"Why do policies fail? How can we objectively choose the best policy from two (or more) competing alternatives? How can we create better policies? To answer these critical questions this book presents an innovative yet workable approach. Avoiding policy failure uses emerging metapolicy methodologies in case studies that compare successful policies with ones that have failed. Those studies investigate the systematic nature of each policy text to gain new insights into why policies fail. In addition to providing intriguing directions for research, this book also suggests a bold new standard for evaluating policies. While this method is broadly generalizable, specific examples are provided showing how to develop better economic policy, military policy, and constitutional organizations. This book shows scholars, researchers, and policy analysts how to develop more effective policies so that we may achieve our highest aspirations and avoid the horrendous failures of the past."--Page 4 of cover.