How do principles of market and government failures impact social welfare policy? What is the role that institutions of governance play in influencing policy analysis? What are the ways in which policy engages with cost-benefit analysis while keeping in mind goals of equity and efficiency? This course is an overview of the role of a policy analyst and the concepts and skills necessary for an understanding of public policies across domains. It uses methodological tools from economics, statistics, public management and political science to understand policies in public, private and non-profit sectors. We will examine how policy interventions are made and justified, their limits, and the historical, institutional and political constraints that shape them.