Contents 1. The Study of Public Policy What Is Public Policy? Categories of Public Policy Approaches to Policy Study Methodological Difficulties in Studying Public Policy The Plan of This Book 2. The Policy-Makers and Their Environment The Policy Environment The Official Policy-Makers Unofficial Participants Levels of Politics 3. Policy Formation: Problems, Agendas, and Formulation Policy Problems The Policy Agenda The Agenda-Setting Process Nondecisions The Loss of Agenda Status Two Cases in Agenda Setting The Formulation of Policy Proposals Policy Formulation as a Technical Process Formulating Policy: The Family and Medical Leave Act A Concluding Comment 4. Policy Adoption Theories of Decision-Making Decision Criteria The Public Interest Styles of Decision-Making Presidential Decision-Making 5. Budgeting and Public Policy The Budget and Public Policy The National Budgetary Process Fighting Budget Deficits Concluding Remarks 6. Policy Implementation Who Implements Policy? Administrative Organization Administrative Politics Administrative Policymaking Techniques of Control Compliance 7. Policy Impact, Evaluation, and Change Policy Impact Policy Evaluation Processes Problems in Policy Evaluation Policy Evaluation: The Use and Misuse of Cost-Benefit Analysis The Politics of Evaluation: The Case of Head Start Policy Termination The Policy Cycle: Airline Regulation and Deregulation 8.

Concluding Comments.