Implementing Public Policy: An Introduction to the Study of Operational Governance

This state-of-the-art text offers a comprehensive and lively account of the major insights found in implementation theory and research, reconceptualizing the policy process to highlight the essential role of those implementing policy in moulding, shaping, and directing policy during their work. It is essential reading for anyone interested in public policy, social policy, public administration, public management, and governance.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 27 December 2021
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

This cutting-edge book is the only one that concentrates on putting public policy into practice, providing a thorough and engaging overview of the key findings in implementation theory and research. Its examination of the field offers a thoughtful reflection on the work done in the study of policy implementation around the world. By reconceptualizing the policy process, the book emphasizes the crucial role that those implementing policy play in shaping, molding, and directing policy during their work.

Realizing policy goals is essential for securing electoral success, while policies perceived as failures can undermine trust and confidence in government and politics. As such, implementing policy is equally important for the actors in power as it is for democracy. Policymakers face complex problems in rapidly changing and pressured contexts. From global pandemics to climate change, financial regulation to education, effective policy has never been more crucial to governments and society. The role of street-level bureaucrats in implementing policy has become increasingly critical.

This seminal work in the field has been widely used by thousands worldwide. The 20th-anniversary edition has been fully revised and updated, featuring substantial changes and additions. Two new chapters on the consequences of populism and the latest street-level bureaucracy research have been included, along with an extensive examination of comparative cross-national work and a refined and more explicit conceptualization of implementation in terms of its role in governance. The book concludes with an all-new chapter exploring emerging issues on implementation in practice and on the research agenda.

The text is an essential reading for anyone interested in public policy, social policy, and public administration. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in implementing policy, and offers valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike.

Weight: 674g
Dimension: 176 x 251 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529724868
Edition number: 4 Revised edition