Beginning with an orientation and overview of policy research, outlining the processes of policy analysis and evaluation from start to finish, Applied Policy Research, 2e then walks students through an examination of case studies to demonstrate how these theories play out in real policy situations. Illustrative figures help students understand the stages of policy research, and end-of-chapter tools such as discussion questions, assignments and activities, and case studies ‘at a glance’ help students master not only the particulars of each case but the broader skills needed in future research. This book will be essential reading in all policy research courses with a focus on practical outcomes and student preparation for public service.
This book about responsible and evidence-based decision making is written for those interested in improving the decisions that affect people’s lives. It describes how to define policy research questions so that evidence can be applied to them, how to find and synthesize existing evidence, how to generate new evidence if needed, how to make acceptable recommendations that can solve policy problems without negative side effects, and how to describe evidence and recommendations in a manner that changes minds. Policies are not just the decisions made by a country’s rulers or elected officials; policies are also set by corporate executives, managers of department stores, and project leaders in non-profit organizations pursuing environmental protection. The authors’ suggestion are based on the fundamental belief that evidence-based decision making is superior to decisions based purely on opinion, intuition, and emotion. Because much has happened since 1984 when the first edition was published, this is a substantially different book with a new co-author, new and updated examples, new chapters, and new frameworks for understanding.
Where many textbooks on policy research focus on methodological and statistical theories, leaving students to wonder how they will apply those theories to future policy positions, this innovative textbook takes theories of policy research and puts them into practice, demystifying the subject by translating it into real-world situations in which students can actively engage. Beginning with an orientation and overview of policy research, outlining the processes of policy analysis and evaluation from start to finish, Applied Policy Research, 2e walks students through an examination of case studies to demonstrate how these theories play out in real policy situations. New to this edition: A rewritten Part I that includes several new chapters incorporating the latest developments in applicable policy research design, implementation, and products to provide a framework for conducting policy research. A matrix at the start of Part II to easily identify how each of the fifteen case-study chapters correspond with concepts and topics presented in Part I, showing the reader where to look for a specific real-life example of a given topic or concept. Each case is drawn from real instances of policy research to provide students with an opportunity to consider and learn how to grapple with the challenges posed by the needs of public programs and agencies. Cases include local, state, and nonprofit agencies as well as federal-state-local intergovernmental "hybrids." Each chapter is presented in a uniform format: (1) a detailed description of a policy research problem; (2) a discussion of the unique challenges posed by the problem; (3) a description of the policy research techniques used; (4) a summary of the outcomes or conclusions associated with the research as it was conducted; and (5) conclusions about the implications or lessons for policy research. Illustrative figures help students understand the stages of policy research, and end-of-chapter tools such as discussion questions, assignments and activities, and case studies "at a glance" help students master not only the particulars of each case but the broader skills needed in future research. Applied Policy Research, Second Edition will be essential reading in all policy research courses with a focus on practical outcomes and student preparation for public service.
The distinction between basic and applied research was central to twentieth-century science and policymaking, and if this framework has been contested in recent years, it nonetheless remains ubiquitous in both scientific and public discourse. Employing a transnational, diachronic perspective informed by historical semantics, this volume traces the conceptual history of the basic–applied distinction from the nineteenth century to today, taking stock of European developments alongside comparative case studies from the United States and China. It shows how an older dichotomy of pure and applied science was reconceived in response to rapid scientific progress and then further transformed by the geopolitical circumstances of the postwar era.
This text provides a solid intellectual grounding in the area of qualitative research. It examines theoretical underpinnings, methodological perspectives and empirical approaches.
"The Terry E. Hedrick, Leonard Bickman, and Debra J. Rog text provides a framework for designing research that is adaptable to almost any applied setting and constantly reiterates the need for establishing and maintaining credibility with the client at each level of the research process. Although the applied research book is a practical guide, suitable to accompany any thorough applied design textbook, it does a comprehensive job of presenting the distinction between basic and applied research. It introduces many topics found in the general methodology textbooks. This overlap will help students to feel comfortable in using the general skills in a more specific and complex manner." --Contemporary Psychology "For researchers needing to know how to plan and design applied research projects, Applied Research Design will be a most welcome publication. . . . The writing is clear and concise, graphics are utilized helpfully, and this book will be much appreciated by beginning social scientists who are serious but uncertain about the methodologies possible for doing applied research." --Academic Library Book Review Aimed at helping researchers and students make the transition from the classroom and the laboratory to the "real" world, the authors reveal pitfalls to avoid and strategies to undertake in order to overcome obstacles in the design and planning of applied research. Applied Research Design focuses on refining research questions when actual events force deviations from the original analysis. To accomplish this, the authors discuss how to study and monitor program implementation, statistical power analysis, and how to assess the human and material resources needed to conduct an applied research design to facilitate the management of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Appropriate for professionals and researchers who have had some previous exposure to research methods, this book will enable the development of research strategies that are credible, useful, and--more important--feasible.
This major inter-disciplinary collection, edited by two of the best respected figures in the field, provides a superb general introduction to this subject. Chapters include discussions of fieldwork methodology, analyzing discourse, the advantages and pitfalls of team approaches, the uses of computers, and the applications of qualitative data analysis for social policy. Shrewd and insightful, the collection will be required reading for students of the latest thinking on research methods.
This book explores how teachers can navigate the complex process of managing change within the classroom. The chapters highlight the new challenges that have arisen with the emergence and introduction of educational technology as teachers find themselves having to be responsive to the needs and demands of multiple stakeholders. Traversing a range of conceptual, disciplinary and methodological boundaries, the editors and contributors investigate the tensions that impinge on research-based change and how to integrate directed changes into their education system and classroom. Subsequently, this volume argues that posing these questions leads to increased understanding of the possible long term effects of educational change, and how teachers can know whether their solutions are effective.
The analysis of policies with a view to changing them is the subject of this book. Written by an expert on policy research, it shows ways of presenting alternatives to policy-makers with the emphasis on communicating the value and applicability of the research that backs up the policy options. The author employs a pragmatic approach that deals with real world issues, and which presents the processes involved in a step-by-step manner.
