Calculated choices in policy-making : the theory and practice of impact assessment

This is a book about making choices based on the evaluation of alternatives. The outcomes of choices are often worse than people expect. This book discusses the major problems in evaluating courses of action and examines the political contexts in which decisions are made. The subject matter of this book is at the crossroads of policy and research methodology. How can information derived from empirical research benefit a policy-maker or decision maker, and how should this information be incorporated in the decision-making process? "Making choices depends on the evaluation of alternatives, yet the consequences of choices are often worse than people expect. This book discusses the major problems for decision-makers in evaluating courses of action and examines the political contexts in which decisions are made." "The book discusses the possibilities and limitations of a strategic approach to calculated choices. This involves making the possibilities more explicit and assessing each of them against clearly stipulated criteria. Regardless of the amount of information available, all rational choices are characterized by the inherent logic that results from an ideal-type model playing a part in every decision, be it implicit or explicit. It is the logic of this model that is analysed in this book." "While a decision-making model cannot guarantee optimal outcomes, this book will allow decision-makers to understand the potential and the difficulties involved in making choices which are as rational as possible."--BOOK JACKET Front Matter....Pages i-xvi An introduction to making calculated choices....Pages 1-34 The task is to make a well-thought-out choice....Pages 35-50 Alternatives and criteria....Pages 51-74 Determining how well alternatives score on criteria....Pages 75-121 The weight of criteria....Pages 122-147 Compilation into a ranking order....Pages 148-172 Analysing the outcomes....Pages 173-194 Leave the decision to the decision makers....Pages 195-204 Back Matter....Pages 205-220 Michiel S. De Vries. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 205-214) And Index.