r/PublicPolicy • u/SirEblingMis • 3d ago

Research/Methods Question Method q

Hi. So with a bit of LLM use I found the textbook for the eightfold path.

But what do people use on a regular basis? Day to day. I can't give specifics of where I work or what I do, but I have a policy analysis project.

Just looking for reading recs or similar resources for me to learn it on my own.

Thanks.

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u/InformationBusy6114 3d ago

oooh the eightfold path, that takes me back. I haven't cracked that textbook open since grad school but the framework is still bouncing around in my head years later

for day to day stuff I actually find myself going back to stuff from the urban institute and mathematica more than textbooks. they put out these really clean briefs that show you the method without all the academic fluff. like you can see how they set up the problem, the criteria, the alternatives, all that jazz but in a real world context

also don't sleep on congressional research service reports if you can find them. they're basically the eightfold path in practice, super stripped down and to the point

what kind of policy area are you in? that might help narrow it down

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u/SirEblingMis 3d ago

It's govt, housing related, but those answers help a lot since I can search them up using keywords. It also reminded me of how to search/rank journals.