ABSTRACT
After reviewing the development of childcare policy and childcare provision, this chapter and the two subsequent chapters look in detail at the policy process of the Nursery Education Voucher Scheme. As set out in chapter 2, I consider that there are two dimensions in the analysis of the policy process — the ‘actors’ and the ‘process’. The dynamic ‘process’ of policy making is separated into some distinct but highly related stages. Each of the stages has a unique function in the policy process and distinct implications for policy outcomes. Each of them requires separate and independent analysis.
