The methodology of policy inquiry refers to the critical investigation of potential solutions to practical problems. Abraham Kaplan, one of the founders of the policy sciences, observed that the aim of methodology is to help understand and question, not only the products of policy inquiry, but the processes employed to create these products. The methodology of policy inquiry contributes to the reflective understanding of theories, methods, and practices of specialized fields such as benefit–cost analysis in economics,
implementation analysis in political science, and program budgeting in public administration. These and other specialized fields hold an important place in the process of policy inquiry because they help provide its multidisciplinary foundations.