Public Policy in Australia:: Theory and Practice

Public Policy in Australia: Theory and Practice provides clear, systematic and detailed coverage of the policy process using contemporary examples from Australia linked into theory and practice. This provides students with a good basis from which to grasp the conceptual base of the policy process and ensures that they are also provided with enough detail to develop their own analytical questions and hypotheses.

The text is divided into three parts in order to highlight the linkages between theory, policy practices and social processes. The first part outlines the main theoretical traditions that inform public policy, bringing about an understanding of the conceptual bases that have played a significant role in the development of public policy and the theory that informs its practices.

The second part focuses on the policy cycle, illustrating that policy making is a continuous process involving actors, decisions and resources which intersect with institutional procedures and ideological standpoints. This part demonstrates to students the clear linkages between theory and practice and assists students to identify the processes around decision making within the policy domain. Each aspect of the policy cycle is clearly described with case study examples.

The third part moves to the main elements that impact on the policy process. The focus here is on the intersection between the policy cycle phases and the contingent factors that inform policy decision making. Factors such as policy actors and the institutional setting, access to resources, interest groups and the role of the media are all used to demonstrate the complexity of the policy process. Contemporary case studies are used to highlight the implications of key assumptions in understanding of particular policy issues.