ABSTRACT
A new case, “Opioids and the Political Model of Policy Analysis,” highlights this chapter’s formal introduction to a nonrational (political) model to policy analysis, while a classic mini-case on prison siting shows how political the policy process is. There’s also a concise but thorough discussion of developments in policy process theory, including Multiple Streams Approach, Advocacy Coalition Framework, Punctuated Equilibrium, and Narrative Policy Framework. Crucially, the policy cycle of problem identification and agenda setting (including the role of narratives and language in that process); policy formulation, adoption, and funding; policy implementation; and policy evaluation/adjustment/termination, is explicated. A new box on Malala Yousafzai helps highlight the role individuals play in policy and readers now learn how to do a Google Trends analysis and congressional research. Discussions of venue shopping, different levels of analysis leading to different findings, and the use of biography in policy analysis help show the practicality of theory.
