Textual Analytics and Personal Knowledge Management for Policy Analysis

Though many software tools for managing digital information exist today, their suitability for knowledge work in the domain of policy analysis is not clear. This thesis identifies and applies criteria for evaluating the suitability of knowledge management tools for policy analysis. Top ranked textual digitization and analysis tools from various disciplines are evaluated by comparing parallel analyses on a large, idiosyncratic collection of multi-disciplinary texts primarily drawn from Public Policy, Knowledge Management, and Cognitive Linguistics. Strategies developed for managing a large collection are discussed. Where current tools fall short, the thesis proposes and evaluates a multidimensional schema for automating analysis of large collections of multidisciplinary texts. The schema's consensus-reality basis is described, its philosophical premises are articulated, and its relevance to the fields of Computing Science, Linguistics, and Policy Sciences is explained.