The goal of this course is to learn about the methods used to collect publicly available survey data that can be used for policy research so that students can appropriately use these data to answer policy relevant questions.  Students will learn about the methods used to collect survey data, how to develop researchable policy questions that can be answered with the survey data, and about the limitations of the survey data for answering policy research questions.  In order to analyze policy questions using available survey data, students will also learn about actual survey instruments, survey sample designs, survey data processing, and survey data systems that the major public policy relevant surveys use. The course will also examine specific measurement and analysis issues that are of interest to policy research (e.g., measuring public program enrollment and public program eligibility simulation). By the end of the course each student will understand the methods used to collect survey data, have developed a researchable policy question, carried out the appropriate analysis to answer the question, produced high quality analytical tables, and written up descriptions of the methods used to produce the numbers in the tables in a style that is consistent with professional policy research.