Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society

Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. The Public Policymaking Process and How It Relates to Our Lives; The Public Policymaking Framework; What Public Policy Is - And Is Not; Constitutionalism: The Architecture of Public Policymaking; Where Public Policies Are Made: Vertical Relationships; Does Citizenship Matter?; What Does Citizenship Mean?; Practicing Citizenship Through Public Policy Analysis and Advocacy; Case Study: Immigration Reform; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 2. Identifying Public Policy Issues; Triggering Mechanisms: Indicators for Determining Issues; Deciding What Is Important - How and Why; Doing Research; Considering What to Do; Case Study: Community Development Project; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 3. Developing a Public Policy Proposal: Inventing the Better Lightbulb; Connecting Issues with Public Policymakers; Clarifying Objectives; Inventing the Better Lightbulb; Doing a Reality Check; To Influence or Not to Influence - That Is the Question; Case Study: Campus Security; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 4. Taking Action in the Political World: How to Advocate a Public Policy; Surveying the Policymaking Landscape; Preparing a Plan of Action Carefully - and One Step at a Time; Making the Most of Your Opportunity; Public Policymaking as Complex Activities; Case Study: Campaigning for a Watershed Tax District; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 5. Implementation: Carrying Out Decisions and Making Them Stick; The Art of Implementation; Bureaucracies as Implementation Agents; Keeping Your Hand in the Implementation Mix; Case Study: Implementing a New Policy on Racial Profiling; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 6. Evaluation: Does the Policy Make Sense?; Who Evaluates, and Why?; Evaluation: Not as Easy as It Looks; Comparing Outcomes with Intentions; One Form of Evaluation Every Policymaker Wishes to Avoid; Some Final Tips; Conclusions; Case Study: Charter Schools; Reflection; Student Projects; Discussion Questions; Notes; 7. Participation, Politics, and Policymaking: Putting It Together; Some of What You May Have Learned; The Most Important Evaluation of All; Some Final Thoughts (from the Soapbox); Notes; Appendix A: Glossary; Appendix B: Recommended Government Documents; Appendix C: Recommended Readings; Appendix D: Recommended Web Sites as Research Source Materials; Index; About the Author.