Eugene Bardach and new co-author Eric Patashnik draw on more than 40 years of experience teaching students to be effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts.

The eightfold path : Define the problem ; Assemble some evidence ; Construct the alternatives ; Select the criteria ; Project the outcomes ; Confront the trade-offs ; Stop, focus, narrow, deepen, decide ; Tell your story -- Assembling evidence -- Handling a design problem -- "Smart (best) practices" research : understanding and making use of what look like good ideas from somewhere else -- APPENDICES. Specimen of a real-world policy analysis -- Things governments do -- Understanding public and nonprofit institutions : asking the right questions -- Strategic advice on the dynamics of gathering political support -- Tips for working with clients.