Policy Research and Political Challenges

 

Deborah Gonzalez ’85 P’14, Director of Government Affairs — Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)
Monday, November 06, 2017
Think tanks play an important role in the U.S. policy process, attempting to improve lawmaking and governance by testing political assumptions through empirical research, and offering policy alternatives based on evidence. However, a think tank’s ability to influence policymaking rarely hinges on the strength of its claims or the quality of its findings. Deborah Gonzalez ’85, the director of government affairs at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), discusses the divide between policy research and the policy process in California government, and ways in which the two can work better together to improve lawmaking.