This collection of 46 key classic and contemporary readings explores the environment within which public policy is made and the actual policy-making process. KEY TOPICS: This book includes readings that are among the most frequently cited or that highlight the link between theory and practice particularly well. It groups readings into four major sections which parallel both the majority of policy texts and the way many courses are designed: the nature of public policy — including theories and models of public policy making, the making of policy — the sequential stages that policies pass through, the players — both institutional and non-institutional, policy making as a game — the rules, strategies, and culture of the policy game. Each section begins with an overview essay.

Public Policy: The Essential Readings

Politics & Social Sciences

Theodoulou, Stella Z.

Cahn, Matthew A.

Politics & Government

Pearson

Filling a void in the study of policy and politics, this volume blends an introductory perspective to policy making with a traditional treatment of comparative government and politics. The text traces policy evolution and development in individual nations and then discusses similarities, differences and discernable patterns. The straightforward presentation is designed to provide readers with a greater understanding of cross-national policy learning while integrating the study of public policy with mainstream comparative politics. Studying public policy from a comparative perspective, this volume examines the nature of public policy within Brazil, the Federal Republic of Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the U.S. For those interested in understanding the political and governmental setting that produces policy.

Policy and Politics in Six Nations: A Comparative Perspective on Policy Making

Finely-focused in approach, this collection of readings addresses the AIDS crisis from a purely political, policy, and bureaucratic perspective, reflecting contemporary research on the epidemic. Encourages readers to think in terms of “risk behavior” and not risk groups and shows that AIDS is truly a nondiscriminating virus. KEY TOPICS: Deals with the political and policy dimensions of AIDS — revealing that this epidemic offers political scientists the opportunity to ask a variety of questions about politics and power and to do so from every subfield of the discipline. Presents a broad variety of perspectives — yet explains how all share a common understanding of AIDS as a fundamentally challenging issue which calls for a highly political response. Shows that no issue—if it has socioeconomic and political implications —is outside the scope of government policy making. Discusses the politics of AIDS: ethical considerations; constitutional issues and constraints; the contradictions in delivery of public health services in a capitalist economy; the position of the disease within the current institutional and economic crisis of non-prosperous America; the actors involved in the AIDS issue arena. Examines the international-comparative dimension of the epidemic—considers how other nations have responded to the demands of AIDS. For special study on AIDS, for those in American Government, Public Policy, Public Health, Health Policy, and Interest Groups.

AIDS: The Politics and Policy of Disease

Medical Books

Medicine

This book presents a readily accessible, systematic approach to politics and its principles, around which political inquiry should be organized. Readers are exposed to materials on the fundamental assumptions of political inquiry in addition to the specific devices necessary for gathering and collecting data about political phenomena. Methods for Political Inquiry represents the only book currently available that covers the full range of both research methods and research techniques. It incorporates both normative and empirical theory building, as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods, to emphasize why researchers might use one technique over another.

Methods for Political Inquiry: The Discipline, Philosophy and Analysis of Politics

O'Brien, Rory

Philosophy

Public administration ensures the development and delivery of the essential public services required for sustaining modern civilization. Covering areas from public safety and social welfare to transportation and education, the services provided through the public sector are inextricably part of our daily lives. However, mandatory budgetary cuts in recent years have caused public administrators to radically re-think how they govern in the modern age. In this Very Short Introduction, Stella Theodoulou and Ravi Roy offer practical insight into the major challenges confronting the public sector in the globalized era. Tackling some of the most hotly debated issues of our time, including the privatization of public services and government surveillance, they take the reader on a global journey through history to examine the origins, development, and continued evolution of public administration. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Public Administration: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Roy, Ravi K.

Oxford University Press