A guide to policy analysis as a research method

Abstract

Policy analysis provides a way for understanding how and why governments enact certain policies, and their effects. Public health policy research is limited and lacks theoretical underpinnings. This article aims to describe and critique different approaches to policy analysis thus providing direction for undertaking policy analysis in the field of health promotion. Through the use of an illustrative example in nutrition it aims to illustrate the different approaches. Three broad orientations to policy analysis are outlined: (i) Traditional approaches aim to identify the 'best' solution, through undertaking objective analyses of possible solutions. (ii) Mainstream approaches focus on the interaction of policy actors in policymaking. (iii) Interpretive approaches examine the framing and representation of problems and how policies reflect the social construction of 'problems'. Policy analysis may assist understanding of how and why policies to improve nutrition are enacted (or rejected) and may inform practitioners in their advocacy. As such, policy analysis provides researchers with a powerful tool to understand the use of research evidence in policymaking and generate a heightened understanding of the values, interests and political contexts underpinning policy decisions. Such methods may enable more effective advocacy for policies that can lead to improvements in health.

Policy Analysis of Suppression and Mitigation Strategies in the Management of an Outbreak Through the Example of COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This study provides an interpretive policy analysis of containment approaches adopted by countries to control COVID-19 pandemic. Representation and framing of the problem are at the centre of interpretive policy analysis (5). We have explored suppression and mitigation approaches as two main containment strategies that are discussed globally.…”

Institutional Engagement Practices as Barriers to Public Health Capacity in Climate Change Policy Discourse: Lessons from the Canadian Province of Ontario

“…This study is part of interpretive and mainstream policy research [ 94 , 95 , 96 ] that uses the case study of the climate change policy discourse of the Province of Ontario (Canada) to examine the influence of public health inclusion, engagement, and integration in the climate change policy discourse. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 11 public health and 13 non-public health professionals engaged in the decision making of climate change policies and interventions in Ontario.…”

“…Interpretive policy research characteristically focuses on meaning construction and symbolic language—written or spoken [ 95 , 107 , 108 , 109 ]. On the other hand, mainstream policy studies explore policymaking and agenda-setting processes, policy networks, and governance [ 95 ]. Therefore, we use three forms of data analysis.…”

Towards research impact: using place-based policy to develop new research methods for bridging the academic/policy divide

“…In response to such criticisms, alternative approaches were developed. Interpretive approaches examine the representation or framing of problems and consider policy within the context of how policies reflect the social construction of problems (Browne et al, 2020(Browne et al, , p. 1032. Both reflection and reflexivity are important in both research and policy formation because of its capacity to explore and understand multiple perspectives (Yanow, 2009).…”