Introduction

Although there is no clear equivalent for policy analysis in the Czech language, production and use of policy-relevant information has a long tradition there. Located in the geographic centre of Europe, the country's culture has been influenced by different traditions. It still has some traces of the Austro- Hungarian epoch (1867-18), independent Czechoslovakia (1918-38), the German Protectorate (1939-45), the short intermezzo of post-war democratic Czechoslovakia (1945-48) and the totalitarian experience under Soviet influence (1948-89), though with periods of relative liberalisation (the second half of the 1960s). These are mixed with the post-communist transformation after the fall of socialism in 1989. The year 1989 indeed started the construction of a new social order from a strange mixture of components of various origins (Sztompka, 1996, p 120). While the theory related to the practice of policy analysis has been strongly influenced by an extensive import of ideas from the USA, the UK, Germany and other countries, the result of blending quite different traditions has led in many respects to the idiosyncratic nature of Czech policy analysis.

This book provides the first comprehensive review of the historical development and current state of the art of policy analysis in the Czech Republic. It discusses what is unique about it and what it shares with other countries. The aim of this introductory chapter is to provide the reader with the basic concepts used throughout the book (policy, policy analysis, public policy and so on), describe the structure of the book as well as the key research topics and questions that are dealt with. First, the problems with translating ‘policy analysis’ and ‘public policy’ are discussed and the practical and theoretical consequences of this are noted. Second, four different possible meanings of policy analysis in the Czech discourse are discerned: (1) policy analysis as policy studies; (2) policy analysis as institutionalised methodological practice; (3) policy analysis as any type of policy advising based upon relevant knowledge; (4) policy analysis as policy work. Third, we describe the structure of the book and provide a brief outline of the individual chapters, basic core themes and questions covered in the book.