1st Edition

Handbook of Public Policy Analysis Theory, Politics, and Methods

Edited By Frank Fischer, Gerald J. Miller Copyright 2007
    668 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    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.
  • HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
    The Policy Sciences at the Cross-Roads
    Promoting the Policy Orientation: Lasswell in Context
    Public Policy, Social Science and the State: An Historical Perspective

    POLICY PROCESSES
    Theories of the Policy Cycle
    Agenda Setting in Public Policy
    Policy Formulation: Design and Tools
    Implementing Public Policy
    Do Policies Determine Politics? An Analysis of Lowi's Policy Typology

    POLICY POLITICS, ADVOCACY, AND EXPERTISE
    A Guide to the Advocacy Coalition Framework
    Policy Communities
    Policy Analysis and Think Tanks

    POLICY DECISION MAKING: RATIONALITY, NETWORKS, AND LEARNING.
    Rationality in Policy Decision-Making
    Rational Choice in Public Policy: The Theory in Critical Perspective
    Taking Stock of Policy Networks: Do They Matter?
    Theories of Policy Learning: Agency, Structure, and Change

    DELIBERATIVE POLICY ANALYSIS: ARGUMENTATION, RHETORIC, AND NARRATIVES
    Deliberative Policy Analysis as Practical Reason: Integrating Empirical and Normative Arguments
    Rhetoric in Policy-Making: Between Logos, Ethos, and Pathos
    Narrative Policy Analysis


    COMPARATIVE, CULTURAL, AND ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES
    Comparative Public Policy
    Applied Cultural Theory: Tool for Policy Analysis
    Ethical Issues and Public Policy
    Public Policy and Democratic Citizenship: What Kinds of Citizenship Does Policy Promote?

    QUANTITATIVELY-ORIENTED POLICY METHODS
    Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
    The Use (and Misuse) of Survey Research in Policy Analysis
    Social Experiments and Public Policy
    Evaluation Research in Policy Analysis

    QUALITATIVE POLICY ANALYSIS: INTERPRETATION, MEANING, AND CONTEXT
    Qualitative-Interpretive Methods in Policy Research
    Qualitative Research and Public Policy
    Interpretation and Intention in Policy Analysis
    Context Sensitive Policy Methods

    POLICY DECISION TECHNIQUES
    Cost-Benefit Analysis
    Environmental Impact Assessment: Between Bureaucratic Process and Social Learning.
    Technology Assessment as Policy Analysis: From Expert Advice to Participatory Approaches
    Public Policy Mediation: From Argument to Collaboration

    COUNTRY PERSPECTIVES
    Policy Analysis in Britain
    Evolution of Policy Analysis in the Netherlands
    Policy Analysis and Evaluation in Sweden:
    Discovering the Limits of the Rationalistic Paradigm
    Policy Analysis in Germany
    Policy Analysis in India
    Policy Analysis in Korea: From Economic Efficiency to Public
    Participation

    Biography

    Frank Fischer (Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA) (Edited by) ,  Gerald J. Miller (Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA) (Edited by)