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An Introduction to the Policy Process, now in its extensively updated Fifth Edition, offers students of all skill levels a clear, readable, and reasonably priced introduction to the study of public policy. As in previous editions, author Tom Birkland uses a conversational, straightforward language to present the greatest contemporary ideas on the policy-making process. The Fifth Edition, which aims to reflect recent advancements in policy theory and policymaking, examines:

the outcome of the Brexit referendum and its implications for global politics, the UK, and the European Union, as well as the 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president, and how these developments have led voters and decision-makers to reconsider their presumptions;

changes in the media landscape, such as the rise of social media, the demise of newspapers and television news, and the emergence of “fake news”; new developments in policy theory, such as the creation of the Narrative Policy Framework; and ongoing and updated applications of established theories of the policy process, such as Punctuated Equilibrium, Advocacy Coalitions, Multiple Streams, and Institutional Analysis and Development; and brand-new and updated chapter “at a glance” outlines, definitions of key terms, thought-provoking review questions, suggested reading, case studies, visual aids, theoretical literature, presentation slides, and Test Banks to make teaching the book easier than ever.

Ideal for upper-level undergraduate and introductory graduate courses in public policy, public administration, and political science programs, An Introduction to the Policy Process offers the most comprehensive and current overview of the theory and practice of the policy process. It is firmly rooted in both social science and political science.