The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch

The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch, Second Edition is a practical introduction to the specific tools, techniques, and processes used to create policy in the executive branch of the U.S. government.  George E. Shambaugh, IV and Paul Weinstein, Jr. explain how government officials develop policy, manage the policymaking process, and communicate those policies to stakeholders and the public at large.  The authors draw on both their academic and government experience to provide real-world advice on writing policy decision memos, preparing polling questions, and navigating the clearance process.  An abundance of case studies show how actual policies are developed and how and why policies and processes differ across administrations. Finally, practice scenarios allow students to apply the tools and techniques they have learned by working through both domestic and foreign policy situations.

Dr. George E. Shambaugh, IV is Professor of International Affairs and Government at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Director of the Masters of Science in Foreign Service Program, and former chairman of the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He holds a Ph.D. and M. Phil. in Political Science, and an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, as well as a B.A. in Government and Physics from Oberlin College. His research focuses on international political economy, international politics, foreign policy, and the environment.

Dr. Shambaugh is the author of Oracles, Heroes or Villains: Economic Policymakers, National Politicians, and the Power to Shape Markets (Cambridge 2019), States, Firms, and Power: Successful Sanctions in U.S. Foreign Policy (SUNY, 1999), co-author of the first and second editions of The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques, and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch (Longman, 2003, Sage 2016), co-editor of Anarchy and the Environment: The International Politics of Common Pool Resources (SUNY, 1999), and co-editor of three issues of Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American Foreign Policy (McGraw-Hill, 2006, 2008, 2010). His articles have appeared in a range of journals, including the PLoS One, Sustainability, American Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, The Journal of Peace Research, Review of International Studies, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, International Politics, Environmental Politics, International Interactions, and Security Dialogue. He has received grants and awards from the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the MacArthur Foundation, the International Studies Association, the American Political Science Association, and the Oberlin Alumni Foundation, and he has been a MacArthur Foundation and Dwight D. Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellow.

Paul J. Weinstein, Jr. is the Cofounder and Director of the Graduate Program in Public Management at Johns Hopkins University. He also directs the schools Masters program in Nonprofit Management. He holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. A veteran of two presidential administrations, he was senior adviser to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Simpson-Bowles), which President Obama created to address the nation’s mid- and long-term fiscal challenges. Weinstein formerly served as special assistant to the president and chief of staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council and then later as Senior Advisor for Policy Planning to Vice President Gore during the Clinton Administration. Before that, Weinstein served as a senior legislative aide to then-Representative C. Thomas McMillen (D-MD) and then-Senator Albert Gore, Jr. (D-TN).

Since 2001, Weinstein has served as a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, where he was chief operating officer for five years. He currently serves on the organization’s advisory board. He also consults for the IntraFi Network and is the primary author of its quarterly bank survey. He has advised numerous elected officials, including former governors Jennifer Granholm and Christine Gregoire, and has worked for or advised five presidential candidates. Weinstein has taught at Johns Hopkins University since 2003 and has also lectured at Columbia University and Georgetown University. He is co-author of the first and second editions of The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques, and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch (Longman, 2003, Sage 2016). He has written chapters in a number of other books, and his writing has also appeared in USA Today, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, CNN, New York Newsday, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Daily News, and Politico, among others.