Understanding Public Policy

Thomas R. Dye, Emeritus McKenzie Professor of Government at Florida State University, regularly taught large introductory classes in American politics. He received his B. A. and M. A. degrees from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books and articles on American government and public policy, including The Irony of Democracy; Politics in States and Communities; Understanding Public Policy; Who’s Running America?; American Politics in the Media Age; Power in Society; Politics, Economics, and the Public; and American Federalism: Competition Among Governments. His books have been translated into many languages, including Russian and Chinese, and published abroad. Dye has served as president of the Southern Political Science Association, president of the Policy Studies Organization, and secretary of the American Political Science Association. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Georgia, and served as a visiting scholar at Bar-Ilan University, Israel; the Brookings Institution in Washington, D. C.; and elsewhere. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi and is listed in most major biographical directories.

Brief Contents

Policy Analysis: What Governments Do, Why They Do It, and What Difference It Makes
Models of Politics: Some Help in Thinking About Public Policy
The Policymaking Process: Decision-Making Activities
Policy Evaluation: Finding Out What Happens After a Law Is Passed
Federalism and State Policies: Institutional Arrangements and Policy Variations
Criminal Justice: Rationality and Irrationality in Public Policy
Welfare: The Search for Rational Strategies
Health Care: Attempting a Rational-Comprehensive Transformation
Education: Group Struggles
Economic Policy: Challenging Incrementalism
Tax Policy: Battling the Special Interests
International Trade and Immigration: Elite—Mass Conflict
Energy and the Environment: Externalities and Interests
Civil Rights: Elite and Mass Interaction
Defense Policy: Strategies for Serious Games
Homeland Security: Terrorism and Nondeterrable Threats