Best products from r/PublicPolicy
We found 6 comments on r/PublicPolicy discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 5 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving
- Used Book in Good Condition
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Speaking as an entry level analyst in the US, college internships with government or policy nonprofits/think tanks/advocacy groups are a good pathway to get basic experience and start making a network. Some of these positions will be paid, but many won’t. Public policy is definitely not as rigged as other fields when it comes to your credentials, so most social science degrees at the bachelors level will be considered the same for entry level. At higher levels, they start wanting you to have an MPP although it can occasionally be substituted for some similar practical social science masters degree. I can’t think of any specific non-degree credentials though that would really give you a leg up or be widely recognized in the field.
You should focus more on getting a bit of relevant experience under your belt so you can talk about how you’ll apply that experience to whatever task you’ll have in the job you’re applying for. Also, skills like being a good writer and statistics data analysis are really valued. Have a few public policy-style memos you can share as a portfolio, and take a few classes on how to do statistical data analysis (at college or even just an online class). Public policy writing is very different than academic writing, as your audience is totally different. I really recommend this book is you haven’t even taken a class on public policy as it explains how to write public policy really well and a lot of theory and methods commonly employed in the field.
I can also strongly recommend Cairney.
If you're interested in how we make policy I recommend reading Eugene Bardach's Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, which offers an intuitive analysis of policymaking that's beginner friendly.
If you want something more academic and detailed, I'd suggest picking up a secondhand copy of The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy.
Do you have a particular area of policy you’re interested in? I remember enjoying Death by a Thousand Cuts (about the estate tax) and Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America when I read them in grad school.
What sort of policy do you want to read about? Or are you more interested in the policy process overall?
This book might help you. It starts from the basics.