This brief text identifies the issues, resources, actors, and institutions involved in public policy making and traces the dynamics of the policymaking process, including the triggering of issue awareness, the emergence of an issue on the public agenda, the formation of a policy commitment, and the implementation process that translates policy into practice. Throughout the text, which has been revised and updated, Gerston brings his analysis to life with abundant examples from the most recent and emblematic cases of public policy making. At the same time, with well-chosen references, he places policy analysis in the context of political science and deftly orients readers to the classics of public policy studies. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.

. . . this is a first rate book. It draws on a wide range of reading philosophy, economics and politics and teases out a number of important ideas. . . for academics and postgraduates it surely will be essential reading and I think has pushed the study of public policy forward. Michael Connolly, Political Studies Review In The Dynamics of Public Policy, Adrian Kay sets out the crucial methodological, theoretical and empirical implications of two important trends in the social sciences: a frequently expressed ambition for analysis of movies not stills and the regular observation that policy, politics and governance is becoming more complex. Beginning with a discussion of the centrality of temporality, change and history to the social sciences, he develops the provocative claim that existing models of the policy process are of limited value in understanding and explaining policy dynamics. Instead, the author argues that it is only through structured narratives that we can really understand and explain complex policy histories. He sets out a methodology for structuring policy narratives and illustrates the claims of the book through four detailed case studies: health policy and pharmaceutical regulation in the UK; and agricultural policy and budget policy in the EU. Adrian Kay s book will appeal to academics in the fields of policy analysis, public administration and public sector management as well as political science and political theory.

Public Policymaking Reexamined is now recognized as a fundamental treatise for public policy studies. Although it caused much controversy when it was first published for its systematic approach to policy studies, the book is acknowledged as a modern classic of continuing importance for the teaching and research of public policy, planning and policy analysis, and public administration. The paperback includes a new introduction updating and supplementing many of the author's original ideas.Professor Dror combines the approaches of policy analysis, behavioral science, and systems analysis in his examination of the reality of public policymaking and his suggestions for its reform. Actual policymaking is carefully evaluated with the help of explicit criteria and standards based on an optimal model approach, resulting in detailed proposals for improvement. He applies a scientific orientation to the study of social facts and theory.

The structure and organisation of the Treasury was radically changed in 1995 following a new statement of its aim, mission and objectives. These changes are explained here, with details of its new directorate and team structure.

This book analyzes how quality of life research results can be transferred to policy making, and considers the role of actors in this process---researchers, policy makers, and citizens---as well as their interrelationships. This book points to the need to include actors other than the state in public policy-making related to quality of life and well-being issues, in defining problems and formulating alternatives. It identifies obstacles and facilitators in the process and offers a review of different types of aid that affect well-being and quality of life. Finally, it shows possible pathways for various stakeholders in policy-making to interact with one another in the building of good societies.

This thoroughgoing study of international secretariats might be entitled "What the International Civil Servant Really Does," as opposed to what he or she should do or is believed to do. The author interviewed international officials, studied the documents of the agencies involved, and reviewed the relevant literature in an intensive investigation of the political role played by international secretariats of United Nations organizations. He suggests that various factors are involved in determining the role of these secretariats--size, types of functions, the degree of control exercised by member governments, the relative technical expertise of these governments and secretariat officials, the personalities of these officials. An original conclusion is reached: civil services, at least at the international level, do not necessarily play a significant policy-making role in their organizations.

This book exposes the barriers to inclusive and effective public policy making, which are the current decision making paradigm and commonly held ideas that reduce public policy problems to scientific and technical ones. Through both environmental policy and other decision making examples, readers are shown the commonalities of all decision making. Solution-oriented practitioners and stakeholders will find this book filling a conceptual and methodological gap in existing policy literature and practice. The authors deftly guide readers from post-normal science, wicked problems, and uncertainty concepts to a conceptually-grounded, practical implementation of a new approach, the open solution approach. The Multi-criteria Integrated Resource Assessment (MIRA) is described as the first generation methodology that fulfills the expectations for the inclusive, transparent, and learning-based open solutions approach. MIRA is a holistic package of concepts, methods and analytical tools that is designed to assess Decision Uncertainty, the combined uncertainties that include data, problem formulation, expert judgments, and stakeholder opinions. Introduction of the Requisite Steps, the common steps found in all decision making, provides the yardstick for evaluating a variety of decision making processes, decision tools, and commonly found indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Newsweek Green Ranking of corporations. The use of anecdotes, policy stories, and case examples makes this a very readable and practical book for citizens and experts. With this book, readers are prepared to critically evaluate these common indices for their personal use as well as challenge policy processes as a stakeholder. For policy practitioners, this guidebook will become a rubric to ensure an effective public policy making process and to critically evaluate decision support tools.

An accessible review of the main approaches in the study of public policy, this text argues that most writers who seek to explain how policy varies and changes use one of the five frameworks: institutional, group/network, socio-economic, rational choice and ideas-based. It describes these methods in detail, offers constructive criticisms and explores their claims in the light of American, British and French examples

This book examines public policy-making in South Africa. Specifically, it focuses on the period when Thabo Mbeki was the President of South Africa. The book argues that public policy-making at the time was significantly influenced by Mbeki’s vision, coupled with his personal drive, commitment, sense of public duty, courage and strategic thinking relating to modern governance, African solidarity and internationalism. Due to Mbeki’s qualities, South Africa followed a trajectory of modern nation-state building. “The book advances the discourse on public policy-making. Lessons from the Mbeki era point to the fact that public policy-making is about responding to human needs with a view to creating a more inclusive society. The book also drives home the point that public policy-making requires decisive leadership as was provided by Mbeki when he was President of the Republic of South Africa.” Professor Edwell Kaseke, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.