The Politics of Policy Change by Alex Waddan
For generations, debating the expansion or contraction of the American welfare state has produced some of the nation's most heated legislative battles. Attempting social policy reform is both risky and complicated, especially when it involves dealing with powerful vested interests, sharp ideological disagreements, and a nervous public. The main goals of this book are to improve our understanding of the politics of policy change and to develop a framework to better explain specific policy outcomes in contemporary federal politics. B land and Waddan pay close attention to the role of ideas when explaining the motivations for and obstacles to policy change. The book argues that ideas matter but also seeks to explain how they matter. In order to help deepen our understanding of these processes and to explain specific outcomes, B land and Waddan use their framework to analyze three case studies: welfare reform in 1996, Medicare reform in 2003, and the failed attempt to privatize Social Security in 2005.
This theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich book is an important contribution to the policy making literature, and will help readers understand why things change and why they stay the sameChoice A lively and readable synthesis of much of the vast social scientific and historical literature on the contemporary American welfare state. It is also an invaluable primer on recent developments in Medicare, welfare, and pension policy. Perspectives on Politics
Daniel Beland is Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and a professor at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan campus. He has published eight other books, including What Is Social Policy? Understanding the Welfare State. Alex Waddan is a senior lecturer at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. He is the author of The Politics of Social Welfare and Clinton's Legacy? A New Democrat in Governance.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781589018846 |
| ISBN 10 | 1589018842 |
| Title | The Politics of Policy Change |
| Author | Alex Waddan |
| Series | American Governance And Public Policy Series |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Georgetown University Press |
| Year published | 2012-03-06 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |