Social Policy Analysis as the Interpretation of Beliefs

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Abstract
Social policy is concerned with the integration of values, the principles by which these values are translated into policies and programs, assessments of the outcomes of implementing these principles in terms of the values asserted, and the search for strategies of feasible change which promise a better fit between values, principles, and outcomes. One aspect without the others is not policy analysis. Yet, current efforts have failed to integrate effectively these tasks, thus raising questions about whether social policy is a legitimate discipline. Rather than prematurely forcing a grand synthesis, this article tries to extend our understanding of the often partisan nature of policy analysis. Specifically, it illustrates how beliefs intrude at each level of analysis—in definitions of the purposes of policy, in the priorities assigned, in the institutional forms which translate beliefs to programs, in the evaluation of outcomes, and in assessments of what changes are politically feasible. The conclusion that there is no one true policy analysis frustrates the development of an independent discipline, but suggests a stance that analysts of policy might follow.

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