Volume Four of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, "Policy Sectors in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" contains chapters concerned with comparison within disciplinary policy sectors. The volume contains detailed analyses of policies within six major policy sectors, and illustrates the important differences that exist across policies healthcare, environment, education, social welfare, immigration, and science and technology.The reader will find some common aspects and dimensions – theoretical or methodological – across all policy domains, as well as differences dictated by the characteristics of the discipline or the locus in which the policy point at issue takes place. Indeed, some scholars have argued that the differences and similarities that exist across and within policy sectors can transcend the differences or similarities across political systems. "Policy Sectors in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be reliably contextualized, learned, facilitated or avoided through lesson-drawing. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume showcases a different new chapter comparing domains of study interrelated with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by the JCPA authored by the JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Michael Howlett, Leslie A. Pal and B. Guy Peters.

Volume One of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, "Theory and Methods in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" includes chapters that apply or further theory and methodology in the comparative study of public policy, in general, and policy analysis, in particular. Throughout the volume the chapters engage in theory building by assessing the relevance of theoretical approaches drawn from the social sciences, as well as some which are distinctive to policy analysis. Other chapters focus on various comparative approaches based on developments and challenges in the methodology of policy analysis. Together, this collection provides a comprehensive scholastic foundation to comparative policy analysis and comparative policy studies. "Theory and Methods in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be learned or facilitated through methodologically and theoretically sound approaches. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume showcases a different new chapter comparing domains of study interrelated with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by the JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett, Leslie A. Pal and B. Guy Peters.

The Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis is a four-volume set, compiled of articles, spanning twenty years, from the highly respected Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis. The first volume addresses questions about theory and methodology in the comparative study of public policy. The second explores different modes of governance and comparative studies of institutions. The third volume contains chapters that are regional in focus and conduct comparisons in specific policy sectors. The fourth and final volume looks at comparisons within disciplinary policy sectors, including healthcare, environment, education, social welfare, immigration, and science and technology. Further, in each volume there is a new chapter on comparisons between the disciplines of public policy, public administration, governance and political science by leading scholars. The Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of public policy, and social science more generally. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis.

Volume Two of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, contains chapters concerned with "Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies". They highlight that at the core of any policy making, the different institutions and modes of governance have a significant effect. Questions about the impact of governance have become more central to comparative policy analysis as scholars have given more attention to globalization, organizational cultural differences, policy learning, transfer, and diffusion. The chapters included in this volume tackle the nature of policies and policy analytic practices within and across organizations, actors and institutions as well as among governance modes. The chapters demonstrate the ways in which institutions and governance in the public and private sectors, shape policies, and conversely, how policy choices can shape the institutions associated with them. Other chapters focus on how the diffusion of knowledge and lesson drawing address challenges of policy making, cooperation and harmonization. "Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be reliably contextualized, learned, facilitated or avoided given their own institutional or governance systems. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume also showcases a new chapter comparing interrelated domains of study with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett, Leslie Pal and B. Guy Peters.

Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies contains chapters that address questions about different modes of governance and comparative studies of institutions. These questions have become more central to comparative policy analysis as comparative scholars have given more attention to globalization, organizational cultural differences, policy learning and transfer, and diffusion. The chapters included in this volume tackle the changing nature and organization of actors and institutions involved in supplying governance. These chapters demonstrate the ways in which the organizations and institutions in the public sector, along with interactions with the private sector, shape policies. They also point out the ways in which policy choices can shape the institutions associated with them. Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies will be of great interest to scholars of public policy and social science more generally. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis and the volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors.

Public policy research has become increasingly comparative over the past several decades, but the methodological issues involved in this research have not been discussed adequately. This Handbook provides a discussion of the fundamental methodological issues in comparative policy research, as well as descriptions and analyses of major techniques used for that research. The techniques discussed are both quantitative and qualitative, and all are embedded in the broader discussion of comparative research design.

Volume Three of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, contains chapters concerned with "Regional Comparisons and Policy Analysis" – one of the most prevailing approaches in comparative public policy. Through the prism of inter-jurisdiction comparisons of similarities and variations, they address comparisons in specific policy sectors, governance or institutional constructs, and political regimes. The foci are, nevertheless, on those comparisons between countries or regions, which help to lesson-draw by identifying and understanding the variation in policy analysis and policy making that exists within or across regions. One benefit of regional comparisons is that it often allows studies to hold constant many variables, ranging from colonial legacy to federal systems, or from language to specific traditions, and more effectively isolate dependent variables. Regional organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or European Union are also considered as catalysts for regional policy approaches and harmonization, and occupy a major role in this volume. The chapters address a broad and diverse number of countries and geographical areas: Latin America, North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, the Baltic states, the Nordic states, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Europe as a whole. "Regional Comparisons and Policy Analysis" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be learned or facilitated through methodologically and theoretically sound approaches. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume showcases a different new chapter comparing domains of study interrelated with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by the JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett, Leslie A. Pal and B. Guy Peters.

The study of public policy and the methods of policy analysis are among the most rapidly developing areas in the social sciences. Policy analysis has emerged to provide a better understanding of the policymaking process and to supply decision makers with reliable policy-relevant knowledge about pressing economic and social problems. Presenting a broad, comprehensive perspective, the Handbook of Public Policy Analysis: Theory, Politics, and Methods covers the historical development of policy analysis, its role in the policy process, and empirical methods. The handbook considers the theory generated by these methods and the normative and ethical issues surrounding their practice. Written by leading experts in the field, this book- Deals with the basic origins and evolution of public policy Examines the stages of the policy-making process Identifies political advocacy and expertise in the policy process Focuses on rationality in policy decision-making and the role of policy networks and learning Details argumentation, rhetoric, and narratives Explores the comparative, cultural, and ethical aspects of public policy Explains primary quantitative-oriented analytical methods employed in policy research Addresses the qualitative sides of policy analysis Discusses tools used to refine policy choices Traces the development of policy analysis in selected national contexts The Handbook of Public Policy Analysis: Theory, Politics, and Methods describes the theoretical debates that have recently defined the field, including the work of postpositivist, interpretivist, and social constructionist scholars. This book also explores the interplay between empirical and normative analysis, a crucial issue running through contemporary debates.

Volume Two of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, contains chapters concerned with "Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies". They highlight that at the core of any policy making, the different institutions and modes of governance have a significant effect. Questions about the impact of governance have become more central to comparative policy analysis as scholars have given more attention to globalization, organizational cultural differences, policy learning, transfer, and diffusion. The chapters included in this volume tackle the nature of policies and policy analytic practices within and across organizations, actors and institutions as well as among governance modes. The chapters demonstrate the ways in which institutions and governance in the public and private sectors, shape policies, and conversely, how policy choices can shape the institutions associated with them. Other chapters focus on how the diffusion of knowledge and lesson drawing address challenges of policy making, cooperation and harmonization. "Institutions and Governance in Comparative Policy Analysis Studies" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be reliably contextualized, learned, facilitated or avoided given their own institutional or governance systems. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume also showcases a new chapter comparing interrelated domains of study with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett, Leslie Pal and B. Guy Peters.

Volume Three of the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis, contains chapters concerned with "Regional Comparisons and Policy Analysis" – one of the most prevailing approaches in comparative public policy. Through the prism of inter-jurisdiction comparisons of similarities and variations, they address comparisons in specific policy sectors, governance or institutional constructs, and political regimes. The foci are, nevertheless, on those comparisons between countries or regions, which help to lesson-draw by identifying and understanding the variation in policy analysis and policy making that exists within or across regions. One benefit of regional comparisons is that it often allows studies to hold constant many variables, ranging from colonial legacy to federal systems, or from language to specific traditions, and more effectively isolate dependent variables. Regional organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or European Union are also considered as catalysts for regional policy approaches and harmonization, and occupy a major role in this volume. The chapters address a broad and diverse number of countries and geographical areas: Latin America, North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, the Baltic states, the Nordic states, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Europe as a whole. "Regional Comparisons and Policy Analysis" will be of great interest to scholars and learners of public policy and social sciences, as well as to practitioners considering what can be learned or facilitated through methodologically and theoretically sound approaches. The chapters were originally published as articles in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis which in the last two decades has pioneered the development of comparative public policy. The volume is part of a four-volume series, the Classics of Comparative Policy Analysis including Theories and Methods, Institutions and Governance, Regional Comparisons, and Policy Sectors. Each volume showcases a different new chapter comparing domains of study interrelated with comparative public policy: political science, public administration, governance and policy design, authored by the JCPA co-editors Giliberto Capano, Iris Geva-May, Michael Howlett, Leslie A. Pal and B. Guy Peters.