Policy Analysis Quotes

Governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.

You know, what's interesting about Washington...It's the kind of place where second-guessing has become second-nature.

I think it's important for people to say look, what does each party and each candidate have to offer for you. If you want a better future that is going to be reliant on making smart economic policies, compare my husband's eight years with Ronald Reagan's eight years. 23 million new jobs, more than seven million people lifted out of poverty.

In terms of politics, I just look at people's policies, and sometimes I agree with something, sometimes I won't.

Donald Trump has a grasp on what's important and what's marginalia.

In State of the Union addresses, I always look at the foreign policy and military parts first, which are generally pretty minimal.

Heritage will remain, first and foremost, a research institute dedicated to impeccable research and data-driven policy analysis.

Analysts can choose the problems that they want to study whereas the statesman’s problems are imposed on him.

Vulcan Inc. is a unique organization that unites commercial, philanthropic, research, policy, and technology innovation. Our goals are ambitious - from saving Africa's elephants to unlocking the secrets of the human brain to building sustainable communities and opening up access to space.

It is important to have a President who not only understands, but enjoys complexity

Good policy analysis recognizes that physical truth may be poorly or incompletely known. Its objective is to evaluate, order, and structure incomplete knowledge so as to allow decisions to be made with as complete an understanding as possible of the current state of knowledge, its limitations, and its implications.

It's easy to defend a policy that works. It's not so easy to defend a policy that didn't work.

Sadly, I do my homework. I've a soft spot for the boring minutiae. I read the Charter of the United Nations before meeting with Kofi Annan. I read the Meltzer report, and then I'll read C. Fred Bergsten's defense of institutions like the World Bank and the I.M.F. It's embarrassing to admit.

Politics demands certain skills honed by experience, just as journalism does, just as acting does.

I think that it's more important for an economist to be wise and sophisticated in scientific method than it is for a physicist because with controlled laboratory experiments possible, they practically guide you; you couldn't go astray. Whereas in economics, by dogma and misunderstanding, you can go very sadly astray.

Although only a few may originate a policy, we are all able to judge it.

The highest reach of a news-writer is an empty reasoning on policy, and vain conjectures on the public management.

We'll be examining and auditing and reviewing all of the programs of the department and really figuring out what is the core mission and how can the federal department of education really support and enhance the role of the departments in the states.

All policy is targeted in one way or another.

Wishful thinking is not sound public policy.

Let me just say that while I personally am very fond of John Boehner, his record of predicting what would happen if certain policies, economic policies were instituted is abysmal, okay?

My job is to advise politicians, elected officials, and government ministries of the best way to deal with important issues, both localized, national, and the grand challenges facing humanity.

Successful and unsuccessful political policies have one commonalty. The people who created the policies thought they would be successful.

I don't think I would move into politics, but our job is often about pulling things down. It's about why something won't work, which I think is valuable, but it's not always constructive.

Congressional staff members do have a considerable amount of responsibility. But in my experience, the loyalty of the vast majority of staffers to their bosses leads them to be honest brokers of information for the members they work for.