The Art and Craft of Policy Analysis is a classic work of the Public Policy discipline. Wildavsky’s emphasis on the values involved in public policies, as well as the need to build political understandings about the nature of policy, are as important for 21st century policymaking as they were in 1979. B. Guy Peters’ critical introduction provides the reader with context for the book, its main themes and contemporary relevance, and offers a guide to understanding a complex but crucial text.

The subject of Public Policy has assumed considerable importance in response to the complexity of economic downturns, social upheavals, political crises, institutional weaknesses and technology. It is concerned not only with the description but also with the developing scientific knowledge about the forces shaping public policy. The textbook, now in its second edition, continues to provide an in-depth study of the various approaches for policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. It addresses issues in policy analysis, and explains the forces that influence the functioning of executive, legislature, judiciary, civil society and administration. The book excellently reviews and evaluates the public policy literature, and exemplifies the author’s long teaching and research experience in Panjab University. The book is primarily intended for postgraduate students of Political Science and Public Administration for their courses in Public Policy and Policy Analysis, besides meeting the requirements of candidates offering public administration subject for the civil services examination. It will be equally useful for policymakers, planners and bureaucrats concerned with policy management. NEW TO THIS EDITION : Updation of the chapter Policy Approaches and Models with the inclusion of the topic ‘Public choice model of policy-making’ Addition of the two new chapters – Power Approaches to Policy Making and Strategic Planning Approach for Improving Public Policy – to study the subject in detail.

The aim of An Operational Approach to Policy Analysis: The Craft is to cut through the ambiguity and contradictions inherent in policy analysis by means of an operational-prescriptive approach. Its main objective is to encapsulate the essential concepts, methods and tools of policy analysis and to provide an insight into factors acting within and around the policy analysis process. Based on the collaborative research of Iris Geva-May and Aaron Wildavsky, the first full draft of An Operational Approach to Policy Analysis: The Craft was completed just before Dr Wildavsky's untimely death. Since that time, Dr Geva-May has worked to thoroughly revise and update the manuscript. An Operational Approach to Policy Analysis: The Craft can be used by researchers in political science, or as a textbook for any course in policy analysis, policy planning and evaluation. It will serve as a valuable source for students of political science, public policy, administration and management, as well as for policy analysts, researchers and executives in both the US and abroad.

What is the relation between policy analysis and political decision-making? Is the policy analyst a handmaiden of democracy or an agent of technocracy? Do recent debates in the policy literature illuminate or obfuscate these issues? What analytic techniques are available to resolve such questions? This study considers the nature of policy inquiry in detail and explores norms and theoretical assumptions seldom subjected to scrutiny. The author demonstrates how conceptual presuppositions and methodological commitments have constricted our understanding of political problems and so hindered prescriptions for viable policy options. Proposed here is an alternative framework for policy inquiry that is both pragmatic and sophisticated. Hawkesworth considers the implications of this alternative model in a series of case studies that addresses important foreign and domestic policy issues. The epistemic and practical criticisms presented in this study provide new direction for the field of policy studies.

`This text is an excellent overview of how to legitimately apply theoretical approaches to applied policy analysis...an excellently prepared book that should prove to be both informative for and useful to scholars, students, researchers, and practitioners.' -- The American Political Science Review, Vol 77