Public Policymaking

by James E. Anderson, Jeffrey Moyer, George Chichirau

Overview

A longtime student favorite, Anderson/Moyer/Chichirau's bestselling PUBLIC POLICYMAKING explains public policy fundamentals by emphasizing the process behind the creation of legislation. As you examine each individual step of the policymaking process — from policy formation and budgeting to implementation and impact — you will gain a thorough understanding of how different factors influence public policy creation. In addition, each chapter features at least one case study that illustrates how general ideas are applied to specific policy issues. Reflecting the latest research and developments from the field, the new Ninth Edition provides current coverage of the 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic and more. The text is packed with examples and its student-friendly format helps you easily see how chapter concepts relate to your everyday life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780357659977
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	01/01/2022
Edition description:	9th ed.
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

James Anderson is a past president of the Policy Studies Organization and former secretary of the American Political Science Association. He also has served as both president and vice president/program chair of the Southern Political Science Association and as president of the Southwestern Political Science Association.


Jeffrey Moyer is a lecturer at Northeastern University where he teaches classes in international relations, American government and public policy. He also focuses on issues of equity and policy learning in cannabis legalization and is a co-editor on the upcoming STONEOVER: THE OBSERVED LESSONS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS OF LEGALIZATION.


George Chichirau is a lecturer at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where he usually teaches classes related to quantitative public policy and urban development. Focusing on public transit policy and urban housing, he also is a co-author on SUPPORTING SHRINKAGE: BETTER PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING FOR LEGACY CITIES, which will be released June 2021.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 The Study of Public Policy l

The Plan of This Book 2

What Is Public Policy? 6

Categories of Public Policies 9

Approaches to Policy Study 18

Methodological Difficulties in Studying Public Policy 29

For Further Exploration 31

Test Your Knowledge 32

Suggested Readings 32

Notes 33

Chapter 2 The Policy-Makers and Their Environment 36

The Policy Environment 40

The Official Policy-Makers 48

Nongovernmental Participants 59

Levels of Politics 69

Case Study The Endangered Snail Darter 75

For Further Exploration 77

Test Your Knowledge 77

Suggested Readings 77

Notes 78

Chapter 3 Policy Formation: Problems, Agendas, and Formulation 83

Policy Problems 85

The Policy Agenda 90

The Agenda-Setting Process 93

Nondecisions 100

The Loss of Agenda Status 101

Two Cases in Agenda Setting 102

Case Study Coal-Mine Safety 102

Case Study Environmental Pollution Control 705

The Formulation of Policy Proposals 107

Policy Formulation as a Technical Process 112

Case Study Formulating Policy: The Family and Medical Leave Act 114

A Concluding Comment 119

For Further Exploration 119

Test Your Knowledge 120

Suggested Readings 120

Notes 121

Chapter 4 Policy Adoption 125

Theories of Decision-Making 126

Decision Criteria 131

The Public Interest 142

Styles of Decision-Making 144

Presidential Decision-Making 152

Case Study Policy Adoption: Consumer Bankruptcy 156

Case Study Policy Adoption: The Economic Stimulus Act 162

For Further Exploration 164

Test Your Knowledge 164

Suggested Readings 164

Notes 165

Chapter 5 Budgeting and Public Policy 169

The Budget and Public Policy 170

FiscalPolicy 175

The National Budgetary Process 176

Case Study The Struggle to Balance the Budget 194

For Further Exploration 204

Test Your Knowledge 205

Suggested Readings 205

Notes 206

Chapter 6 Policy Implementation 209

Federalism and Implementation 211

Case Study The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 213

Who Implements Policy? 216

Administrative Organization 222

Administrative Politics 225

Administrative Policymaking 231

Case Study The Nuclear Waste Disposal Act 239

Case Study The Total Maximum Daily Load Program 240

Techniques of Control 242

Case Study The Clean Air Act's Emissions-Trading System 253

Compliance 254

For Further Exploration 263

Test Your Knowledge 263

Suggested Readings 264

Notes 264

Chapter 7 Policy Impact, Evaluation, and Change 271

Policy Impact 271

Policy Evaluation 276

Policy Evaluation Processes 280

Case Study The GAO and Food Safety 283

Problems in Policy Evaluation 287

Policy Evaluation: The Use and Misuse of Cost-Benefit Analysis 292

Case Study The Politics of Evaluation: Head Start 297

Policy Termination 301

Case Study The Policy Cycle: Airline Regulation and Deregulation 304

For Further Exploration 313

Test Your Knowledge 313

Suggested Readings 313

Notes 314

Chapter 8 Concluding Comments 320

Notes 330

Index 332

Editorial Reviews

"This text is balanced, objective and at times, scientific, while also providing a realistic summary of how politics factors into decision-making. I particularly like the case studies that are included in each chapter they are more than cursory and perfectly chosen to help make chapter concepts concrete in the minds of students I find the writing quite engaging and logical." -Shankar Prasad, NYU Wagner

"I have yet to see any book that does a better job with the concepts than Anderson does. It is a classic introduction to public policy. The text is concise and focuses on all the necessary concepts in understanding the field of public policy." -Jeffrey Brauer,

From the Publisher