Policy Studies

Policy studies are closely linked with evaluation and focus particularly on policies. There is substantial overlap between the methods and strategies used in policy studies and evaluation, although policy studies are more often explicitly normative and require prescriptions or plans for future actions, often within a relatively short time frame. Policy studies may be prospective and involve a comparative analysis of future scenarios, given policy alternatives, or may be retrospective and examine the consequences of a particular policy. An example of the overlap of policy studies and evaluation is exemplified in the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.