ABSTRACT
The first three chapters of this book examine social science as a policy area. How are the social sciences used in policy-making; at what stages of the policy process are social science inputs likely to be demanded? The study of policy-making, particularly at the level of national governments, has been neglected in contemporary political science, although through recent developments in areas such as policy analysis and through greater emphasis on the importance of policy contents, the topic is taking on a more sharply defined focus. Hence, there exists a need to understand the processes by which policies are made and, in particular, to determine how such processes are influenced by the content of the issue being considered, by the values and perspectives of the actors involved in the process, by the structures in which the actors are located, and by the environments encompassing these structures.
