Final answer:
Policy analysis encompasses more than checking if intended results were achieved; it aims to provide decision makers with comprehensive implications of their potential decisions. It's an essential and objective aspect of government, considering intended and unintended consequences and who benefits from policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
False. Policy analysis does not focus solely on whether the intended result was produced; it involves a more comprehensive approach. Policy analysts try to identify all possible choices available to a decision maker and then gauge the potential impacts if those choices are implemented. This analysis informs decision makers about the implications of their potential decisions, going beyond just assessing if an initial intended result was achieved. Furthermore, policy analysis is an essential aspect of government, helping to ensure that policymakers and voters receive accurate information, given that policy advocacy can be politicized with incentives to understate costs or overstate benefits.
Public policy itself is the strategy employed by the government to address concerns within society and can be shaped by debate, compromise, multiple institutional inputs, and even by governmental inaction. Evaluating policy outcomes involves looking at who benefits and who loses, considering both the intended and unintended consequences of policies, including the potential impact on different groups and economic aspects such as taxes and industry competitiveness.