A major textbook devoted to the theories that drive the study of Public Policy. Offering an accessible overview of the key components of public policy analysis - such as power and agenda setting, institutions, networks, socio-economic factors and the role of ideas - the text shows how different theoretical models relate to one another and explores how theory can be applied across a range of country settings.
With its impressively comprehensive coverage, the book can be used as the sole text for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses worldwide on Public Policy, Policy Analysis and Theories of Public Policy.
"This important and even-handed new text will be very useful not only in teaching students but also to advanced scholars. Rather than review individual policies, Cairney focuses his attention on the theoretical approaches that allow us to make sense of the confusing relations among citizens and elites that produce government action. The result is the best available synthesis and a strong argument for cross-fertilization and the use of multiple approaches." - Frank R. Baumgartner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill