Public Policy: A Concise Introduction - Softcover

Rinfret, Sara R.; Scheberle, Denise L.; Pautz, Michelle C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1506329713 ISBN 13: 9781506329710

Publisher: CQ Press, 2018

Synopsis

Public Policy: A Concise Introduction, by Sara R. Rinfret, Denise Scheberle, and Michelle C. Pautz, is a student-friendly primer that quickly connects readers to the inner workings of public policy. The text condenses early chapters on theory and the policy-making process, allowing students to take up key policy challenges―such as immigration, education, and health care―much earlier in the semester. Structured chapter layouts of substantive policy areas allow instructors to supplement with their own examples seamlessly. The book’s emphasis on policy choices asks students to look beyond simple pros and cons to examine the multifaceted dimensions of decision making and the complexities inherent in real-world problem solving. Not every student starts out engaged in public policy, so place your students―both majors and non-majors alike―in the driver’s seat by fostering their analytical skills early, and spend the rest of the semester discussing policy issues, examining data, and debating current policy examples that matter most to them.

About this title

About the Author

Sara Rinfret is an associate professor of political science at the University of Montana, Missoula, where she teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate level on regulatory policy, environmental policy, state and local government, public policy, public administration, and American politics. She is the director of the Master of Public Administration Program and codirects the Social Science Research Laboratory. Her main area of research is environmental regulations. More specifically, she is interested in the interactions between agencies and interest groups during the stages of environmental rulemaking at the federal and state level. To date, her work has been published in Society and Natural Resources, Environmental Politics, Review of Policy Research, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, PS: Political Science and Politics, Public Administration Quarterly, and the Oxford Handbook of U.S. Environmental Policy. She has coauthored The Lilliputians of Environmental Regulation: The Perspective of State Regulators, and U.S. Environmental Policy: A Practical Approach to Understanding Implementation (cowritten with Michelle Pautz). She is a Fulbright Specialist Program Scholar in public administration and has studied with the University of Aarhus (Denmark) in 2016.

Michelle C. Pautz is an associate professor of political science and assistant provost of the Common Academic Program at the University of Dayton. Her research has appeared in Administration & Society, Administrative Theory & Praxis, Journal of Political Science Education, Journal of Environmental Studies & Sciences, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Policy Studies Journal, PS: Political Science & Politics, Public Voices, and the Review of Policy Research, among others. She is the author of Civil Servants on the Silver Screen: Hollywood’s Depiction of Government and Bureaucrats; coauthor of Public Policy: A Concise Introduction, The Lilliputians of Environmental Regulation: The Perspective of State Regulators, and U.S. Environmental Policy in Action: Practice & Implementation; and coeditor of The Intersection of Food and Public Health: Current Policy Challenges and Solutions. She holds a PhD in public administration and an MPA from Virginia Tech. She earned a BA in economics, political science, and public administration from Elon University.

Review

"I like the progression of practical examples, public policy issues, and dynamics that position students to conceptualize both intellectually and academically. To be specific, Chapter 1 has established a foundation to enable the student to not just regurgitate facts but to invoke public policy facts to advance vibrant policy positions of their own." -- Mary D. Bruce

"A comprehensive textbook consisting of both historical and contemporary information and data about American public policy. The format and approach of the text are ideal for undergraduate students because they provide concrete examples of public policy in a way that relates to everyday life." -- Linda Trautman

"I think the features are fantastic and well placed in this textbook. I particularly like the chapter-opening vignettes, Everyday Citizen Connections, and Policy Choices feature. I think these make the text more accessible to students and generate more real student learning than a text that just presents the material in a static manner." -- Laura Fidelie

Edition details

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1506329713
• ISBN 13: 9781506329710
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352