3 How to Study Public Policy

1.4.HOW TO STUDY PUBLIC POLICY

Public policy involves much more than understanding politics and political institutions, like Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, interest groups, etc. Problems and the search for solutions drive policy studies. Certainly, elections are exciting and easily catch the public’s attention due to the intense focus media gives  them. However, what comes after the election, that is, public policy, is fascinating in its own right. The policy process is complicated and exciting, particularly in an environment like our current political climate, where nothing is black and white.When studying politics and government institutions, political scientists often pursue knowledge using “pure” theoretical science, meaning their research stems from broad, abstract ideas. While the study of public policy follows a similar path, public policy research is often practical or applied in nature. For example, recently published articles in the Journal of PolicyAnalysis and Management focus on practical subjects, such as how to make immigration reform policies more efficient (Bean, 2019) or how to utilize housing vouchers to improve academic performance for high school students (Schwartz et al., 2019). As Birkland writes, “The practical and applied study of public policy takes its cues from theory, but seeks more actively to apply those theoretical insights to actual cases of public policy formation” (Birkland, 2019, p. 19). In a course on public policy, students may be asked to apply theoretical concepts to a practical case. For example, John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams framework (chapter 4) seeks to explain why some policies are successful and others are not, and can be applied to a number of policies, including immigration, education, and health care. In fact, many policymakers use theoretical insights while attempting to get their ideas passed, even if they may not realize that particular goal.Students of public policy can expect early exposure to theoretical concepts. These concepts will then be applied to real world cases to better understand and solve public problems. Undoubtedly, there are many applied political science studies, but students of public policy learn a different skill set, one that encourages them to identify problems, develop solutions, and evaluate proposed policies as well as those already put into practice.