Understanding Public Policy

The fully revised second edition of this textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to theories of public policy and policymaking. The policy process is complex: it contains hundreds of people and organisations from various levels and types of government, including agencies, quasi- and non-governmental organisations, interest groups, and the private and voluntary sectors.

Understanding Public Policy sets out the major concepts and theories that are vital for making sense of the complexity of public policy and explores how to combine their insights when seeking to explain the policy process. While a wide range of topics is covered—such as multi-level governance, punctuated equilibrium theory, ‘Multiple Streams’ analysis, and feminist institutionalism—this engaging text draws out the common themes among the variety of studies considered and tackles three key questions:

What is the story of each theory (or multiple theories)? What does policy theory tell us about issues like ‘evidence-based policymaking’? How ‘universal’ are policy theories designed in the Global North?

This book is the perfect companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public policy, whether focused on theory, analysis, or the policy process. It is essential reading for all those on MPP or MPM programmes.

New to this Edition:

• New sections on power, feminist institutionalism, the institutional analysis and development framework, the narrative policy framework, social construction, and policy design
• A consideration of policy studies in relation to the Global South in an updated concluding chapter
• More coverage of policy formulation and tools, the psychology of policymaking, and complexity theory
• Engaging discussions of punctuated equilibrium, the advocacy coalition framework, and multiple streams analysis