Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

The study of comparative public policy reveals the intensely political nature of policy choices. While policy analysts often look to policy successes and failures outside their borders to draw valuable lessons and insights, cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions vary from country to country and strongly affect how policy analysis is ultimately used. By combining a conceptual discussion of policy making with an examination of seven specific policy areas, Jessica Adolino and Charles Blake show how politics—in the realm of the environment, education, taxation, economics, immigration, health care, and social welfare—shapes policy choices.

The second edition of Comparing Public Policies has been revised and updated to reflect the most recent political and policy developments. This new edition expands coverage of the internationalization of domestic policy making by including a European Union case study in each issue area, along with further discussion of the role of international interest groups in the policy process.

The seven policy chapters have been revised and updated to examine current issues in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union, such as:

  • the heightened calls for immigration policy reform
  • the return to higher budget deficits in several countries
  • the efforts to lower tax rates in countries with falling expenditures and in countries with rising spending levels
  • the often unsuccessful attempts to control increasing health care costs in countries with aging populations
  • the spirited debate over the future role of the welfare state in an increasingly globalized economy
  • the, at times, divergent education reform debates regarding the role of assessment and calls for decentralization
  • the uneven environmental performance in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
Chapters include analyses of cross­national trends—past and present—and a final chapter reexamines the internationalization of public policy in industrialized countries. Useful pedagogical features have been incorporated throughout the text, including "In Depth" boxes that offer detailed discussion of the political process or analytical techniques, and "Country At-a-Glance" boxes that provide quick reference to political institutions. A wealth of recent data is displayed in numerous tables and a glossary gives students a practical guide to terminology.
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Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

The study of comparative public policy reveals the intensely political nature of policy choices. While policy analysts often look to policy successes and failures outside their borders to draw valuable lessons and insights, cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions vary from country to country and strongly affect how policy analysis is ultimately used. By combining a conceptual discussion of policy making with an examination of seven specific policy areas, Jessica Adolino and Charles Blake show how politics—in the realm of the environment, education, taxation, economics, immigration, health care, and social welfare—shapes policy choices.

The second edition of Comparing Public Policies has been revised and updated to reflect the most recent political and policy developments. This new edition expands coverage of the internationalization of domestic policy making by including a European Union case study in each issue area, along with further discussion of the role of international interest groups in the policy process.

The seven policy chapters have been revised and updated to examine current issues in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union, such as:

  • the heightened calls for immigration policy reform
  • the return to higher budget deficits in several countries
  • the efforts to lower tax rates in countries with falling expenditures and in countries with rising spending levels
  • the often unsuccessful attempts to control increasing health care costs in countries with aging populations
  • the spirited debate over the future role of the welfare state in an increasingly globalized economy
  • the, at times, divergent education reform debates regarding the role of assessment and calls for decentralization
  • the uneven environmental performance in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
Chapters include analyses of cross­national trends—past and present—and a final chapter reexamines the internationalization of public policy in industrialized countries. Useful pedagogical features have been incorporated throughout the text, including "In Depth" boxes that offer detailed discussion of the political process or analytical techniques, and "Country At-a-Glance" boxes that provide quick reference to political institutions. A wealth of recent data is displayed in numerous tables and a glossary gives students a practical guide to terminology.
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Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

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Overview

The study of comparative public policy reveals the intensely political nature of policy choices. While policy analysts often look to policy successes and failures outside their borders to draw valuable lessons and insights, cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions vary from country to country and strongly affect how policy analysis is ultimately used. By combining a conceptual discussion of policy making with an examination of seven specific policy areas, Jessica Adolino and Charles Blake show how politics—in the realm of the environment, education, taxation, economics, immigration, health care, and social welfare—shapes policy choices.

The second edition of Comparing Public Policies has been revised and updated to reflect the most recent political and policy developments. This new edition expands coverage of the internationalization of domestic policy making by including a European Union case study in each issue area, along with further discussion of the role of international interest groups in the policy process.

The seven policy chapters have been revised and updated to examine current issues in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union, such as:

  • the heightened calls for immigration policy reform
  • the return to higher budget deficits in several countries
  • the efforts to lower tax rates in countries with falling expenditures and in countries with rising spending levels
  • the often unsuccessful attempts to control increasing health care costs in countries with aging populations
  • the spirited debate over the future role of the welfare state in an increasingly globalized economy
  • the, at times, divergent education reform debates regarding the role of assessment and calls for decentralization
  • the uneven environmental performance in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
Chapters include analyses of cross­national trends—past and present—and a final chapter reexamines the internationalization of public policy in industrialized countries. Useful pedagogical features have been incorporated throughout the text, including "In Depth" boxes that offer detailed discussion of the political process or analytical techniques, and "Country At-a-Glance" boxes that provide quick reference to political institutions. A wealth of recent data is displayed in numerous tables and a glossary gives students a practical guide to terminology.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781483305301
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Publication date: 01/05/2010
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 480
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Jessica R. Adolino is professor of political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she teaches courses on comparative politics, European politics, and international affairs. Her research interests primarily lie in the area of British politics. She published an extensive study of immigration and ethnic politics, Ethnic Minorities, Electoral Politics and Political Integration in Britain, in 1998. She is currently studying the political dynamics of European integration in the United Kingdom.


Charles H. Blake is professor of political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he teaches comparative politics, comparative public policy, and research methods. His research on the political economy of upper-income and middle-income societies has been published in a variety of journals including Comparative Political Studies, Democratization, and the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, among others. The second edition of his Politics in Latin America: The Quests for Development, Liberty, and Governance will be published in 2008.

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Boxes ix

Preface xi

An Introduction to Comparative Public Policy 1

The Increasing Internationalization of Public Policy 4

The Organization of This Book 6

1 The Policy Process 1

The Study of the Policy Process 8

The Policy Process Revisited 28

2 Theories of Policy Making 31

The Cultural School 31

The Economic School 34

The Political School 38

The Institutional School 41

An Eclectic Approach to Examining Policy Theories 45

3 Political and Economic Dynamics in Industrialized Countries 47

Social Cleavage 47

Interest Groups 48

Political Parties and Party Systems 51

Voting Behavior 55

Electoral Systems 59

Executive-Legislative Relations 63

Intergovernmental Relations 67

The Bureaucracy 69

The Judiciary 70

Economic Dynamics 71

4 The Policy-making Context 77

The United States 77

Japan 80

Germany 83

France 86

The United Kingdom 89

Italy 92

European Union 95

5 Immigration Policy 100

Common Policy Problems 100

Major Policy Options 103

Explaining Policy Dynamics 104

International Policy Making 109

United States 111

Japan 118

Germany 123

France 129

United Kingdom 134

Italy 140

European Union 146

Cross-national Trends 150

6 Fiscal Policy 159

Common Policy Problems 159

Major Policy Options 161

Explaining Policy Dynamics 163

Internafional Policy Making 167

United States 169

Japan 174

Germany 177

France 180

United Kingdom 183

Italy 186

European Union 189

Cross-national Trends 192

7 Taxation Policy 198

Common Policy Problems 198

Major Policy Options 200

Explaining Policy Dynamics 203

International Policy Making 206

United States 207

Japan 211

Germany 214

France 217

United Kingdom 219

Italy 222

European Union 225

Cross-national Trends 229

8 Health Care Policy 234

Common Policy Problems 234

Major Policy Options 235

Explaining Policy Dynamics 239

International Policy Making 242

United States 243

Japan 249

Germany 253

France 257

United Kingdom 262

Italy 266

European Union 270

Cross-national Trends 273

9 Social Policy 278

Common Policy Problems 278

Major Policy Options 281

Explaining Policy Dynamics 283

International Policy Making 287

United States 287

Japan 293

Germany 296

France 301

United Kingdom 305

Italy 309

European Union 313

Cross-national Trends 315

10 Education Policy 321

Common Policy Problems 321

Major Policy Options 322

Explaining Policy Dynamics 326

International Policy Making 329

United States 329

Japan 334

Germany 338

France 342

United Kingdom 346

Italy 351

European Union 355

Cross-national Trends 358

11 Environmental Policy 364

Common Policy Problems 364

Major Policy Options 366

Explaining Policy Dynamics 369

International Policy Making 372

United States 373

Japan 379

Germany 383

France 388

United Kingdom 392

Italy 396

European Union 401

Cross-national Trends 405

12 Conclusion 412

Contemporary Trends 412

Learning Lessons by Comparing Policies 417

Glossary 419

References 429

Index 441

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