Methodological Approaches & Policy Relevance

POSC 315 — Lecture 13.3

Competing Worldviews

Perspective Knowledge Claim Policy Example
Positivism Objective laws discoverable EPA emissions standard modeling
Post‑Positivism Objective-ish but uncertain CBO dynamic scoring with confidence bands
Constructivism Reality socially constructed Community narratives in urban planning
Critical Theory Knowledge entwined with power Disparate impact of voter ID laws
Symbolic Interactionism Meaning arises in interaction "Defund the police" framing battles

Positivism — The Lab Coat Ideal

  • Detached observer; value‑free inquiry.
  • Hypotheses verified through replicable tests.
  • Strong suit: regulatory cost‑benefit analysis.

Post‑Positivism — The Fallible Scientist

  • Recognizes measurement error, model uncertainty.
  • Emphasizes falsification (Popper) & paradigm shifts (Kuhn).
  • Mixed‑methods, triangulation.

Constructivism — The Sense‑Maker

  • Multiple legitimate realities.
  • Methods: interviews, focus groups, participatory action research.
  • Useful when policy success depends on perceived legitimacy (e.g., restorative justice).

Critical Theory — The Agitator

  • Uncovers hidden power structures.
  • Seeks emancipation (e.g., environmental justice mapping).
  • Researcher is morally engaged.

Symbolic Interactionism — The Micro Lens

  • Policy meanings negotiated at street level (Lipsky’s street‑level bureaucrats).
  • Ethnography, discourse analysis.

So What? Linking Methods to Policy

Choice of paradigm changes the questions you ask and the evidence decision‑makers see.

Policy Stage Positivist Tool Constructivist Tool
Problem Definition Trend analysis Community storytelling
Policy Formulation Forecast models Deliberative forums
Implementation Logic models Co‑production workshops
Evaluation Quasi‑experiments Participatory evaluation

Public Policy as Collective Puzzlement

“Policymaking is collective puzzlement on society’s behalf.” — Hugh Heclo

  • Multiple paradigms = multiple lenses on the puzzle.
  • Democratic governance needs that pluralism.

Problem Definition Shapes Solutions

“Whosoever initially identifies a social problem shapes the terms of debate.” — James A. Jones

Data + Frame → Agenda → Alternatives → Outcomes.

Final Thoughts

  • Be explicit about your assumptions.
  • Match methods to questions and values to context.
  • Good policy science is rigorous and reflexive.