The Public Policy Process

by Michael Hill, Frédéric Varone, Gabriela Lotta

Overview

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, the 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, makes 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040667972
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/01/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	388

About the Author

Michael Hill is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the University of Newcastle, UK. Since leaving Newcastle, he has held visiting appointments in London University, at Goldsmiths College, Queen Mary College and the London School of Economics, and at Brighton University.

Frédéric Varone is Professor of Political Science at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and an elected member of the Geneva Court of Audit.

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

Editorial Reviews

"The Public Policy Process is an indispensable book for anyone who wants to understand policies. It provides a complete overview of policy theories and analytical approaches for researchers, students, and practitioners. It guides readers to the whole field of studies, providing them with different possibilities of analysis and research. During the last years, the book has been an essential material in places where the field of study and the state itself are still under construction, as is the case in many countries in the global south. This new edition proves how, updated, and connected to the changes in the field, the book remains a fundamental reference to understand the policy process."

Gabriela Lotta, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil.

"A fresh edition of a classic textbook. It provides an even-handed, concise and considerate overview of a range of theories and approaches in the study of the policy process."

Mark Bovens, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

"In the 8^th Edition of The Public Policy Process, Hill and Varone continue and expand on one of the best introductory books on policy process research. This book excels in making the complexities inherent in policy processes more understandable without reverting to overly simplified and distorted depictions. This latest edition brings in needed work on inequality, power, and democracy, which connects it to the most pressing challenges in society. Based on crisp conceptualizations and comprehensive theoretical foundations, this book offers a firm foundation for new students and experienced scholars for understanding, studying, and influencing policy processes."

Christopher M. Weible, University of Colorado Denver, USA.

"This new edition of the very successful textbook is an essential guide to the study of the policy process. It stands out for its clarity of prose, concise outline of key concepts, as well as a comprehensive synthesis of where we are right now within this rapidly moving area of policy analysis. I recommend this book to every student and researcher interested understanding policy processes and in applying theories to empirical phenomena."

Sabine Kuhlmann, University of Potsdam, Germany.

'The Public Policy Process is an indispensable book for anyone who wants to understand policies. It provides a complete overview of policy theories and analytical approaches for researchers, students, and practitioners. It guides readers to the whole field of studies, providing them with different possibilities of analysis and research. During the last years, the book has been an essential material in places where the field of study and the state itself are still under construction, as is the case in many countries in the global south. This new edition proves how, updated, and connected to the changes in the field, the book remains a fundamental reference to understand the policy process.'

Gabriela Lotta, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil

'A fresh edition of a classic textbook. It provides an even-handed, concise and considerate overview of a range of theories and approaches in the study of the policy process.'

Mark Bovens, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

'In the 8th Edition of The Public Policy Process, Hill and Varone continue and expand on one of the best introductory books on policy process research. This book excels in making the complexities inherent in policy processes more understandable without reverting to overly simplified and distorted depictions. This latest edition brings in needed work on inequality, power, and democracy, which connects it to the most pressing challenges in society. Based on crisp conceptualizations and comprehensive theoretical foundations, this book offers a firm foundation for new students and experienced scholars for understanding, studying, and influencing policy processes.'

Christopher M. Weible, University of Colorado Denver, USA

'This new edition of the very successful textbook is an essential guide to the study of the policy process. It stands out for its clarity of prose, concise outline of key concepts, as well as a comprehensive synthesis of where we are right now within this rapidly moving area of policy analysis. I recommend this book to every student and researcher interested in understanding policy processes and in applying theories to empirical phenomena.'

Sabine Kuhlmann, University of Potsdam, Germany

From the Publisher