Understanding Public Policy

Thomas R. Dye, Emeritus McKenzie Professor of Government at Florida State University, regularly taught large introductory classes in American politics. He received his B. A. and M. A. degrees from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books and articles on American government and public policy, including The Irony of Democracy; Politics in States and Communities; Understanding Public Policy; Who’s Running America?; American Politics in the Media Age; Power in Society; Politics, Economics, and the Public; and American Federalism: Competition Among Governments. His books have been translated into many languages, including Russian and Chinese, and published abroad. Dye has served as president of the Southern Political Science Association, president of the Policy Studies Organization, and secretary of the American Political Science Association. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Georgia, and served as a visiting scholar at Bar-Ilan University, Israel; the Brookings Institution in Washington, D. C.; and elsewhere. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi and is listed in most major biographical directories.

• Brief Contents Policy Analysis: What Governments Do, Why They Do It, and What Difference It MakesModels of Politics: Some Help in Thinking About Public PolicyThe Policymaking Process: Decision-Making ActivitiesPolicy Evaluation: Finding Out What Happens After a Law Is PassedFederalism and State Policies: Institutional Arrangements and Policy VariationsCriminal Justice: Rationality and Irrationality in Public PolicyWelfare: The Search for Rational StrategiesHealth Care: Attempting a Rational-Comprehensive TransformationEducation: Group StrugglesEconomic Policy: Challenging IncrementalismTax Policy: Battling the Special InterestsInternational Trade and Immigration: Elite—Mass ConflictEnergy and the Environment: Externalities and InterestsCivil Rights: Elite and Mass InteractionDefense Policy: Strategies for Serious GamesHomeland Security: Terrorism and Nondeterrable Threats