Policy Analysis as Problem Solving: A Flexible and Evidence-Based Framework

In Policy Analysis as Problem Solving, authors Rachel Meltzer and Alex Schwartz provide a pragmatic yet fresh and original approach to the field. Emphasizing the importance of evidence and sound logic and drawing upon multiple perspectives and methods, the book guides readers through the process of making evidence-based decisions about policies. It offers a series of clear and comprehensive discussions about the key elements of the analytical process, beginning with steps to define the problem all the way until analysts arrive at a recommendation.

The authors break from traditional approaches in their embrace of analytical flexibility and illustrate a broader framework for thinking about policy, both empowering and equipping readers to marshal a diverse array of evidence, techniques, and evaluative criteria in their analyses. Case studies threaded throughout the book illustrate the different ways in which problems can be framed and the kinds of policies and criteria that may flow from these alternative framings. Focusing on child support, voter turnout, water shortage, and short-term rental platforms, they also reveal the challenges and imperfect conditions that analysts encounter in the real world.

Bolstered by an expanded scope, updates to its case studies, and refinements to its central arguments, the second edition of Policy Analysis as Problem Solving remains an excellent go-to resource for students and aspiring analysts in policy analysis and public policy courses.

Rachel Meltzer is the Plimpton Associate Professor of Planning and Urban Economics at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Her research concentrates on urban economies, economic development, housing, land use, and local public finance. Dr. Meltzer’s work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, among others, and her research and writing appear in the top journals spanning policy, economics, and urban studies.

Alex Schwartz is Professor of Urban Policy at the New School. His research focuses on housing and community development, including public housing and other affordable housing programs, and community development corporations. Dr. Schwartz is the author of Housing Policy in the United States, now in its fourth edition (Routledge 2021), and his research and writing appear in journals such as the Journal of Urban Affairs, the Journal of the American Planning Association, Housing Policy Debate, and Cityscape, among others.