An Introduction to the Policy Process

Now in a thoroughly revised Fifth Edition, An Introduction to the Policy Process provides students at all levels with an accessible, readable, and affordable introduction to the field of public policy. In keeping with prior editions, author Tom Birkland conveys the best current thinking on the policy process in a clear, conversational style. Designed to address new developments in both policy theory and policy making, the Fifth Edition includes examinations of:

the Brexit referendum result and its effects on the UK, European Union, and world politics, as well as the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and the ways in which these events have caused voters and policy makers to rethink their assumptions;

changes to the media environment, including the decline of newspapers and television news, the growth of social media, and the emergence of "fake news";

new policy theory developments like the emergence of the Narrative Policy Framework and continued and newer applications of existing theories of policy process like Advocacy Coalitions, Multiple Streams, Punctuated Equilibrium, and Institutional Analysis and Development; and

all-new and updated chapter "at a glance" outlines, definitions of key terms, provocative review questions, recommended reading, visual aids and case studies, theoretical literature, and preentation slides and Test Banks to make teaching from the book easier than ever.

Firmly grounded in both social science and political science, An Introduction to the Policy Process provides the most up-to-date and thorough overview of the theory and practice of the policy process, ideal for upper-level undergraduate and introductory graduate courses in Public Policy, Public Administration, and Political Science programs.

Table of Contents

1. Introducing the Policy Process. 2. Elements of the Policy Making System. 3. The Historical and Structural Contexts of Public Policy Making. 4. Official Actors and Their Roles in Public Policy. 5. Unofficial Actors and Their Roles in Public Policy. 6. Agenda Setting, Power, and Interest Groups. 7. Policies and Policy Types. 8. Decision Making and Policy Analysis. 9. Policy Design and Policy Tools. 10. Policy Implementation, Failure, and Learning. 11. Science and Theory in the Study of Public Policy. Index.