Table Of ContentROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF COMPARATIVE
POLICY ANALYSIS
This Handbook presents the first comprehensive study of policy analytical practices from a
comparative perspective.
It explores emerging developments and innovations in the field and advances knowledge
of the nature and quality of policy analysis across different countries and at different levels of
government by all relevant actors, both inside and outside government, who contribute to the
diagnosis of problems and the search for policy solutions.
The chapters of the Handbook examine all aspects of the science, art and craft of policy
analysis. They do so both at the often studied national level, and also at the less well- known
level of sub- national and local governments. In addition to studying governments, the
Handbook also examines for the first time the practices and policy work of a range of non-
governmental actors, including think tanks, interest groups, business actors, labour groups,
media, political parties and non- profit organizations.
Bringing together a rich collection of cases and a renowned group of scholars, the
Handbook constitutes a landmark study in the field.
Marleen Brans is Professor at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, and visiting
Professor at Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
Iris Geva-May is Professor Emerita at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia,
Canada, and Visiting Professor, Baruch College School of Public Affairs, CUNY. She is
Founding Editor- in-Chief of Routledge’s Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and
Practice, and Founding President of the International Comparative Policy Analysis Forum.
Michael Howlett is Burnaby Mountain Chair in the Department of Political Science at
Simon Fraser University, Canada, and Yong Pung How Chair Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He specializes in public
policy analysis, Canadian political economy, and Canadian resource and environmental
policy.
ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF
COMPARATIVE POLICY
ANALYSIS
Edited by Marleen Brans, Iris Geva-May and
Michael Howlett
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Taylor & Francis
The right of Marleen Brans, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors
for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Brans, M. (Marleen), editor. | Geva-May, Iris, editor. | Howlett, Michael, 1955– editor.
Title: Routledge handbook of comparative policy analysis / edited by Marleen Brans,
Iris Geva-May, and Michael Howlett.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016045292 | ISBN 978113895977
Subjects: LCSH: Policy sciences. | Comparative government.
Classification: LCC H97 .R677 2017 | DDC 320.6—dc23LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016045292
ISBN: 978-1-138-95977-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-66056-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk
CONTENTS
List of Figures viii
List of Tables ix
Notes on Contributors x
1 Policy Analysis in Comparative Perspective: An Introduction 1
Marleen Brans, Iris Geva-May and Michael Howlett
PART I
The Styles and Methods of Public Policy Analysis 25
2 The Policy Analysis Profession 27
Yukio Adachi
3 The Choice of Formal Policy Analysis Methods 43
Claudia Scott
4 From Policy Analytical Styles to Policymaking Styles 56
Patrick Hassenteufel and Philippe Zittoun
5 Policy Analysis and Bureaucratic Capacity 70
Jose-Luis Mendez and Mauricio I. Dussauge-Laguna
6 Reflections on a Half Century of Policy Analysis 85
Beryl A. Radin
v
Contents
PART II
Policy Analysis by Governments 101
7 Policy Analysis in the Central Government 103
Arnošt Veselý
8 Policy Analysis in Sub-National Governments 118
Joshua Newman
9 Policy Analysis at the Local Level 131
Martin Lundin and PerOla Öberg
10 Evidence-Based Budgetary Policy: Speaking Truth to Power? 143
Frans K. M. van Nispen and Maarten de Jong
PART III
Committees, Public Inquiries, Research Institutes, Consultants and
Public Opinion 167
11 Public Inquiries 169
Patrik Marier
12 Expert Advisory Bodies in the Policy System 181
Kate Crowley and Brian W. Head
13 Policy Analysis in the Legislative Branch 199
Wouter Wolfs and Lieven De Winter
14 Management Consultancy and the Varieties of Capitalism 213
Denis Saint-Martin
15 Public Opinion and Policy Analysis 229
Christine Rothmayr Allison
PART IV
Parties and Interest-Group-Based Policy Analysis 243
16 Who are The Political Parties’ Ideas Factories? On Policy Analysis by
Political Party Think Tanks 245
Valérie Pattyn, Gilles Pittoors and Steven Van Hecke
17 Business Associations and the Public Policy Process: When Do They
Do Policy Analysis? 261
Aidan R. Vining and Anthony E. Boardman
vi
Contents
18 Policy Analysis by the Labour Movement: A Comparative Analysis
of Labour Market Policy in Germany, Denmark and the United States 276
Michaela Schulze and Wolfgang Schroeder
19 Policy Analysis and the Voluntary Sector 291
Bryan Evans, Juniper Glass and Adam Wellstead
PART V
Advocacy-Based and Academic Policy Analysis 307
20 Media and Policy Analysis 309
Yu-Ying Kuo and Ming Huei Cheng
21 Policy Analysis and Think Tanks in Comparative Perspective 324
Diane Stone and Stella Ladi
22 Academic Policy Analysis and Research Utilization in Policymaking 341
Sonja Blum and Marleen Brans
23 Public Policy Studies in North America and Europe 360
Johanu Botha, Iris Geva-May and Allan M. Maslove
Index 380
vii
FIGURES
10.1 Schematic presentation of the PPB System 144
10.2 Breakdown of 27 programs rated ineffective by PART for FY2008 146
10.3 Performance budgeting index (PBI) for a selected number of OECD
countries 148
10.4 The frequency of performance utilization during budget negotiations per
category in OECD countries 149
10.5 The utilization of performance information in OECD countries 149
10.6 Diversified approach of performance budgeting depending on
policy characteristics 152
10.7 Modes of policy analysis and evaluation 155
10.8 The utilization of program evaluation in the budget negotiations in
OECD countries 156
10.9 A classification of budget reviews 157
10.10 Overview of the main actor in charge of spending reviews per category
of activity in OECD countries 158
10.11 The utilization of spending reviews in the budget negotiations in
OECD countries 158
16.1 Think tank functions 257
17.1 The role of business associations in the policy process 266
19.1 Relationship among various types of ‘advocacy’ activities 297
22.1 Actors and arenas in the policy advisory system 348
viii
TABLES
4.1 The French policymaking style 66
4.2 The German policymaking style 66
4.3 The US policymaking style 67
5.1 A supply- demand matrix of governmental policy analysis 74
7.1 Policy analysis in central government 112
12.1 Policy advisory system actors classified by policy types 183
12.2 The ‘externalization’ of advisory councils 187
12.3 Comparative approaches to studying advisory bodies/systems 189
12.4 Policy advisory systems—ILPA single country comparisons 192
12.5 Key findings on cross- national variation in advisory bodies/systems 194
14.1 European consulting market, 2010 218
16.1 Level of autonomy 247
16.2 Political party think tank function 252
17.1 Business associations that have the most contact with Canadian federal officials 262
17.2 Canadian business associations: scope and production of policy analyses 271
19.1 Role within organization 302
19.2 At what stage of the government process is your organization invited
to participate? 303
20.1 i- Voting on performance of Taipei City Government Departments 311
20.2 2013 participants in internet use in Japan 312
20.3 Internet users in Japan, 2012-2016 313
20.4 Respondents of survey on child abuse 314
20.5 Areas covered by the OPEN system 317
20.6 The top 10 provincial microblogs in China 318
20.7 The top 10 government microblogs in Beijing 318
20.8 Message content in Beijing announcements 319
22.1 Ladder of research utilization 345
ix
