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Policy Analyst
Researches and evaluates government policies — recommends improvements based on evidence.
Did you know?
In a UK trial, tax reminder letters saying most people in your town pay on time got 83% of late payers to pay, up from 67.5%.
How subjects help
- Political Science: Map out who has to agree before a new law or rule can actually happen.
- Economics: Estimate what a new policy will cost and who will gain or lose money from it.
- Statistics: Compare data before and after a policy to see if it really made a difference.
- Sociology: Find out how a change like higher bus fares affects different groups of people.
A famous name
Alice Rivlin: Founding director of the US Congressional Budget Office (1975-1983), which analyses policy costs.
Try it yourself: Run a mini survey
- Ask one clear question with a few choices, like "Which fruit do you like best?"
- Tally the answers as you go.
- Draw a bar chart of the results.
- Write one thing the data shows, and one thing it can't tell you (would a different group answer differently?).
Data scientists and statisticians ask good questions, count carefully and are honest about what the data can't show.
Also try: Weigh up a case like a judge.
Known for it in
USA, UK, Sweden, Singapore, Canada