The roots of welfare reform: "the social forces underlying the Wisconsin Learnfare Program"

Abstract

Two sets of theories are used sequentially in the analysis of the policymaking behind Learnfare. The first series consIsts of theories of the overall pollcymaking process, and includes the rational comprehensive, incrementalist, and two models of "organized anarchy" including the "garbage can" and "policy windows" perspectives. The second series focuses more specifically on the role of policy analysis itself within the larger process, and includes models I abstracted from several recent writings on the subject. The task here is to characterize the nature of analysis and the work of the analyst. These models consist of the "anti-analytic" and "analyst subordination" theses, and the perspective of "policy analysis as art and craft". For the most part, both sets of models afforded helpful and distinct insights into the Learnfare policymaking process.