order to further develop that
understanding
Kritiek: er zijn ook nog andere actoren.
o William Jenkins (1978): Public policy as “a set of interrelated decisions taken by a
political actor or group of actors concerning the selection of goals and the means of
achieving them within a specified situation where those decisions should, in
principle, be within the power of those actors to achieve.”
Focus on decision making
Public policy making as goal-oriented
Specifies clearly that policy-making comprises “a set of interrelated
decisions” ( >< while Dye’s model could be misconstrued as limiting policy
making to a single choice opportunity and result)
Very direct
Differences between Jenkins and Dye’s definition
Jenkins offered a much more precise conceptualization of public
policy than Dye’s definition provides, while illustrating many of the
same themes
Dye’s definition presumes that an underlying process exists behind
decision making, it does not state so explicitly. Jenkins presents
policy-making as an inherently dynamic process and explicitly
acknowledges that governments rarely address problems with a
single decision. Policies involve a series of decisions that
cumulatively contribute to an outcome
Jenkins recognizes that a governments capacity to formulate and
implement its decisions exerts a significant influence on public policy
making and policy outputs and is a major consideration in assessing
the types of actions
governments consider
Jenkins’s definition recognizes, in a way that Dye’s does not, that
limitations on a government’s ability to think and act can constrain
the decision options
being considered and can advance or undermine the success of
policy-making efforts
- Jenkins: group of actors
o Policy related to other policy
o Breaks up PP
Goals, actors, means
o Very detailed
o Set up boundries
o James Anderson (1975): “A purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of
actors in dealing with a problem or matter of concern for the population.”
Problem in 1 country may not be a matter in another country
Broader kind of action
Problem orientation (dealing with…)
Problem vs matter of concern
Problem: effecting everyone, affecting us now
Matter of concern: subjective, your concerns are maybe not the concerns of other
, Which definition Is best according to you?
o There is no perfect definition
o Exam Question:
What does some definition have to offer that others don’t
What are the advantages en disadvantages of several definitions
Anderson insist in making a distiction. What is this distinction. Why is it important.
Is dye Blind for some important aspects of Policy?
How does Andersons vision contributes to contstructivism
How does Anderson’s definition match with
Agendasetting Actors & Institutions
o The figure is not perfect
o Organisation of society Unions, Employers, organisations, pressure groups, NGO’s,…
o Media has a special place
o International system European unions
Actors
o Elected politicians
o Administrative officials
o Political parties, and their study centers
o Interest groups, NGOs
o Research organisations, academic institutes, think tanks
o Mass media
o (Voters/Citizens/individuals…)
o Power to make policy >< Role as policy adviser/analyst/ worker
As stakeholder
As target group
Capable/not to influence pm
The policy cycle model
o Advantages
Helps to reduce complexity
Mapping and clarifying the roles of actors,
institutions and ideas/interests
o Disadvantages
Policy is non-systematic, non-linear
Idiosyncratic problem solving (= eigenzinnige probleemoplossing)
Stages compressed or skipped (= fasen ingekort of overgeslagen)
Causes and effects unclear
advantages disadvantages
Helps to reduce complexity Policy is non-systematic, non-linear
Mapping and clarifying the roles of actors, Idiosyncratic problem solving
institutions and ideas/interests Stages compressed or skipped
Causes and effects unclear
Academiejaar 2025-2026
Politieke wetenschappen
Prof: Marleen Brans
Te kennen delen van het boek staan op toledo.
De vragen op het einde van het hoofdstuk staan beantwoord in deze samenvatting.
Part 1: Meta-analysis of Policy (making): Methods
and approaches – Macro approach
1. The development of public policy analysis and policy sciences
Overview of introductory session
o Public policy and public policy analysis?
o Actors and types of policy analysts
o Organisational issues
o Compulsory literature and further reading
o Overview of the syllabus / lectures
o Info about the exam and portfolio assignment
Public Policy
o Governments make Public policy =/ Politics, Polity
o Studying public policy
Why are certain decisions taken at certain times and not others?
How do policy decisions add up into policy regimes or mixes? Are those
decisions in contrast incompatible or contradictory?
Do decisions result in recognizable patterns, or can we merely discern
(quasi)random accumulations of multiple decisions in the past?
What actors are involved in public policies, what do these policy actors do,
why and what difference do they make?
Core actors: ministers, executive politicians, judiciaries, president,
bureaucrats, experts, international organization, socio-economic
players, lobby, interest groups.
o Public policy includes healthcare access, environmental protection, education
funding, economic growth, social welfare, security measures, technology
regulation, immigration management…
Public policy analysis…
Analysis of policy (hierover gaat het vak) Analysis for policy
Descriptive Applied
Theoretical Prescriptive
Policy sciences Applied Policy Analysis
Academic Policy Analysis (kan zonder applied, maar niet
omgekeerd
Wij doen analysis of policy: eerst hierin goed zijn, voor je goed
analysis for policy kunt maken.
o Policy analysis ≠ policy studies
Policy analysis: focuses mainly on the effects of policy outputs, and says
very little about the policy processes that created those outputs
, Policy studies: broader in scope, examining not
just individual programs and their effects, but also
their causes and presuppositions, and the
processes that led to their adoption
o Exam Question: Juist of fout vraag:
Academic policy analysis does not
need to be concerned with applied
policy analysis
--> correct, but not in the other way around
o Never a question about the difference
Public policy analysis
o Academic discipline
Multi-disciplinary
Multi-method
Problem-oriented
Mapping of contexts, alternatives and effects
o Daniel Lerner & Harold Lasswell !!!: The Policy Sciences (1951)
The "policy sciences" are defined as "the disciplines concerned with
explaining the policy making and policy executing process, and with
locating data and providing interpretations which are relevant to the policy
problems of a given period" (p. 14)
De “policy sciences” w gedefinieerd als “de disciplines die zich bezighouden
met het verklaren vh beleidsvormings- en uitvoeringsproces, en met het
lokaliseren van gegevens en het verstrekken van interpretaties die relevant
zijn voor
beleidsproblemen v/e bepaalde periode”
The term "policy“ is used "to designate the most important choices made
either in organized or private life" (p. 5)
Definitions of policy (Niet op examen wat is Dye’s definition, wel vergelijken en sterkte/zwaktes van de
definitie geven.)
o Thomas Dye (1972): Public policy is “anything a government chooses to do or not to do.”
Advantages: catchy, mentioning the government (key factor)
Specifies that the primary agent of public policymaking is a government
Clarifies that private decisions by business, social groups, or individuals
are not in themselves public policies
Only governments can make authoritative decisions on behalf of citizens, that
Is, ones backed up by legitimate sanctions for transgressors in events of
noncompliance –
beslissingen die worden ondersteund door legitieme sancties vr overstreders
in geval vn niet-naleving
Public policymaking involves a fundamental choice on the part of
governments to either do something or to do nothing about a problem and
that this decision is made by elected politicians and other government
officials
So, also the things that the governments ignore to do, like climate
change (the decision not to take actions against the) migrant crisis…
public policy is a conscious choice/decision by government, so
government actions and decisions often yield unintended consequences
(f.e. the black market with the regulation of the tobacco consumption)
making choices= policy
iets niet doen= ook policy
This definition highlights the need to carefully examine conscious,
, deliberate government decisions in order to further develop that
understanding
Kritiek: er zijn ook nog andere actoren.
o William Jenkins (1978): Public policy as “a set of interrelated decisions taken by a
political actor or group of actors concerning the selection of goals and the means of
achieving them within a specified situation where those decisions should, in
principle, be within the power of those actors to achieve.”
Focus on decision making
Public policy making as goal-oriented
Specifies clearly that policy-making comprises “a set of interrelated
decisions” ( >< while Dye’s model could be misconstrued as limiting policy
making to a single choice opportunity and result)
Very direct
Differences between Jenkins and Dye’s definition
Jenkins offered a much more precise conceptualization of public
policy than Dye’s definition provides, while illustrating many of the
same themes
Dye’s definition presumes that an underlying process exists behind
decision making, it does not state so explicitly. Jenkins presents
policy-making as an inherently dynamic process and explicitly
acknowledges that governments rarely address problems with a
single decision. Policies involve a series of decisions that
cumulatively contribute to an outcome
Jenkins recognizes that a governments capacity to formulate and
implement its decisions exerts a significant influence on public policy
making and policy outputs and is a major consideration in assessing
the types of actions
governments consider
Jenkins’s definition recognizes, in a way that Dye’s does not, that
limitations on a government’s ability to think and act can constrain
the decision options
being considered and can advance or undermine the success of
policy-making efforts
- Jenkins: group of actors
o Policy related to other policy
o Breaks up PP
Goals, actors, means
o Very detailed
o Set up boundries
o James Anderson (1975): “A purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of
actors in dealing with a problem or matter of concern for the population.”
Problem in 1 country may not be a matter in another country
Broader kind of action
Problem orientation (dealing with…)
Problem vs matter of concern
Problem: effecting everyone, affecting us now
Matter of concern: subjective, your concerns are maybe not the concerns of other
, Which definition Is best according to you?
o There is no perfect definition
o Exam Question:
What does some definition have to offer that others don’t
What are the advantages en disadvantages of several definitions
Anderson insist in making a distiction. What is this distinction. Why is it important.
Is dye Blind for some important aspects of Policy?
How does Andersons vision contributes to contstructivism
How does Anderson’s definition match with
Agendasetting Actors & Institutions
o The figure is not perfect
o Organisation of society Unions, Employers, organisations, pressure groups, NGO’s,…
o Media has a special place
o International system European unions
Actors
o Elected politicians
o Administrative officials
o Political parties, and their study centers
o Interest groups, NGOs
o Research organisations, academic institutes, think tanks
o Mass media
o (Voters/Citizens/individuals…)
o Power to make policy >< Role as policy adviser/analyst/ worker
As stakeholder
As target group
Capable/not to influence pm
The policy cycle model
o Advantages
Helps to reduce complexity
Mapping and clarifying the roles of actors,
institutions and ideas/interests
o Disadvantages
Policy is non-systematic, non-linear
Idiosyncratic problem solving (= eigenzinnige probleemoplossing)
Stages compressed or skipped (= fasen ingekort of overgeslagen)
Causes and effects unclear
advantages disadvantages
Helps to reduce complexity Policy is non-systematic, non-linear
Mapping and clarifying the roles of actors, Idiosyncratic problem solving
institutions and ideas/interests Stages compressed or skipped
Causes and effects unclear
