Now in a thoroughly revised Fifth Edition, An Introduction to the Policy Process provides students at all levels with an accessible, readable, and affordable introduction to the field of public policy. In keeping with prior editions, author Tom Birkland conveys the best current thinking on the policy process in a clear, conversational style. Designed to address new developments in both policy theory and policy making, the Fifth Edition includes examinations of:
- the Brexit referendum result and its effects on the UK, European Union, and world politics, as well as the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and the ways in which these events have caused voters and policy makers to rethink their assumptions;
- changes to the media environment, including the decline of newspapers and television news, the growth of social media, and the emergence of "fake news";
- new policy theory developments like the emergence of the Narrative Policy Framework and continued and newer applications of existing theories of policy process like Advocacy Coalitions, Multiple Streams, Punctuated Equilibrium, and Institutional Analysis and Development; and
- all-new and updated chapter "at a glance" outlines, definitions of key terms, provocative review questions, recommended reading, visual aids and case studies, theoretical literature, and preentation slides and Test Banks to make teaching from the book easier than ever.
Firmly grounded in both social science and political science, An Introduction to the Policy Process provides the most up-to-date and thorough overview of the theory and practice of the policy process, ideal for upper-level undergraduate and introductory graduate courses in Public Policy, Public Administration, and Political Science programs.
Thomas A. (Tom) Birkland is a Professor of Public Policy at North Carolina State University, where he is also the Associate Dean for Research and Engagement in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He holds degrees from the University of Oregon (BA), Rutgers University (MA), and the University of Washington, Seattle (PhD). At North Carolina State he teaches courses on disaster policy and on the policy process. Dr. Birkland’s research is in theories of the policy process, focusing on agenda change, policy change, and learning. He is also an internationally known expert on policies related to natural disasters and industrial accidents. He is the author of two books on the subject, Lessons of Disaster and After Disaster, as well as many journal articles. In 2020 After Disaster won the Aaron Wildavsky Enduring Contribution Award for best book or article published in the past 20-30 years, generating a major impact on the field.
