CONCEPT
The Branch Method
Lindblom's name for the analytical strategy that begins not at fundamental values but at the current situation — comparing a limited number of alternatives that differ incrementally from the status quo, and evaluating them against the specific dimensions where they differ.
The branch method is the analytical strategy that muddling through actually practices. It contrasts with the root method, which begins at fundamental values and derives optimal policy deductively. The branch method begins at the branch: the current situation, with its existing institutions, commitments, and constraints. It compares a small number of alternatives — typically two to five — that represent incremental modifications of the status quo. It evaluates these alternatives against the specific dimensions on which they differ, rather than against a comprehensive accounting of all possible values. And it selects the alternative whose marginal consequences are most acceptable to the relevant parties.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The branch method is not a degraded form of comprehensive analysis. It is a different analytical strategy adapted to different conditions. Comprehensive analysis works when the system is well understood, the variables are known, the relationships are modeled, and the