Policy as Practice

H.K. Colebatch has taught and researched in the field of public policy and administration in Australia, Papua New Guinea, East Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe for over four decades.Calista Castles is an Adjunct Fellow and a social researcher in mental health theory and practice at Griffith University. She has worked in government and non-government organisations as a consultant.

• 1. Introduction 2. Policy as a Process 3. Problematization in school education policy: underperformance and parent hyperactivity 4. Local Governments as Policy Shapers 5. It’s just the way we do things around here – how policy worlds influence the implementation of policies 6. The evidence-base of policy: changes in the use of data, information, and knowledge within government 7. When government is not the only option for setting public performance standards and ensuring compliance 8. Evaluation as a governing practice: Judging the outcomes of policy and practice 9. Contested viewpoints on the management of social problems: The case the Australian Child Support Scheme 10. Performing the Policy Cycle 11. Public value and complex problems in pluralistic settings and the Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa (For our Children’s Children) Act 2020 12. Stocktake and future agenda

"Policy as Practice brings fresh perspectives to the complexity of making and implementing policy. Stressing the importance of problem identification and framing, it moves beyond didactic instrumental management as the fundamental tool of the policy enterprise." -- Adam Graycar, Professor of Public Policy, University of Adelaide, Australia