Studying Educational and Social Policy Theoretical Concepts and Research Methods

The Overall Purpose of This Text is to Introduce Beginning Researchers to the Study of Educational and Social Policy, How It Has Been Examined From a Scholarly Perspective, and the Salient Issues to Consider in Conceptualizing and Conducting Policy Research. the Emphasis is on "Introduce," As the Various Policy Fields Within the Public Sector (For Example, Education, Energy, Health, Labor) Are Much Too Diverse to Include in Depth in a Single Volume on Theoretical Concepts and Research Methods. the Focus is Not so Much on the Substance of Policymaking As on Understanding the Interplay Between How Policy is Made and Implemented and the Various Conceptual Approaches and Methods Researchers Can Use to Frame and Conduct Policy Studies. the Underlying Assumption is That a Critique of the Substantive, Theoretical, and Methodological Issues Involved in Studying Policy Can Help Researchers Conduct Policy Studies That Are More Informative in Guiding Policy Development and More Effective in Asses