Concluding Comments

Appropriate choice of research methods to meet policy needs _is the first step in policy analysis, careful compilation of relevant information _is the second, and correct interpretation of results in the context of policy choices is the third. Without good research design, therefore, the analyst has no story to tell. But that story needs to be heard by policy-makers or all of the research work will have only academic value. If both the design of research and the communication of its results are equally essential, the relationship between design and communication should be recognized from the start. Research designs need to be simplified so that their results can be easily communicated to nontechnical _policy-makers. For this reason, the PAM approach was designed both as a logical framework for understanding policy and efficiency and as a method for empirical application. PAM results, consequently, can be interpreted and communicated easily to policy-makers.