A framework for analyzing policy goals: introducing the SPYDER indicator

Ana Petek et al.

Policy Design and Practice2026https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2026.2634467article
AJG 2
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

IN ENGLISH: To enable systematic and precise description and assessment of policy goals, an often-neglected aspect of policy design – we introduce the Structured Policy Goals Indicator (SPYDER). This original tool was developed through qualitative content analysis of more than 5000 goals from real-world strategic documents. SPYDER captures both the thematic orientation and the technical structure of policy goals, allowing for systematic analysis of how countries, regional associations, and international organizations articulate and operationalize their policy aims. Developed in a single-country case and subsequently tested and verified using a sample of international documents, the approach provides a replicable and flexible methodological framework for grasping the elusive and complex nature of policy goals for both practical and scientific purposes. -------------- IN CROATIAN: Kako bismo omogućili sustavan i precizan opis te vrednovanje ciljeva javnih politika – često zanemarenog aspekta dizajna politika – uvodimo Indikator strukturiranih ciljeva javnih politika (SPYDER). Ovaj originalni alat razvijen je kroz kvalitativnu analizu sadržaja više od 5000 ciljeva iz stvarnih strateških dokumenata. SPYDER obuhvaća tematsku usmjerenost i tehničku strukturu ciljeva javnih politika, omogućujući sustavnu analizu načina na koji države, regionalne i međunarodne organizacije formuliraju i operacionaliziraju svoje političke ciljeve. Alat je razvijen na primjeru jedne države, a potom testiran i verificiran na uzorku međunarodnih dokumenata. Pruža replikabilan i fleksibilan metodološki okvir za obuhvaćanje teško uhvatljive i kompleksne prirode ciljeva javnih politika, kako u praktične tako i u znanstvene svrhe.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2026.2634467

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@article{ana2026,
  title        = {{A framework for analyzing policy goals: introducing the SPYDER indicator}},
  author       = {Ana Petek et al.},
  journal      = {Policy Design and Practice},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2026.2634467},
}

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A framework for analyzing policy goals: introducing the SPYDER indicator

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.