Comparative Policy Analysis

Guillaume Fontaine, Senior Researcher, The Comparative Policy Lab, FLACSO, Ecuador and Iris Geva-May, Honorary Research Professor of Policy Studies, Carleton University, Canada

‘This tour de force provides a very sophisticated presentation and discussion of the wide variety of methods and approaches available for comparative policy analysis. Taking different approaches seriously, the book unpacks the epistemological and methodological foundations of different approaches, showing how and when they can be used. Building on a nuanced discussion of what it means to compare in policy analysis and the legacy of Mill’s methods, the book introduces both classic and recent comparative methods, ranging from experimental approaches to paired comparisons. The text is admirably accessible despite the difficulty of some of the philosophical and methodological concepts discussed. The book also provides numerous recent examples that provide a great resource for scholars searching for exemplars of good applications of different methods in the field. What I really appreciated is that the authors do not suggest that there is one “best” approach, but instead all have comparative strengths and weaknesses that need to be taken seriously. Taken as a whole, the book will stand as an invaluable resource for any scholar interested in explaining and understanding public policies using comparative methods.’

• ContentsForeword Comparative Policy Analysis: From Research to Practice – Introduction PART I EPISTEMOLOGY 1 Charting comparative policy analysis 2 The logic of comparative policy analysis 3 Methodological innovations in comparative policy analysis PART II PROBABILISTIC FRAMEWORKS 4 Current trends in experiments and analytical statistics 5 Current trends in descriptive statistics PART III DETERMINISTIC FRAMEWORKS 6 Current trends in set-theoretic methods 7 Current trends in within-case studies Conclusion: from research to practice References