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2 Pol'y Stud. J. 2 (1973-1974)

handle is hein.journals/plyssjnl2 and id is 1 raw text is: I. ORGANIZATION AND JOURNAL DEVELOPMENTS Now that the Policy Studies Organization and the Policy Studies Journal seem to be fairly well established, there are less new developments to report with each issue. From the small group which met at the 1971 APSA convention, we have expanded to over 850 members and subscribers as of July 1. From a mimeographed newsletter, we have expanded to a quarterly journal, a hardbound yearbook, a Policy Studies Directory, a roughly planned book on The Policy Uses of Political Science, and other publi- cations in the planning stage. It is especially hoped that the symposia and the comments in the Journal will help give some shape to the developing area of policy studies within political science. The Dror-Dye-Dror series of articles has point- ed up the diversity of approaches to studying policy from a political science perspective. There is, however, unity within this diversity as indicated by the fact that those who advocate more concern for prescription and an optimizing approach to policy studies recognize the need for a policy causation approach. Otherwise prescriptions are more likely to lack political feasibility. Likewise in order to explain causation, it is helpful to develop various optimizing models with given goals. One can then compare these optimizing models with empirical models and attempt to explain the differences, like doing a residual analysis between the pre- dicted and the actual. The concept of policy studies was deliberately chosen for its ability to include diversity. It refers to concern for both substance and method- ology, whereas the term policy analysis tends to refer only to method- ology. Policy studies also refers to both a non-quantitative and a quanti- tative approach to studying policy, whereas the term policy science tends to refer only to a quantitative approach. The related term science policy refers to governmental policy on matters relating to natural science, whereas policy studies tends to refer to government policy in general and especially policy about governmental operations. It is expected that further developments in the shaping of the Organ- ization, the Journal, and the field will occur at the 1973 APSA convention in New Orleans. The PSO Council and PSJ Editorial Board will meet at the convention at 11:45 Wednesday, September 5, at the Jung Hotel. There will be a general membership meeting at 11:45 Thursday, September 6, at the neighboring Sheraton Hotel. Ken Dolbeare has a section of policy studies panels planned for the convention, including a synthesizing round- table on What Can and Should We Be Doing? Some of the other sections will also contain panels dealing with policy studies. Copies of the first edition of the Policy Studies Directory are in the process of being prepared for mailing to members of the Policy Studies Organization and to the departmental chairmen to whom the questionnaires were sent asking about their policy studies activities. Additional copies can be obtained at $1 apiece from the secretary-treasurer of the Organi- zation. The Directory will run about 50 pages including an introduction, a categorized bibliography, and a set of structured questionnaire responses from over 70 Ph.D.-awarding political science departments. The responses