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The fully revised second edition of this textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to theories of public policy and policymaking. The policy process is complex: it contains hundreds of people and organisations from various levels and types of government, from agencies, quasi- and non-governmental organisations, interest groups and the private and voluntary sectors. This book sets out the major concepts and theories that are vital for making sense of the complexity of public policy, and explores how to combine their insights when seeking to explain the policy process. While a wide range of topics are covered - from multi-level governance and punctuated equilibrium theory to 'Multiple Streams' analysis and feminist institutionalism - this engaging text draws out the common themes among the variety of studies considered and tackles three key questions: what is the story of each theory (or multiple theories); what does policy theory tell us about issues like 'evidence based policymaking'; and how 'universal' are policy theories designed in the Global North?
This book is the perfect companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public policy, whether focussed on theory, analysis or the policy process, and it is essential reading for all those on MPP or MPM programmes.
List of contents
Preface.- 1. Introduction to Policy and Policymaking.- 2. What is Policy and Policymaking?.- 3. Power and Public Policy.- 4. Bounded Rationality and the Psychology of Policymaking.- 5. Institutions and New Institutionalism.- 6. Structures, Environments, and Complex Systems.- 7. Collective Action Problems in Public Policy.- 8. Multi-level Governance and Multi-centric Policymaking.- 9. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory.- 10. The Advocacy Coalition Framework.- 11. Ideas and 'Multiple Streams' Analysis.- 12. Policy Learning and Transfer.- 13. Conclusion: policy theory as accumulated wisdom.
About the author
Paul Cairney is Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of Stirling, UK.
Summary
and how 'universal' are policy theories designed in the Global North? This book is the perfect companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public policy, whether focussed on theory, analysis or the policy process, and it is essential reading for all those on MPP or MPM programmes.
Foreword
The revised second edition of this textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to theories of public policy and policymaking. It sets out the major concepts and theories that are vital for making sense of the complexity of public policy, and explores how to combine their insights.
Additional text
Cairney’s second edition synthesizes the rich body of scholarship on public policy and policymaking to distil lessons on the multifaceted factors that structure, influence and produce public policy. This book masterfully weaves together insights from decades of policy research into a coherent explanation of both the component parts of policymaking and the functioning of policy processes as a whole. In doing so, this book serves as an essential resource for diagnosing the nature of policymaking while honouring its complexity and the diversity of lenses through which we can explore it.
