"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,
Ohio University Public Policy: A Concise Introduction 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.
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Dr. Sara R. Rinfret is currently a Professor of Public Administration and Associate Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs at Northern Arizona University. She has more than a decade of higher education administrative experience and is a nationally recognized scholar in regulatory policy, environmental policy, and public administration. She previously served as the Acting Dean for the Alexander Blewett School of Law, Chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, and the Director of Master of Public Administration at the University of Montana. To date, she has published 8 books and more than 40 peer reviewed articles, and several book chapters. She is the recipient of the Fulbright Specialist Program in public administration and studied with scholars at the University of Aarhus (Denmark, 2016). She holds an MPA from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs (Ohio State), and PhD in political science from Northern Arizona University.
Denise Scheberle is a clinical teaching professor for the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado– Denver. She is Professor Emerita from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay,where she served as the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor in Environmental Studies and professor and chair of the Department of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is the recipient of national, state, and campus teaching awards, including the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Distinguished Teaching Award and University of Wisconsin Regents Teaching Excellence Award. She is the author of Industrial Disastersand Environmental Policy: Stories of Villains, Heroes, and the Rest of Us and Federalism and Environmental Policy: Trust and the Politics of Administration, as well as numerous articles. Her research focuses on environmental policy, public service, and intergovernmental relations. She holds a PhD in political science from Colorado State University and an MPA from the University of Wyoming.
Michelle C. Pautz is 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 The Lilliputians of Environmental Regulation: The Perspective of State Regulators and U.S. Environmental Policy in Action: Practice & Implementation (now in its second edition), both with Sara Rinfret; and coeditor of Administering the U.S. Food System: Revisiting Food Policy and Politics. She is the recipient of the University of Dayton’s Alumni Award for Faculty Teaching in 2016. 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.
