Public policy is the means by which a government maintains order or addresses the needs of its citizens through actions defined by its constitution. Because public policies are in place to address the needs of people, they are often broken down into different categories as they relate to society. Today, public problems are more complex, interconnected, and global than in the more agrarian society at the turn of the nineteenth century. These policy problems require rigorous analysis along with an understanding of the strategies needed to turn imaginative policy ideas into practical problem solving in making policy choices. Policy analysis describes the investigations that produce accurate and useful information for decision makers. The importance of sound public policy analysis in achieving various goals related to the growth and development of a nation and its citizens cannot be overemphasised. For all of these reasons public policy studies are of the utmost importance, as they help scholars, politicians, political scientists, and a better-informed public to analyse every policy in depth, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, in order to improve policy choices, formulations, and implementation. The feedback process helps the nation remain on par with the worlds most rapidly developing and progressive nations. This book provides a comprehensive review and guide to the study, theory and practice of public policy. The text addresses all topics of public policy including social services and healthcare, environmental protection, education, labour market, immigration, security, public financing and budgeting, administrative reform, performance measurements, governance and others. It attempts to find a balance between description, explanation and evaluation of public policies and encourages a wide range of social science approaches, both qualitative and quantitative. This book is intended to academic scholars and professionals in different policy fields with the latest theoretical and methodological advancements in public policy.
