当代西方政策科学方法论的范式转向

20世纪70年代末期以来,以实证主义方法论为基础的传统政策科学方法论受到了越来越严厉的批评。围绕回到拉斯威尔“民主的政策科学”这一中心议题,新的政策研究范式、方法和途径不断涌现。这些新兴理论在方法论上,不仅对实证主义的价值中立学说提出了质疑,而且对政策研究中的客观实在假设、基础理论和方法都提出了最为激烈的批评,从根本上动摇了实证主义政策科学方法论的哲学基础。曾经一度被视为政策科学方法论基石的科学合理性理论,也因此被一种外延更为宽泛的社会合理性理论所取代,这种政策研究方法论上的范式转向,最终导致了“政策科学”向“政策研究”的转换。

Paradigm Shift of Modern Western Policy Science in Methodology

From the late 1970s, traditional methodology of policy science based on the positivism has gradually undergone serious criticism. There is a continual emergence of new paradigm, method and approach of policy study surrounding the issue of back to "the policy science of democracy" by Lasswell. These newly emergent theories not only question the value-free doctrine of the positivism, but also launch a most severe criticism over the objectivism hypothesis, basic theory and methodology in policy studies, which shocked fundamentally the philosophic basis of positivism. Scientific rationality, which was once thought to be the cornerstone of methodology of policy science, is being replaced by a broader theory of social rationality theory. The paradigm shift in methodology by policy science resulted in a shift from policy science to policy inquiry.