Policy analysis at the US Office of Technology Assessment
by Daryl Chubin, Robert Friedman, Kerry Kemp, Anthony Fainberg, Jan Linsenmeyer
International Journal of Technology Management (IJTM), Vol. 11, No. 5/6, 1996

Abstract: The US Congress created the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as an experiment in analytical support. Over the last two decades, OTA has gained extensive experience in providing to Congressional committees in-depth analyses of a vast range of controversial and complex national policy issues involving science and technology. OTA reports have addressed issues ranging from energy efficiency and global climatic change, to AIDS research, infrastructure needs, and industrial policy. These reports present options to aid policy resolutions, and in many instances, have helped to frame the Congressional debate. The occasion of OTA's 20th anniversary seemed an auspicious time to consider how the agency might improve the quality of its policy analysis. In September 1992, the agency began a modest internal assessment of how OTA approaches policy analysis, as reflected in a post-I985 sample of full reports. Full OTA reports contain major policy content and are produced with the assistance of an advisory panel. This paper summarizes the methodology and findings of the in-house OTA Policy Analysis Project. A central finding is that policy analysis in OTA reports is often good – and frequently perceived to be better than that of other policy organizations – but there is considerable variation in quality and methods from report to report.

Online publication date: Fri, 22-May-2009

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