Public Policy and Political Institutions

Frank Hendriks, Department of Public Law and Governance, Tilburg University, The Netherlands

• Contents: Preface 1. Introduction Part I: Themes and Theories 2. Cars, Policy and Administration 3. Towards a Cultural Analysis of Policy Making 4. The Substance and Impact of Institutions Part II: Institutional Analysis 5. Coping with Cars in Birmingham and Munich 6. The Situational Factor in Policy Making 7. The Institutional Factor in Urban Government 8. The Institutional Factor in Home Administration Part III: Epilogue 9. The Importance of Institutions Bibliography Maps Index

'This is an impressive comparison of town planning procedures in two major cities. It explains why the citizens of Munich have been able to keep a beautiful and practical public space while the English experience in Birmingham is full of regrets. Frank Hendriks shows how the success of the one and the failure of the other depend on the balance between the various interested parties, the institutions for negotiating their interests, and the time allowed for deliberation. The book is the first to use cultural theory to analyse the negotiation of traffic problems. Written with admirable clarity, it is likely to be a classic in the field of public policy as modern cities flourish or come to grief according to how they deal with cars.'