Rebooting Policy Analysis

Peter Linquiti is an Associate Professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He joined GW’s faculty in 2012 after a 23-year career as a policy analyst at ICF International, where he supported clients on a wide variety of assignments related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies at the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Energy, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, United Nations Environment Program, the World Bank, and the governments of Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. His final position at ICF was as an Executive Vice President and one of four executives leading the firm of about 600 consultants. At GW, Dr. Linquiti teaches graduate courses in policy analysis, environmental policy, and decision modeling. He holds a PhD in public policy and public administration from GW, an MPP from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, and a BA in political science from UC Berkeley.

• Part I: Introduction: The Classical Models and their Limitations1. Thinking about the Future: Prospective Policy Analysis2. Thinking About the Past: Retrospective Program and Impact Evaluation3. Obstacles to Using Classical Policy Analysis Models in the Real WorldPart II: Introduction: Thinking Clearly4. Using Metacognition to Check Your Own Biases & the Biases of Others5. Using Logic to Identify Tentative Truths6. Collecting and Evaluating Evidence for Use in Policy Analysis7. The Mindset of an Effective Policy AnalystPart III: Looking at Policy Issues Through Different Lenses8. The Equity Lens9. The Economics Lens10. The Political and Institutional Lenses11. The Legal, Sustainability, and Science and Technology LensesPart IV: The Building Blocks of Policy Analysis12.Incorporating Systems Thinking in Policy Analysis13.Using Policy Analysis to Visualize the Future14.Designing and (Re)Designing Public Policies15.Having an Impact While Preserving Your Integrity

"This text helps to integrate various disciplinary and normative perspectives that often remain siloed. It also critiques traditional approaches and methods with humility, offering practical advice and tools for policy analysts to hold loosely."