ABSTRACT
In the introduction to this book, the question is asked, why study public policy? Public policy results from governments’ actions, and it’s a matter of contention what the scale and scope of government should be. A former US President (Ronald Reagan) famously said that government was not part of the solution but indeed the problem behind America’s real or perceived feelings of decline and malaise. Debates can be seen in many countries that reflect quite different ideas about how large government and state action should be, ranging from a rather minimalist view of state and government action to ideas of significant state action to empower individuals or communities and deliver a broad range of services. Broadly speaking, in the twenty-first century, those differing perspectives are labelled respectively ‘right’ (conservative) and ‘left’ (social democratic or socialist).
