Implementing Public Policy
An Introduction to the Study of Operational Governance
- Michael Hill - Emeritus Professor at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Peter Hupe - Erasmus University, Rotterdam
Building on the success of the previous two editions, this book provides students with an exemplary overview of the theory and practice of public policy implementation and how it relates to contemporary public management. In doing so, this new edition makes use of more illustrative examples, delves further into researching implementation and explores issues about the relationship between policy formulation and implementation in greater depth.
Written for an international audience, this is essential reading for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students studying or conducting research in public policy, social policy, public management, public administration and governance.
| Introduction |
| Structure of the book |
| Some matters of definition |
| Notes |
| Introduction |
| Concerns about implementation: Historical origins |
| The rule of law |
| The idea of democracy and its implications |
| Public Administration and Public Management |
| Institutional theory |
| Postmodernist theory |
| Conclusion |
| Notes |
| The discovery of the ‘missing link’ |
| The classical top-down authors |
| The bottom-up challenge |
| Conclusion |
| The search for a synthesis |
| Where does implementation begin |
| Layers in policy processes |
| Networks: Broadening the horizontal dimension |
| Managing performance: Redefining the vertical dimension |
| Differentiating policy types |
| Including responses of affected actors |
| Conclusion |
| Introduction |
| The age of interventionism |
| The age of the market and corporate government |
| The age of neo-interventionism |
| Assessment |
| Conclusion |
| Notes |
| Introduction |
| The stages model of the policy process |
| Alternative analytical frameworks |
| The Multiple Governance Framework |
| Studying implementation as governance research |
| Conclusion |
| Notes |
| Introduction |
| Defining studies of implementation |
| Explaining what needs explanation |
| Isolating implementation |
| Dealing with layers |
| Specifying inter-organizational relationships |
| Differentiating agency responses |
| Identifying stakes |
| Recognizing macro-parameters |
| Quantitative versus qualitative studies |
| Conclusion |
| Introduction |
| Implementation in practice |
| The quest for appropriate action |
| Policy settings |
| Institutional environments |
| Operational governance in context |
| Conclusion |
| Notes |
| Introduction |
| The objective of studying implementation |
| The study of governance in operation |
| Promising developments |
| Conclusion |
This updated edition consolidates its position as the leading text on implementation, and is fast approaching the status of a ’modern classic’. With its comprehensive coverage of the field by two leading scholars, it will be valuable to both students and specialists.
The Third Edition of Implementing Public Policy enhances what has become the gold standard for navigating the literature about policy design, implementation, and governance. This edition serves as a clarion call for rethinking how policies serve as instruments for governing.
In this new edition, Michael Hill and Peter Hupe provide an essential handbook to students, teachers, and practitioners of the art of implementation. The authors' thoughtful and theoretically-informed perspective brings clarity and insight to the study and practice of implementation.
Hill's Implementing Public Policy is essential reading for all students in public policy. It gives a clear overview about the subject and balanced view on theories and empirical applications. It is well suited for any undergraduate course on policy making, implementation and evaluation.
of relevance to final year and postgraduate students in the discipline of social policy
As supplementary reading for PhD students
Excellent up-date to second edition in terms of recent literature and wider debates about governance.
Book is suitable for PG and UG students
- More use of illustrative examples
- More exploration of the issues about researching implementation (in chapter 7)
- More exploration of the issues about the relationship between policy formulation and implementation
