PEDU 6209
Policy Studies in Education
Topic 1
Introduction to Policy Studies in Education:
Definitions of the Discipline and the Field
A. Policy Studies: Definitions of a Discipline
1. Constituents of a discipline
a. Epistemological constituents of a discipline
i. The constitution of the subject of inquiry
ii. The constitution of the issue of inquiry
iii. The constitution of the method of inquiry
b. Institutional constituents of a discipline
i. The constitution of departments
ii. The constitution of associations
iii. The constitution of journals
2. Definitions of the subject of inquiry of policy studies:
a. Definition of policy
i. The Oxford English Dictionary: "A course of action or principle
adopted or proposed by a government, party, individual, etc.; any
course of action adopted as advantageous or expedient."
ii. “Policy is defined as a ‘standing decision’ characterized by
behavioral consistency and repetitiveness on the part of both
who make it and those who abide by it.” (Eulau & Prewitt, 1973, p.
465)
iii. “Routinization (in complex social life) is achieved through the
formulation and implementation of policies. Policies are
statements that prescribe courses of action in organizations.
They govern the internal functioning of the organizations, their
external relations, and the way they attain their goals.” (Midgley,
2000, p. 3)
iv. Policy is “a projected program of goals, values, and practices.”
(Lasswell & Kaplan, 1970, p. 71)
v. "To have a policy is to have rational reasons or argurments which
contain both a claim to an understanding of a problem and a
solution. It put forward what is and what ought to be done. A
policy offers a kind of theory upon which a claim for legitimacy is
made." (Parson, 1995, p. 15)
b. Definition of public policy
i. “Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to
do.” (Dye, 1998, p. 2)
ii. William Jenkins conceptualizes public policy as “ a set of
interrelated decisions taken by a political actor or group of actors
concerning the selection of goals and the means of achieving
them within a specific situation where those decisions should, in
principle, be within the power of those actors to achieve.”
(Quoted in Howlett & Ramesh, 1995, p. 5)
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iii. David Easton defines public policy as “the authoritative allocation
of values for the whole society.” (Easton, 1953, p. 129)
iv. Giandomenico Majone “As politicians know too well but social
scientists too often forget, public policy is made of language.
Whether in written or oral form, argument is central in all stages
of the policy process.” (Majone, 1989, p.1)
v. “The practice of public policy making largely a matter of
persuasion. So is the discipline of studying public policy making
aptly described as itself being a ‘persuasion’. It is a mood more
than a science, a loosely organized body of percepts and
positions rather than a tightly integrated body of systemic
knowledge, more art and craft and genuine ‘science’.” (Goodin,
Rein and Moran, 2006, p. 5)
vi. “We define policy as a political agreement on a course of action
(or inaction) designed to resolve or mitigate problems on the
political agenda. This agreement…is an intellectual constructs
rather than a self-defining phenomenon. Discursively
constructed, there can be no inherently unique decision,
institutions, or actors constituting public policy that are to be
identified, uncovered, and explained. Public policy, as such, is an
analytical category with a substantive content cannot be simply
researched; more fundamentally, it has to be interpreted.” (p.60)
“Public policy is a discursive construct rather than a self-defining
phenomenon.” (Fischer, 2003, p. 69) ”
c. Definition of social policy
i. “Social policy …refers to the actual policies and programs of
governments that affect people’s welfare.” (Midley, 2000, p.4)
ii. “Social policy may be defined as policy activities which influence
welfare. Whilst non-state bodies may be described as having
policies, a generic expression like ‘social policy’ is primarily used
to define the role of the state in relation to the welfare of its
citizens.” (Hill, 1997, p. 1)
2. Definition of issues of inquiry of policy studies
a. Harold Lasswell characterizes that “As a working definition, we say
that the policy science are concerned with knowledge of and in the
decision processes of the public and civic order.” (1971, p.1, original
emphasis)
b. Study for policy:
i. William Dunn indicates that “policy analysis is a problem solving
discipline. …Policy analysis addresses five types of questions:
- What is the nature of the problem for which solution is sought?
- Which of two or more courses of action should be chosen to
solve the problem?
- What are the outcomes of choosing that course of action?
- Does achieving the outcomes contribute to solving the
problem?
- What future outcomes can be expected if other courses of
action are chosen?” (p. 3)
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ii. Policy Studies generates knowledge for problem-solving
- Problem recognition
- Agenda-setting
- Proposal of solution
- Policy formation
- Choice of solution
- Decision-making
- Putting solution into effect
- Policy implementation
- Monitoring results
- Policy evaluation
c. Study of policy:
i. Thomas Dye defines the study of public policy as “the description
and explanation of the causes and consequences of government
activities, This focus involves
- a description of the content of public policy;
- an analysis of the impact of social, economic, and political
forces on the content of the public policy;
- an inquiry into the effect of various institutional arrangements
and political processes on public policy; and
- an evaluation of the consequences of public policies on society,
both expected and unexpected.” (p.5)
ii. Policy Studies generates knowledge of policy
- Study of the policy contents or substances
- Study of the policy forms and processes
- Study of the institutional or systemic contexts in which the policy
is embedded
- Study of the formation of policy discourse
- Critical study of ideological implications of policy
3. Definitions of methods of inquiry
a. The policy science movement
i. Analytic-technical method
ii. Political system method
b. The interpretive-political method
i. Study of meanings and values invested in policy
ii. Study of text, textuality and intertextuality of policy documents
iii. Study of policy argument
iv. Study of policy frame
c. The discursive critical method
i. Study of policy discourse
ii. Study of dominant ideology at work in policy
B. Policy Studies in Education: Definition of a Field
1. Definition of education policy: Whatever a government choose to do or
not to do to educational institutions.”
2. Definition of issues of inquiry
a. Study for education policy
i. Status-quo study and definition of education problems
ii. Causality study for policy solution
iii. Rational study for choice of solutions
iv. Study of policy implementation
v. Policy evaluation study
b. Study of education policy
i. Study of the origin and emergence of the education policy
i. Study of the designs and measures of the education policy
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ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Study of the forms and processes of the education policy
Institutional or systemic studies of the education policy
Study of formation of the policy discourse in education
Critical study of ideological implications of the education policy
C. Major journals on Policy Studies and Policy Studies in Education
1. Major journals on policy studies published in US and UK
a. Policy Studies Journal first published in 1971 in US
b. Politics and Policy first published in 1973 in US
c. Review of Policy Research, first published in 1981 in US
d. Journal of Public Policy first published in 1981 in UK
e. Public Policy Research first published in 1984 in UK
2. Major journal on policy studies in education published in US and UK
a. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis first published in
1979 in US
b. Educational Policy first published in 1987 in US
c. Journal of Education Policy first published in 1986 in UK
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