It is important that a text offer a thorough explanation of the policy process, but what about your students’ ability to evaluate policies and their alternatives? Too many books leave policy analysis to a last and solitary chapter—or don’t cover it at all. Kraft and Furlong answer to this need and integrate an evaluative approach to policy in their innovative text, encouraging critical and creative thinking on issues ranging from the benefits and costs of sustainable development to the advantages and drawbacks of U.S. efforts to fight the war on terrorism.

Public Policy starts with the basics and concisely describes government institutions, identifies primary policy actors, and reviews major theoretical models. The authors then discuss the nature of policy analysis and its practice, and show students how to employ evaluative criteria in six substantive policy areas. At its core, Public Policy guides students through policy alternatives, arming them with the analytic tools to understand how the interests and motivations of policy actors—both within and outside of government—impact a complex, yet comprehensible, policy agenda.

Improvements to Each Chapter

• Meticulous updating—all new chapter-opening vignettes, current tables and figures, and refreshed lists of suggested readings and websites.
• Strategic streamlining—restructured chapters early in the book ensure a more progressive and accessible introduction to the institutions, actors, and processes of public policy.
• Enhanced pedagogy—key terms focus only on the most important and relevant concepts while end-of-chapter discussion questions better facilitate student analysis.
• Working with Sources—these boxes help students investigate the reliability and comparative quality of sources of policy information through more extensive use of specific cases that call for active application.
• Steps to Analysis—this feature walks students through the steps of the evaluative process in a variety of actual cases, giving students even more opportunities to put their analytic skills to practice.

New Policy Coverage

• Homeland Security—analyzes the economic, political, and ethical dimensions of the United States’ struggle with terrorism and disaster management. The authors examine the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the use of private contractors for military operations and homeland security initiatives, the Patriot Act’s implications for civil liberties, as well as how the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina illustrates the limits of the government’s capacity to respond to emergencies.
• Health Care—evaluates President Bush’s reforms to Medicare, including efforts to provide prescription drug coverage for seniors in light of persistently rising health care costs.
• Welfare and Social Security—analyzes President Bush’s stalled plan to privatize Social Security as well as alternative reforms under consideration.
• Education—focuses on whether the No Child Left Behind Act has created valuable and effective education reforms, and what amendments to this legislation might improve current testing standards and federal funding allocations.
• Energy and the Environment—looks at the debates over oil drilling in the Arctic and federal and state responses to escalating gasoline prices in light of the ongoing conflict between business interests and environmental quality.

Every chapter ends with conclusions, discussion questions, suggested readings, suggested websites, and keywords.

Boxes, Tables, and Figures
Preface

PART I. THE STUDY OF PUBLIC POLICY

1. Public Policy and Politics
What Is Public Policy?
Defining Basic Concepts
The Contexts of Public Policy
The Reasons for Government Involvement
Why Study Public Policy?
The Practice of Policy Analysis

2. Government Institutions and Policy Actors
Growth of Government
Government Institutions and Policy Capacity
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Informal Policy Actors and Policy Capacity
Improving Policy Capacity

3. Understanding the Politics of Public Policy
Theories of Politics and Public Policy
The Policy Process Model
Instruments of Public Policy
Policy Typologies

PART II. ANALYZING PUBLIC POLICY

4. Policy Analysis: An Introduction
The Nature of Policy Analysis
Steps in the Policy Analysis Process
What Kind of Analysis Is Needed?
Types of Policy Analysis

5. Public Problems and Policy Alternatives
Problem Analysis
How to Find Information
Constructing Alternatives
Creative Thinking about Policy Action

6. Assessing Policy Alternatives
Evaluative Criteria for Judging Policy Proposals
Using the Methods of Policy Analysis
Economic Approaches
Decision Making and Impacts
Political and Institutional Approaches
Ethical Analysis

PART III. ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES IN PUBLIC POLICY

7. Economic and Budgetary Policy
Background
Goals of Economic Policy
Tools of Economic Policy
The Budget Process and Its Effect on Economic Policy
Economic Policy: Successes and Failures
Future Economic Issues and Challenges
Focus Discussion: Surpluses to Deficits: How to Address the Shortfall

8. Health Care Policy
Background
Major Government Health Care Programs
Other Health Care Policy Issues
Rising Health Care Costs
Managed Care Organizations
Reducing Health Care Costs: Beyond HMOs
Quality of Care
Leading Causes of Death and Preventive Health Care
Lifestyle Choices and Wellness Activities
Focused Discussion: What Is the Best Policy to Cover Prescription Drug Costs?
Major Legislation

9. Welfare and Social Security Policy
Background
Social Security
Welfare
Focused Discussion: Reforming Social Security through Privatization
Major Legislation

10. Education Policy
Background
Problems Facing Education
Higher Education Issues
Education Policy Reforms
Focused Discussion: School Vouchers and Educational Quality
Major Legislation

11. Environmental and Energy Policy
Background
The Evolution of Environmental and Energy Policy
From Consensus to Conflict in Environmental Policy
Major Federal Environmental Policies
Focused Discussion: Climate Change and Energy
Policy Alternatives
Major Legislation

12. Homeland Security Policy
Background
The Evolution of Homeland Security Policy
From Consensus to Conflict in Homeland Security Policy
Major National Security Policies
Focused Discussion: The Iraq War
Policy Alternatives

PART IV. CONCLUSIONS

13. Politics, Analysis, and Policy Choice
Public Policies and Their Impacts
Policy Analysis and Policy Choices
Citizen Participation in Decision Making
Conclusions

Notes
References
Index

“In choosing a text for my public policy course, there is no contest – Kraft and Furlong have crafted a work which stands out above the rest. This exceptional text provides a successful balance in discussion of the process of policy-making as well as the complexities of policy analysis. I particularly appreciate the way in which the foundational chapters introduce competing theories which provide the context to integrate material throughout the substantive policy chapters. In addition, while the material is presented in a straightforward manner, it is unquestionably theoretical and scholarly in its presentation. In addition to focusing on central current problems, the selection of issues includes coverage of important historical policies, often overlooked in the hype of media coverage, which provokes students to examine the way in which past decisions frame the context of today’s policy concerns.”

“Kraft and Furlong have written a highly readable book which provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of public policy analysis. They explain how public policy is made, the types of models which could be used to make/evaluate a public policy alternative, and an overview of how public policymaking fits into the American government process. The book also includes major policy problems, like economic and budgetary policy, health care policy, education policy and homeland security, with which students can apply analytical techniques. What I like most about Public Policy is that it is written so that it can be used either by students or public policy practitioners. The text includes a variety of important statistics, examples, concepts and metaphors which are utilized to help direct the student and clarify difficult topics and issues. I consider this work to be among the best in the field.”

“The strength of the book is in the details. Kraft and Furlong provide interesting and insightful examples of each point they make throughout the book. Moreover, the book is well-balanced ideologically and easy for students to read without falling into the trap of so many textbooks today of trying to use ‘hip’ language and going overboard trying to identify with a younger generation. I appreciate that the authors maintain a scholarly writing style that is easy enough for undergraduate students to follow. The chapter openings very entertaining and appropriate, and the examples used throughout the book are clear and one of the many strong suits of this text.”

“I teach a course that is half policy process and half policy analysis, and Public Policy is a great balance of both, with enough detail to allow in-depth discussion and application of key issues and approaches. My students like the boxes that direct them to follow web links to learn more about politics and analysis. The substantive chapters serve as case studies and can be used in a variety of ways.”

“Kraft and Furlong’s Public Policy: Politics, Analyses, and Alternatives is the core text in my introductory public policy course. It is written in language that is cogent and concise, and helps to establish a common universe of discourse among students with varied backgrounds in policy. One of its major strengths is the emphasis on critical thinking. Another strength lies in the web sites in each chapter that give students sources for current and reliable information.”

Michael E. Kraft is professor of political science and public affairs and Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. He is the author of, among other works, Environmental Policy and Politics, 4th ed. (2006), and the coeditor of Environmental Policy: New Directions for the 21st Century, 6th ed. (2006) and Technology and Politics (1988), with Norman J. Vig; Public Reactions to Nuclear Waste (1993), with Riley E. Dunlap and Eugene A. Rosa; and Toward Sustainable Communities: Transition and Transformations in Environmental Policy (1999), with Daniel A. Mazmanian. He has taught courses in environmental policy and politics, Congress, and public policy analysis for over thirty years.

Scott R. Furlong is professor of political science and public affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. His areas of expertise are regulatory policy and interest group participation in the executive branch. Furlong has published articles in a number of journals including Public Administration Review, The Journal of Public Administration, Research and Theory, Administrative Studies Quarterly and Policy Studies Journal. He has been teaching the public policy course for over twelve years.

Keep transition costs low and benefits high with these useful ancillaries.

www.cqpress.com/college/publicpolicy
Created by Michael E. Kraft and Scott R. Furlong

Valuable study aids are paired with creative activities to help students review and improve skill acquisition. The website is organized into five useful categories:

• Study: concise chapter summaries highlight important learning objectives.
• ENHANCED! Quiz: students have the opportunity to self-test and receive immediate results both by question (conceptual, factual, and vocabulary) and by chapter section. New functionality allows students to email their quiz results directly to instructors who wish to track their students’ online work.
• NEW! Flashcards: a handy way to review the book’s key terms, students can view terms and click for definitions, or vice versa. Users can mark terms they would like to return to as well as shuffle and reset their cards.
• ENHANCED! Exercises: active learning exercises based on the book’s text boxes take the application of chapter material several steps further. For instance, students are shown how to apply and interpret data using evaluative criteria like cost-benefit analysis. New response boxes are provided so students can email answers to their instructors.
• Explore: annotated links to relevant websites help students tie online resources and materials to chapter content.

Instructor’s Resources CD-ROM
Created by Michael E. Kraft and Scott R. Furlong

• Test Bank with Respondus: Almost 200 questions—conceptual and factual multiple-choice, short answer, and essay—provide the basis for exams. Respondus software—flexible and easy to use—enables you to modify questions, add your own questions, and create multiple versions of your tests to prevent cheating.
• PowerPoint Lecture Slides: A comprehensive, class-tested set of 170 slides highlights key points and underscores the analytic principles of the book. This resource is guaranteed to significantly reduce prep time.