Public Policy

This book weds the “normative” and the “empirical” in its examination of public policy.  The first part of the text offers a philosophical context, enabling students to see how different conceptions of “the public good” inform and shape public policy.  The second part draws on the realm of science and employs the policy process model as a basis for understanding how public policies actually come to fruition.  The first two parts act as a “compass” for the third, which presents substantive policy areas, such as defense, education, health, and criminal justice.

Table of Contents:
Part I:  Introduction to Public Policy Chapter 1  Policy and Visions of Governance             Chapter Overview             “Liberalism” versus “liberalism”             Classical Liberalism             The Philosophical Softening of Some Assumptions of Classical Liberalism             Scientific Realities and Classical Liberalism             Modern Liberalism and Public Policy             John Rawls             The Nature of liberalism in the United States             Communitarianism             Conclusion Chapter 2 Theories of Public Policy:  How Choices are Made             Chapter Overview             The Importance of Science in Studying Public Policy             The Use of Theoretical Models in Scientific Inquiry             The Rational-Comprehensive Model             Incrementalism             Public Choice             Group Theory             Systems Theory             Institutionalism             Elite Theory             Game Theory             Neo-Institutionalism             Conclusion Chapter 3  Values and Public Policy             Chapter Overview             Regime Values and Personal Values             Civic Engagement, Social Capital, and Values             Bases of Individual Values             Economics and Value Changes             Values Structures of Four Generational Cohorts             How Values Have and Continue to Change             Conclusion Chapter 4  Policy Analysis:  What becomes a choice?  How is it prioritized?             Chapter Overview             Economics             Rise of Policy Sciences             Growth of Public Policy             Tools of Public Policy Analysis             Benefit/Cost Analysis             Demography and Policy Analysis             The Use of Public Opinion Surveys             The Use of Statistics             Decision Theory             Experimentation             Outcomes of Policy Analysis             Ethics and Policy Analysis             Public Policy Spiraling Out of Control?             Policy Analysis is not a “Science”             Conclusion Part II  Policy Process Chapter 5  Agenda Setting             Chapter Overview             How Does Agenda Setting Work?             The President as Agenda-Setter             Congress and the Policy Agenda             Congressional-Executive Relations and Agenda-Setting             The Courts and the Policy Agenda             Pressure Groups and Agenda-Setting             Bureaucracy and Agenda-Setting             Media and Agenda-Setting             Elections and the Policy Agenda             Cultural Change and Agenda-Setting             Biases in Political Participation and Agenda-Setting             Explaining Agenda Setting                         Rational-Comprehensive Model                         Institutionalism                         Garbage Can Theory                         Group Theory                         Elite Theory             Conclusion Chapter 6  Policy Formulation             Chapter Overview             Major Actors in Policy Formulation                         Congressional Policy Formulation                         Presidential Policy Formulation                         Courts and Policy Formulation                         Public Bureaucracies and Policy Formulation                         International Influences on Policy Formulation                         Citizen Stakeholders and Policy Formulation             Demographic Changes and Policy Formulation             Explaining policy formulation                         Incrementalism and Policy Formulation                         Group Theory and Policy Formulation                         Neo-Institutionalism and Policy Formulation                         Incrementalism and Policy Formulation             Conclusion Chapter 7 Policy Implementation             Chapter Overview             A Theoretical Model of Policy Implementation                         Controlled Implementation                         Prophylactic Implementation                         Up-For-Grabs Implementation                         Buffered Implementation             Issues Surrounding Implementation             Major Participants                         Bureaucracy                         Pressure Groups                         Clientele                         Judicial system             Explaining Policy Implementation                                               Rational-Comprehensive Model                         Elite Theory Explanation                         Incrementalism                         Group Theory             Conclusion Chapter 8  Policy Evaluation             Chapter Overview             Policy Sciences and Evaluation             The Policy Analysis v. Evaluation             General Purposes of Evaluation             Internal versus External Evaluation             External Evaluations             Steps in Policy Evaluation                         Theoretical Development                         Conceptualization                         Operationalization             Types of Data and Evaluation             Data and Developing Confidence in Numerical Measurement             Types of Evaluation                         Informal Evaluations                         Formal Evaluations             Qualitative Approaches to Evaluation             Conclusion Chapter 9  Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations (IGR)             Chapter Overview             Arguments in Favor of Federalism             Origins of American Federalism             Dual Federalism Model             Cooperative Federalism             Nation-Centered Federalism             Fiscal Federalism             Intergovernmental Relations             Intergovernmental Collaborative Policy Making             Conclusion Part III  Major Public Policies (note:  ordering of policy area chapter is subject to change) Chapter 10 Defense Policy             Chapter Overview             The Defense Policy Structure             Major Participants in Defense Policy                         President                         Congress                         Interest Groups                         Military Commanders and Personnel at the “Street Level”             Defense Policy During the Cold War             Nuclear Arms Race             Nuclear Weapons Treaties             Post Cold War Era             Post-Post Cold War Era and the War on Terrorism             Changing Target Populations in the Post-Post Cold War World             Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)             Ballistic Missile Defense             Homeland Security             Explaining Defense Policy                         Elite Theories                         Group Theory             Conclusion Chapter 11 Public Health Policy             Chapter Overview             Major Actors in Public Health Policy             Department of Health and Human Services                                     Administration for Children and Families                                     Administration on Aging                                     Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality                                     Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry                                     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention                                     Centers for Medicare and Medicaid                                                 Medicare: How it Works                                                 Medicaid                                     Food and Drug Administration                                     Health Resources and Services Administration                                     Indian Health Service                                     National Institutes of Health                                     Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association             Explaining Public Health Policy                         Systems Theory                         Neo-Institutionalism             Conclusion Chapter 12 General Social Policy             Chapter Overview             Scope of Social Policy Discussed in Chapter             Major Policy Actors             Major Social Policy Agencies and their Function                         Social Security Administration                         Social Security Reforms                         U.S. Department of Agriculture                                     Food Stamp Program                                     Food Distribution Programs                                     Children Nutrition Program                                     Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program                         U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development                         U.S. Department of Labor–Unemployment Compensation             Explaining General Social Policy                         Institutionalism                         Group Theory                         Elite Theories                         New Institutionalism             Chapter Summary Chapter 13  Education Policy             Chapter Overview             History of Education Policy in the United States                         Colonial Times                         The Federalist Approach to Education                         The Common School Movement                         Progressive Era Contributions                         The Cold War Era                         Privatization Alternatives: The 1980’s to Present             Major Participants in Education Policy             Education Policy Reform Proposals                         Student Testing                         Teacher Quality                         Class Size                         School Violence             Moving Towards the 21st Century             Bilingual Education             Head Start             Explaining Education Policy                         Institutionalism                         Group Theory                         Incrementalism                         Public Choice Theory             Conclusion Chapter 14  Criminal Justice Policy             Chapter Overview                    Major Participants                         Courts                         Attorneys                         Elected Officials                         Bureaucracy                         Private Enterprises                         Interest Groups             Types of Crime             Crime in the U.S. versus Other Industrialized Nations             Homicides             Other Violent Crimes             Property Crime             Drug Crimes             Causes of Crime                         Socioeconomic Explanations                         Biological Theories of Crime             Crimes and Criminal Procedure             Perspectives on Punishment  Rehabilitation versus Retribution                         Three-Strikes and You’re Out                         Community Corrections                         House Arrest & Electronic Surveillance                         Death Penalty             Hate Crimes             Child Abuse             Public Corruption             Contemporary Policing Techniques and Issues                         Community Oriented Policing                         Racially-Biased Policing             Incarceration Policy and Management                         Control Model of Incarceration                         Responsibility Model of Incarceration                         Consensual Model of Incarceration             The USA Patriot Act, Anti-Terrorism and Criminal Justice Policy             Explaining Criminal Justice Policy                         Elite Theory                         Group Theory                         Institutionalism             Conclusion Chapter 15  Environmental & Natural Resource Policy             Chapter Overview             Considering the Commons             Key Actors in Environmental Policy                         President                         Congress                         Courts                         Pressure Groups             Eco-Terrorism             Land Resources             Resources We Take From Our Public Lands                         Timber Resources                         Mining In the United States                                     Coal                                     Natural Gas                                     Petroleum                                     Uranium                                     Other Materials Mined in the U.S.             Alternative Energy: Protecting the Environment and Reducing Harmful    Extractions Water Politics and Policy Major Federal Environmental Laws Environmental Protection Agency Explaining Environmental Policy             Elite Theory             Pressure Groups             Institutionalism             Conclusion Chapter 16  Cost of Policy             Chapter Overview             A Definition of Budgeting             Explaining the Size of the Budget             Budget Cycle             Major Participants & Influences                         Congress                         President                         Courts                         Bureaucracy                         Pressure Groups                         Media                         Campaigns & Elections                         Domestic Socio-Economic Conditions             Budget Theory                         Role Theory                         Consensus Model                         Dissensus Model             Politics of Entitlement             The Budget and Implications for Policy             Explaining Public Budgeting                         Incrementalism                         Neo-Institutionalism                         Group Theory             Conclusion Chapter 17  Future of Public Policy             Chapter Overview             Commodification/De-Commodification             Technology and the Future of Policy             Values and the Future of Policy             Conclusion