Elizabeth Bowen, Andrew Irish, Elizabeth Lightfoot, A Policy-Mapping Primer for Social Work Researchers and Advocates, Social Work Research, Volume 46, Issue 1, March 2022, Pages 79–83, https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svab029
Navbar Search Filter Mobile Enter search term Search Navbar Search Filter Enter search term SearchThe profession of social work includes policy practice and advocacy as a core part of its mission, requiring social workers to understand how policy affects practice and to advocate for policy change to protect human rights and advance social and economic justice ( Council on Social Work Education, 2015; National Association of Social Workers, 2021). However, most social workers get limited training in policy research methods at the MSW or PhD levels ( Lightfoot et al., 2018). This research note introduces policy mapping, a policy research method that uses content analysis to examine policy proposals and enacted policies, producing outcomes that can be immediately relevant to advocacy.
Policy mapping is a research method applying the techniques of content analysis—the systematic examination of the content and meaning of text, visual images, or other forms of communication ( Drisko & Maschi, 2015; Krippendorff, 2013)—to proposed or enacted policies. Though often used in the context of federal or state legislation, policy mapping can be conducted with any type of policy, including regulations or local ordinances ( Burris et al., 2010). Policy mapping as a research methodology is frequently situated within the field of public health, though it also has strong links to the fields of law and public policy ( Burris et al., 2010; Smith & Larimer, 2016). In addition to its association with content analysis, policy mapping has methodological roots in early studies of policy typologies, which emphasize examining and comparing policy instruments ( Lascoumes & Le Galès, 2007).