Theory and Praxis of Policy Analysis: Trends

In the Section we pursue three goals: First, we explore the implications for the field of policy analysis of the macrosociological and political changes of modern industrial society. In the post-war years the social and political landscape of western industrial societies has undergone large macro-sociological changes. Policymaking takes place under conditions of technical complexity and radical uncertainty about causality and outcome. In many cases large scale unintended consequences threaten to overwhelm the intended effects of public policies. Cultural diversity, moral pluralism and outright political conflict have become increasingly important in the formation and implementation of public policy. Today policy is made in loosely organized networks of public authorities, citizen associations, and private enterprises. These challenges call for a rethinking of the relationship between social theory, inquiry into policymaking, and politics. Second, in this section we aim to go beyond the a-theoretical, empiricist orientation of traditional policy analysis. We think that an understanding of the philosophical and epistemological foundations of policy analysis is essential for understanding the kind of knowledge policy analysis generates and the role it plays or should play in society. Knowledge, both formal and informal, both scientific and practical, plays an important role in the policy process - a point acknowledged by different approaches to political science and international relations; thus, the section encourages papers on different methodological and conceptual approaches such as the role of language in policy formation, policy learing, advocacy coalitions, policy narratives, paradigms, frames, discourse, and practices. And finally, we invite papers that demonstrate the richness of contemporary policy research, both substantively and theoretically. Not only are traditional fields of policy research (such as welfare state reform, urban policy, and social services) revisited by policy scholars who are equipped with new methodological approaches and theoretical insights, but also wholly new areas of policy research have emerged (such as food safety, moral politics, and genetic technology development) that result in new insights into the process of policy formation and implementation.