Social policy analysts specialize in researching social issues and finding solutions to problems, such as hunger, crime, discrimination, poverty, disease, violence, and unemployment.
Policy analyst may work for non-profits, media outlets or government agencies. Many policy analysts hold a graduate degree, such as a J.D. or Ph.D. A foreign policy analyst might observe the maneuvering of foreign diplomats who are assigned to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Some policy analysts are involved in the work of developing new policy for government agencies and other organizations. They examine existing policy and are involved in research designed to identify the things that need to be addressed with new ones. Defining the social problem. A problem well defined is a problem half-solved. John Dewey If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions. Albert Einstein. As a public policy analyst, your group or your class will first need to select a problem topic and then specifically define a social problem.  A policy analyst is involved in the evaluation and formulation of policy. People in this field work at nonprofit organizations, government agencies, news outlets, and many other types of entities. The specific nature of the job depends on the needs of the employer. Some policy analysts are involved in the work of developing new policy for government agencies and other organizations. They examine existing policy and are involved in research designed to identify the things that need to be addressed with new ones. Analysis for new policy which is prescriptive—i.e., it is involved with formulating policies and proposals (e.g., to improve social welfare). The area of interest and the purpose of analysis determines what type of analysis is conducted. A combination of two kinds of policy analyses together with program evaluation would be defined as Policy studies. The policy process approach puts its focal point onto political processes and involved stakeholders; its scope is the meso-scale and its problem interpretation is usually of a political nature. Although some policy analysts function as generalists, researching multiple issues, many public policy analysts specialize, building expertise in particular policy areas. One analyst may specialize in education policy while another may build expertise on national security and foreign affairs. Some policy analysts conduct cost-benefit analyses of existing policies to assess whether a program's outcomes outweighed the expenses or if the program cost more than anticipated, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Various approaches to policy analysis exist. The Analysis ‘of-for’ policy is the central approach in social science and educational policy studies which is linked to two different traditions of policy analysis and research frameworks. The policy process approach puts its focal point onto political processes and involved stakeholders; its scope is the meso-scale and its problem interpretation is usually of a political nature. Essential Information. Social policy analysts specialize in researching social issues and finding solutions to problems, such as hunger, crime, discrimination, poverty, disease, violence, and unemployment. Some social policy analysts work for government agencies, while others work for consulting firms or think tanks. Job Description. The primary function of a social policy analyst is to study social problems and develop policies to solve them. These professionals are involved in one or more of four general stages of policy analysis. First, social policy analysts gather data, using either existing information or generating new data through research The first step for the policy analyst is to identify the space in which the policy problem exists. This is generally a broad policy space, such as health policy or environmental policy. Next the analyst defines the specific policy issue area. Political feasibility is a measure of how well a solution to a policy problem, will be accepted by a set of decision makers and the general public. For a policy to be enacted and implemented, it must be politically acceptable, or feasible
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