Public Policy

Public policy studies how governments identify problems and design, adopt, implement, and evaluate courses of action to address them.

Scope

It covers the policy process and agenda-setting, policy analysis and design, implementation, and evaluation across substantive policy areas.

Core questions

• How do issues get onto the policy agenda?
• How are policies designed and chosen?
• How are policies implemented and why do they fail?
• How can policies be evaluated?

Key concepts

• Policy cycle
• Agenda-setting
• Incrementalism
• Policy windows
• Implementation
• Policy evaluation

Key theories

The policy sciences

Lasswell envisioned an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented 'policy orientation' for the social sciences.

Incrementalism

Lindblom described real policymaking as limited, incremental 'muddling through' rather than comprehensive rationality.

Agenda-setting and multiple streams

Kingdon explained agenda change through the coupling of problem, policy, and politics streams in 'policy windows'.

History

Founded as the 'policy sciences' (Lasswell), the field developed the policy-cycle and incremental models (Lindblom), agenda-setting and multiple-streams frameworks (Kingdon), and a strong evaluation and evidence-based-policy tradition.

Debates

Rational design versus incrementalism

Whether policy is or should be made comprehensively and rationally or through incremental adjustment.

Key figures

• Harold Lasswell
• Charles Lindblom
• John Kingdon

Seminal works

• lasswell-1951
• lindblom-1959
• kingdon-1984

Frequently asked questions

What is a policy window?

A fleeting opportunity, in Kingdon's framework, when problems, solutions, and politics align so that an issue can advance on the agenda.