The Implied Policy Analyst

What constitutes a policy analyst? This study seeks to identify those characteristics of a policy analyst that are essential to his performance by examining the two most important elements in a policy analyst's training: Faculty composition by discipline and course requirements in each discipline. The author investigated eight schools having a program in public affairs, public administration, or public policy to obtain data on required courses and the distribution of faculty among the disciplines. It was necessary to use the binary approach of counting only the presence or absence of a faculty representative or course requirement because of the inter-disciplinary quality of the public policy programs and the many program designs created by different schools. The value of training outside the framework of the program was also examined. Since the policy analyst is being trained as an adviser rather than an academician, some experience in applying the techniques taught is essential. In every program, either internships or workshops, and frequently both, were required.