Policy Analysis
Policy analysis studies ‘who gets what’ in politics, ‘why’, and ‘what consequences does it bring’. Policy analysis identifies the policies governments take, the reason why they undertake such policies, and the effects of the policies on the politicians and citizens. Policy analysis can be categorized into two broad categories. First, policy analysis is analytical and descriptive; it tries to show policies and their implementation progress. Second, policy analysis is descriptive and involves enacting policies and suggestions. The field of interest and the function of analysis justify the category of analysis to be carried on. Dye explains that there are three approaches to policy analysis; that is, the anglocentric approach, the policy process, and the metaphysical approach. Policy analysis is conducted in six steps; identify and detail the challenge; construct evaluation criteria; identify and examine alternative policies; distinguish various policies; and monitor the implemented policy.
Political science
Dye explains that political science is a social science that studies the theory and practice of politics. Dye expresses politics as a struggle for power among the elites in society. It involves allocating a country’s limited resources among the masses. Political science attempts to describe the political systems and political values in a society. Political science has various concepts and models that identify and explain the political life of a country or territory. There are eight analytic models applied in learning political science, that is, institutional model, rationale, process, public choice, elite, game theory, group, and incremental models. Political science uses methods and techniques that are relevant to questions raised; it uses both primary and secondary sources of data.