What does “public policy analysis” refer to?

Public policy analysis is fundamentally about examining and evaluating policies to determine their overall impact and effectiveness. This process involves a systematic approach to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of public policies. Effectiveness refers to how well a policy achieves its intended outcomes; efficiency looks at the cost-effectiveness in terms of resource usage; and equity assesses how fair the policy is in regard to its distributional impacts across different groups in society.

Option C accurately encapsulates this comprehensive analytic approach, as it acknowledges the multifaceted nature of public policies and the need for critical evaluation based on these key criteria. This type of analysis is essential for policymakers to understand the potential consequences of their decisions and to make informed adjustments or reforms as needed.

In contrast, the other options focus on narrower or different aspects; for example, assessing financial implications of public agencies or polling data does not encompass the full scope of determining policy efficacy and outcomes. These considerations, while important in their own right, do not define public policy analysis as comprehensively as the systematic evaluation described in option C.