In comparative policy analysis (CPA), a generally accepted historic problem that transcends time is that of identifying common variables. Coupled with this problem is the unanswered challenge of collaboration and interdisciplinary research. Additionally, there is the problem of the rare use of text-as-data in CPA and the fact it is rarely applied, despite the potential demonstrated in other subfields. CPA is multi-disciplinary in nature, and this article explores and proposes a common variable candidate that is found in almost (if not) all policies, using the science of conceptual systems (SOCS) as a pathway to investigate the structure found in policy as a lynchpin in CPA. Furthermore, the article proposes a new text-as-data approach that is less expensive, which could lead to a more accessible method for collaborative and interdisciplinary policy development. We find that the SOCS is uniquely positioned to serve in an alliance fashion in the larger qualitative comparative analysis that supports CPA. Because policies around the world are failing to reach their goals successfully, this article is expected to open a new path of inquiry in CPA, which could be used to support interdisciplinary research for knowledge of and knowledge in policy analysis.

在比较政策分析（CPA）中，一个普遍接受的超越时间的历史问题是识别共同变量。与这个问题相伴的是协作和跨学科研究的未解决挑战。此外，在 CPA 中很少使用文本作为数据的问题，事实上它很少被应用，尽管在其他子领域展示了潜力。CPA 本质上是多学科的，本文探索并提出了一个在几乎（如果不是）所有政策中都能找到的共同变量候选者，使用概念系统科学 (SOCS) 作为研究结构的途径在政策中发现作为 CPA 的关键。此外，本文还提出了一种成本较低的新文本即数据方法，这可能会导致一种更易于使用的协作和跨学科政策制定方法。我们发现 SOCS 具有独特的定位，可以在支持 CPA 的更大规模的定性比较分析中以联盟方式服务。由于世界各地的政策未能成功实现其目标，本文有望在 CPA 中开辟一条新的探究路径，可用于支持政策分析知识和知识的跨学科研究。