The Public Policy Process by Hill, Michael; Varone, Frédéric; Lotta, Gabriela;

Short description:

The new edition of this textbook is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the process by which public policy is made.

Long description:

The Public Policy Process is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the process by which public policy is made.

Explaining clearly the importance of the relationship between theoretical and practical aspects of policymaking, this book gives a thorough overview of the people and organisations involved in the process. Changes to the complexity of the problems faced everywhere and to the way populist approaches to policymaking are emerging make new thinking essential about how the policy process is examined across the globe.

Key features and updates:

• Detailed discussion of challenges to effective policymaking in turbulent times, with special emphasis on crises and populism.   


• Improved discussions about critical issues, such as governance, bureaucracy, global policies and artificial intelligence, among others.


• New material relating to countries from the Global South and unequal democracies.


• Further attention to comparative international examples from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

This text is essential reading for students of public policy, public administration and management, as well as more broadly highly relevant to related courses in health and nursing, social welfare, environment, economics, development and local government.

'This comprehensive textbook illuminates the complex machinery of policy-making, offering a rare combination of theoretical frameworks and practical insights from real-world case studies. The authors skilfully balance academic rigor with accessibility, making intricate policy concepts digestible without sacrificing depth. By integrating diverse perspectives, this essential resource equips the next generation of policy students and professionals with the analytical tools needed to navigate today's most pressing challenges for policy-making such as climate change or mounting inequality in societies'.

Jale Tosun, Heidelberg University, Germany

'This book transcends existing public policy literature. It captures the complexity of modern governance and the writings about it. The depth and breadth of perspectives it deals with, including new analytical and conceptual ideas, is a treasure trove for scholars and students'.

Helen Ingram, University of California, Irvine, USA

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Policy Theories  1. Studying the policy process  2. Theories of power and the policy process  3. Interests and groups  4. Institutional theory  5. Comparative policy process studies  6. Integrating theoretical approaches  Part 2: Analysis of the Policy Process  7. Policy and politics  8. Agenda setting  9. Policy formulation  10. Implementation: An overview  11. Bureaucracy: Organisational structures and processes  12. Discretion, rules and street-level organisations  13. Evaluation and accountability  14. The policy process in the age of governance