Qun Ma: Developing a Critical Realist Methodology for Policy Analysis

Policy analysis seeks to understand how policy is developed, what it contains and intends and what its impacts are. This study argues that critical realism's ontological foundation and explanatory techniques can contribute to policy analysis methodology. It begins by discussing different theoretical orientations in policy analysis. Then it introduces how critical realism can help distinguish policy interpretations from policy objects and build awareness of the sociocultural conditions and mechanisms that influence a policy. After explaining the ontological foundation of critical realism and outlining its transcendental reasoning and techniques, an example analysis of a government-produced policy about Chinese early childhood teachers (ECTs) is used to illustrate the potential of critical realist-informed policy analysis for question formulation, policy selection, coding, and analysis techniques. The illustrative analysis confirms that researchers need to look beyond the surface to fully understand policy. This way of addressing policy phenomena can apply to further policy research that unpacks the role of sociocultural contexts and underlying mechanisms in explaining policy phenomena. Further, this critical realist approach to policy analysis invites additional empirical studies to hone its application in policy studies.