POLICY ANALYSIS AT THE US OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY-ASSESSMENT

The US Congress created the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as a n experiment in analytical support. Over the last two decades, OTA has grained extensive experience in providing to Congressional committees in-depth analyses of a vast range of controversial and complex nation al policy issues involving science and technology. OTA reports have ad dressed issues ranging from energy efficiency and global climatic chan ge, to AIDS research, infrastructure needs, and industrial policy. The se reports present options to aid policy resolutions, and in many inst ances, have helped to frame the Congressional debate. The occasion of OTA's 20th. anniversary seemed an auspicious time to consider how the agency might improve the quality of its policy analysis. In September 1992, the agency began a modest internal assessment of how OTA approac hes policy analysis, as reflected in a post-1985 sample of full report s. Full OTA reports contain major policy content and are produced with the assistance of an advisory panel. This paper summarizes the method ology and findings of the in-house OTA Policy Analysis Project. A cent ral finding is that policy analysis in OTA reports is often good - and frequently perceived to be better than that of other policy organizat ions - but there is considerable variation in quality and methods from report to report.