This book offers a new, interpretive way of understanding organizations and policy by analyzing how they convey meaning through symbolic language, objects, and acts. Dvora Yanow argues that contested facts in policy often reflect different policy meanings, which are often expressed tacitly through the symbols use by an implementing organization. Yanow's interpretation of the policy process extends beyond the field of public policy to examine the way organizations establish identity and an image for themselves, the public, and the world. Her analysis will be of value to those involved in political science, public administration, and organizational studies.