Comparing Public Policies : Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries

by Adolino, Jessica R.

• ISBN13: 9781933116785
• ISBN10: 1933116781
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-05
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

The study of comparative public policy reveals the intensely political nature of policy choices. While policy analysts often look to policy successes and failures outside their borders to draw valuable lessons and insights, cultural, economic, political, and institutional conditions vary from country to country and strongly affect how policy analysis is ultimately used. By combining a conceptual discussion of policy making with an examination of seven specific policy areas, Jessica Adolino and Charles Blake show how politics-in the realm of the environment, education, taxation, economics, immigration, health care, and social welfare-shapes policy choices. The second edition of Comparing Public Policies has been revised and updated to reflect the most recent political and policy developments. This new edition expands coverage of the internationalization of domestic policy making by including a European Union case study in each issue area, along with further discussion of the role of international interest groups in the policy process. The seven policy chapters have been revised and updated to examine current issues in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union, such as: - the heightened calls for immigration policy reform - the return to higher budget deficits in several countries - the efforts to lower tax rates in countries with falling expenditures and in countries with rising spending levels - the often unsuccessful attempts to control increasing health care costs in countries with aging populations - the spirited debate over the future role of the welfare state in an increasingly globalized economy - the, at times, divergent education reform debates regarding the role of assessment and calls for decentralization - the uneven environmental performance in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions Chapters include analyses of crossnational trends-past and present-and a final chapter reexamines the internationalization of public policy in industrialized countries. Useful pedagogical features have been incorporated throughout the text, including "In Depth" boxes that offer detailed discussion of the political process or analytical techniques, and "Country At-a-Glance" boxes that provide quick reference to political institutions. A wealth of recent data is displayed in numerous tables and a glossary gives students a practical guide to terminology.

Author Biography

Jessica R. Adolino is professor of political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she teaches courses on comparative politics, European politics, and international affairs. She also serves as associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters. Her research interests primarily lie in the areas of British politics and comparative public policy. She published an extensive study of immigration and ethnic politics, Ethnic Minorities, Electoral Politics and Political Integration in Britain, in 1998. Charles H. Blake is professor and chair of political science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he teaches comparative politics, comparative public policy, and research methods. His research on the political economy of upper-income and middle-income societies has been published in a variety of journals, including Comparative Political Studies, Democratization, and the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, among others. He is also the author of Politics in Latin America: The Quests for Development, Liberty, and Governance and coeditor (with Stephen D. Morris) of Corruption and Democracy in Latin America.

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Boxes	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
An Introduction to Comparative Public Policy	p. 1
The Increasing Internationalization of Public Policy	p. 4
The Organization of This Book	p. 6
The Policy Process	p. 1
The Study of the Policy Process	p. 8
The Policy Process Revisited	p. 28
Theories of Policy Making	p. 31
The Cultural School	p. 31
The Economic School	p. 34
The Political School	p. 38
The Institutional School	p. 41
An Eclectic Approach to Examining Policy Theories	p. 45
Political and Economic Dynamics in Industrialized Countries	p. 47
Social Cleavage	p. 47
Interest Groups	p. 48
Political Parties and Party Systems	p. 51
Voting Behavior	p. 55
Electoral Systems	p. 59
Executive-Legislative Relations	p. 63
Intergovernmental Relations	p. 67
The Bureaucracy	p. 69
The Judiciary	p. 70
Economic Dynamics	p. 71
The Policy-making Context	p. 77
The United States	p. 77
Japan	p. 80
Germany	p. 83
France	p. 86
The United Kingdom	p. 89
Italy	p. 92
European Union	p. 95
Immigration Policy	p. 100
Common Policy Problems	p. 100
Major Policy Options	p. 103
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 104
International Policy Making	p. 109
United States	p. 111
Japan	p. 118
Germany	p. 123
France	p. 129
United Kingdom	p. 134
Italy	p. 140
European Union	p. 146
Cross-national Trends	p. 150
Fiscal Policy	p. 159
Common Policy Problems	p. 159
Major Policy Options	p. 161
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 163
Internafional Policy Making	p. 167
United States	p. 169
Japan	p. 174
Germany	p. 177
France	p. 180
United Kingdom	p. 183
Italy	p. 186
European Union	p. 189
Cross-national Trends	p. 192
Taxation Policy	p. 198
Common Policy Problems	p. 198
Major Policy Options	p. 200
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 203
International Policy Making	p. 206
United States	p. 207
Japan	p. 211
Germany	p. 214
France	p. 217
United Kingdom	p. 219
Italy	p. 222
European Union	p. 225
Cross-national Trends	p. 229
Health Care Policy	p. 234
Common Policy Problems	p. 234
Major Policy Options	p. 235
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 239
International Policy Making	p. 242
United States	p. 243
Japan	p. 249
Germany	p. 253
France	p. 257
United Kingdom	p. 262
Italy	p. 266
European Union	p. 270
Cross-national Trends	p. 273
Social Policy	p. 278
Common Policy Problems	p. 278
Major Policy Options	p. 281
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 283
International Policy Making	p. 287
United States	p. 287
Japan	p. 293
Germany	p. 296
France	p. 301
United Kingdom	p. 305
Italy	p. 309
European Union	p. 313
Cross-national Trends	p. 315
Education Policy	p. 321
Common Policy Problems	p. 321
Major Policy Options	p. 322
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 326
International Policy Making	p. 329
United States	p. 329
Japan	p. 334
Germany	p. 338
France	p. 342
United Kingdom	p. 346
Italy	p. 351
European Union	p. 355
Cross-national Trends	p. 358
Environmental Policy	p. 364
Common Policy Problems	p. 364
Major Policy Options	p. 366
Explaining Policy Dynamics	p. 369
International Policy Making	p. 372
United States	p. 373
Japan	p. 379
Germany	p. 383
France	p. 388
United Kingdom	p. 392
Italy	p. 396
European Union	p. 401
Cross-national Trends	p. 405
Conclusion	p. 412
Contemporary Trends	p. 412
Learning Lessons by Comparing Policies	p. 417
Glossary	p. 419
References	p. 429
Index	p. 441
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.