(Linkage F in Figure 1-3). For example, what is the effect of the war in Iraq on
Republican ortunes in Congress? What is the impact of immigration policies
on the president's popularity? We also want to examine the impact of public policies on
conditions in society (Linkage D in Figure 1-3). For example, does capital punishment
help to deter crime? Does cutting cash welfare benefits encourage people to work? Does
increased educational spending produce higher student achievement scores? In scientific
terms, when we study the consequences of public policy, policies become the independent
variables, and their political, social, economic, and cultural impacts on society become
the dependent variables.
Policy Analysis and Policy Advocacy
It is important to distinguish policy analysis from policy advocacy. Explaining the
causes and consequences of various policies is not equivalent to prescribing what policies