The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy

The Oxford Handbooks of Political Science

by Michael Moran (Editor), Martin Rein (Editor), Robert E. Goodin (Editor)

Public policy is the business end of political science. It is where theory meets practice in the pursuit of the public good. Political scientists approach public policy in myriad ways. Some approach the policy process descriptively, asking how the need for public intervention comes to be perceived, a policy response formulated, enacted, implemented, and, all too often, subverted, perverted, altered, or abandoned. Others approach public policy more prescriptively, offering politically-informed suggestions for how normatively valued goals can and should be pursued, either through particular policies or through alternative processes for making policy. Some offer their advice from the Olympian heights of detached academic observers, others as 'engaged scholars' cum advocates, while still others seek to instill more reflective attitudes among policy practitioners themselves toward their own practices. The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy mines all these traditions, using an innovative
structure that responds to the very latest scholarship. Its chapters touch upon institutional and historical sources and analytical methods, how policy is made, how it is evaluated and how it is constrained. In these ways, the Handbook shows how the combined wisdom of political science as a whole can be brought to bear on political attempts to improve the human condition.

Genres: Politics, Public Policy, Political Science, Reference, Nonfiction, Sociology

996 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

Reviews

[Efe Saydam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone interested in Canadian public policy, its history, and the complex array of interacting elements that sees public policy affect Canadian society and vice versa. I imagine this would be an essential introductory text prior to the further in-depth study of the field also.

[Dr. Faheem J. Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 'complete' resource for public policy students and academicians. An invaluable contribution by renowned experts and scholars. Recommended for policy experts and analysts.

[Kathy West · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea

Only read because of grad school.

[Christina Gabler]

Informative, but not as insightful as some of the other Oxford Handbooks.