policymaking20

"Traditional policy analysis approaches are characterized by a focus on system modeling and choosing among policy alternatives. While successful in many cases, this approach has been increasingly criticized for being technocratic and ignoring the behavioral and political dimensions of most policy processes. In recent decades, increased awareness of the multi-actor, multiple perspective, and poly-centric character of many policy processes has led to the development of a variety of different perspectives on the styles and roles of policy analysis, and to new analytical tools and approaches - for example, argumentative approaches, participative policy analysis, and negotiation support. As a result, the field has become multi-faceted and somewhat fragmented. Public Policy Analysis: New Developments acknowledges the variety of approaches and provides a synthesis of the traditional and new approaches to policy analysis. It provides an overview and typology of different types of policy analytic activities, characterizing them according to differences in character and leading values, and linking them to a variety of theoretical notions on policymaking. Thereby, it provides assistance to both end users and analysts in choosing an appropriate approach given a specific policy situation. By broadening the traditional approach and methods to include the analysis of actors and actor networks related to the policy issue at hand, it deepens the state of the art in certain areas. While the main focus of the book is on the cognitive dimensions of policy analysis, it also links the policy analysis process to the policymaking process, showing how to identify and involve all relevant stakeholders in the process, and how to create favorable conditions for use of the results of policy analytic efforts by the policy actors."

This Handbook provides a comprehensive global survey of the policy process. Written by an outstanding line up of distinguished scholars and practitioners, the Handbook covers all aspects of the policy process including: Theory - from rational choice to the new institutionalism Frameworks - network theory, advocacy coalition and development models Key stages in the process - Formulation, implementation and evaluation Agenda setting and decision making The roles of key actors and institutions This is an invaluable resource for all scholars, graduate students and practitioners in public policy and policy analysis.

Debating on line.

A Big Data road map for government. Produced by TechAmerica Foundation, a nonprofit arm of what seems to be trade association of the high tech industry. The leadership of the commission is firmly in the hands of large companies: IBM, SAP, Amazon.

e-democracy?

A comment from the Economist on the ECB game, which is at: http://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/educational/economia/html/index.en.html

Play to be Mario Draghi, form the ECB web site, and learn economics and politics.

A serious gama to improve economic participation of citizens.

A new app that lets voters flag polling-place irregularities will be tested at the primaries on Thursday and, if it works well, will be rolled out citywide for the November general election. The program, PollWatchUSA, enables voters to report in real time if they are experiencing undue delays, having trouble getting or casting a ballot, or being subjected to harassment or intimidation.

Organizations like World Bank and the CDC have discovered how easy it is to design policies, create customized policy models, facilitate decision-making, build stakeholder consensus and share insights with simulations by Forio.

A sort of Kickstarter for (American) municipalities.  Dazzling philosophical implications ("dollar democracy!" "Hello, it's one dollar one vote already, this just reduces the threshold to join in the game") 

simulation and network analysis for social science and enterprises: a  new business field (a mini survey) 4/4

simulation and network analysis for social science and enterprises: a  new business field (a mini survey) 3/4

simulation and network analysis for social science and enterprises: a  new business field (a mini survey) 2/4

simulation and network analysis for social science and enterprises: a  new business field (a mini survey) 1/4

Think together to act together: CivicEvolution helps citizens create community written and supported plans to solve community problems.

"Online game Foldit adds puzzle to investigate proteins to aid sepsis treatment... Gamers solving a previous Foldit puzzle remodeled an important reaction in organic synthesis in three weeks-a solution that evaded scientists for years."