Book Description

In summary, we have shown that there are distinct areas of important coincidence between the policy sciences and future studies, overlaps which suggest a close relationship between the two. Policy analysis has almost been universally accepted by public policymakers as a profession and discipline which can improve the quality of the policy process. One does not have to agree completely with Dror that policy-oriented futures research is a subfield of the policy sciences to appreciate that many of the justifications which have been established the legitimacy of the latter are salient tot eh former, Similarly, many of the evaluative criteria which have proven useful in assessing policy research are applicable to future studies as well. Although essential differences can be distinguished between the two approaches, they do not invalidate the comparisons nor deny the possible growth of futures studies as a result of the relationship. The legitimization of future studies as a public policy exercise (as opposed to an intellectual indulgence) should not then be at issue. Moreover, the demonstrated commonalities between futures studies and the policy sciences encourages one to apply the multidisciplinary, contextual approaches and evaluations which characterize the latter to the problem-oriented topics of the former, albeit with discernment because of the noted differences in time horizons.