Theory and Practice in Policy Analysis

Many books instruct readers on how to use the tools of policy analysis. This book is different. Its primary focus is on helping readers to look critically at the strengths, limitations, and the underlying assumptions analysts make when they use standard tools or problem framings. Using examples, many of which involve issues in science and technology, the book exposes readers to some of the critical issues of taste, professional responsibility, ethics, and values that are associated with policy analysis and research. Topics covered include policy problems formulated in terms of utility maximization such as benefit-cost, decision, and multi-attribute analysis, issues in the valuation of intangibles, uncertainty in policy analysis, selected topics in risk analysis and communication, limitations and alternatives to the paradigm of utility maximization, issues in behavioral decision theory, issues related to organizations and multiple agents, and selected topics in policy advice and policy analysis for government.

M. Granger Morgan is the Hamerschlag Professor of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, where he was the founding Head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy. He also holds appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the H. John Heinz III College of Public Policy and Management. He has worked extensively on policy problems that involve issues in science and technology. Much of his work has focused on the characterization and treatment of uncertainty, especially as applied to environmental issues, involving energy and electric power, and many aspects of the problem of climate change. Morgan's formal academic training is in applied physics. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of many papers and five books including Uncertainty: A Guide to Dealing with Uncertainty in Quantitative Risk and Policy Analysis (Cambridge, 1990) and Risk Communication: A Mental Models Approach (Cambridge, 2001).