What are the core concerns of policy analysis? A multidisciplinary investigation based on in-depth bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Policy analysis provides multiple methods and tools for generating and transforming policy-relevant information and supporting policy evolution to address emerging social problems. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of a large number of studies on historical policy analysis was performed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the distribution and evolution of policy problems in different fields among countries. The analysis indicates that policy analysis has been a great concern for scholars in recent two decades, and is involved in multiple disciplines, among which the dominant ones are medicine, environment, energy and economy. The major concerns of policy analysts and scholars are human health needs, environmental pressures, energy consumption caused by economic growth and urbanization, and the resulting demand for sustainable development. The multidisciplinary dialog implies the complicated real-world social problems that calls for more endeavors to develop a harmonious society. A global profiling for policy analysis demonstrates that the central policy problems and the corresponding options align with national development, for example, developing countries represented by China are faced with greater environmental pressures after experiencing extensive economic growth, while developed countries such as the USA and the UK pay more attention to the social issues of health and economic transformation. Exploring the differences in policy priorities among countries can provide a new inspiration for further dialog and cooperation on the development of the international community in the future.

Decision Change: The First Step to System Change

“…The importance of global governance has been underscored in several studies. Indeed, there has been an exponential growth in the number of publications on policy analysis of global problems between 2003 and 2021, covering topics such as environmental degradation, energy supply, and pandemics [62]. We now give an impression of the problems with global governance because these problems could also be present when deciding on system change.…”

Decision Change: The First Step to System Change

“…The importance of global governance has been underscored in several studies. Indeed, there has been an exponential growth in the number of publications on policy analysis of global problems between 2003 and 2021, covering topics such as environmental degradation, energy supply, and pandemics [168]. We now give an impression of the problems with global governance because these problems could also be present when deciding on system change.…”

Research performance evaluation model in university: evidence from Indonesia

“…Research performance evaluation instruments are not suitable enough to meet the needs of all university, given an extensive variety of universities in Indonesia. The suitability of priority indicators for instruments with current policies must therefore be determined (Yang et al ., 2023; Zhou, 2021) by utilizing an integrated (Werner and Souder, 1997) and consistent (Tahira et al ., 2015) combination of indicators.…”