Action Research in Policy Analysis

"While action research has a significant policy history, policy analysis has largely been tied to an "expert" and "consultant" model. Several developments have led the field to increasingly recognize the need for analyzing policies by engaging in a collaborative process to change them and their outcomes for the benefit of civil society. Because of this Bartels and Wittmayer’s book is most welcome. It reinvigorates the necessary debate about how to develop and enact participatory, collaborative and sustainable policies in a world that has rapidly spiraled downward toward inequality and environmental catastrophe. Taking a deep dive into the methods and processes that enable participatory processes to work, they have provided an excellent overview of this field and the potential of action research to develop sustainable policies and re-stitch the social fabric that is being mercilessly torn apart for the benefit of the few." - ProfessorDavydd Greenwood, Cornell University, USA.

"Action research (AR) continues to perplex the average policy analyst – even those who seek to overcome the constraints of mainstream policy analysis. This book will answer most of their questions. The heart of the book consists of ten richly detailed descriptions that evoke the variety and creativity of action research. Each chapter is followed by a short reflection by the "co-inquirer" which helps us to understand how AR ‘lands’ in the experiential world of the practitioner. These are accounts are bookended by two highly useful chapters in which the editors describe and explain the essentials of AR in the context of the policy process and sustainability transition. This book represents an important innovation in policy analysis that should be included on the readings list of every practitioner and student in sustainability science and policy analysis." - Professor Hendrik Wagenaar, King’s College London, UK, and The University of Canberra, Australia.