Policy and Action: Essays on the Implementation of Public Policy

by Susan Barrett (Editor), Colin Fudge (Editor)

It is widely appreciated that policies, however carefully formulated, too often fall down at the implementation stage. This collection, originally published in 1981 and which includes a number of case studies illustrating the roles and workings of the agencies involved, focuses on implementation in public policy. Part 1 reviews the literature on implementation and provides a theoretical context for examining the ten case studies in Part 2, which cover such policy areas as public expenditure, employment, housing, social services, health, planning and land. The editors also examine the main issues raised by the case studies and suggest a way of reconstructing an understanding of the implementation of public policy.

Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

Susan Barrett spent her childhood in Devon and at school in Bath. She worked as a copywriter in London before leaving to live in Greece where she began writing fiction. She has had seven novels published in hardback and paperback in the UK and USA. Other work includes travel writing, television drama, and wildlife and children's books illustrated by her husband Peter. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University College. From 2009-11, she dreamt up and established www.writersreadersdirect.com (WRD). She has now returned to writing full-time, while maintaining links with WRD as an author's mentor.