Politics and policymaking : in search of simplicity / Ira Sharkansky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sharkansky, Ira.

Series:

Explorations in public policy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Policy sciences.

Public administration--Decision making.

Public administration.

Physical Description:

x, 211 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, Colo. : L. Rienner, 2002.

Contents:

1 On Simplicity, Politics, and Policymaking 1

The Well-Trod Paths: Simple Ways of Dealing with Conflict and Other Forms of Complexity 4

The Principle of Simplicity 7

2 The Mysteries of Agenda-Setting, Policymaking, and Implementation 15

The Policymaking System 15

What Affects the Policy Agenda? 19

Learning from the Exotic 22

Why Policies Are, or Are Not, Implemented as Policymakers Expect 27

Personal Foibles and Other Random Noise 61

The Problems of Ambiguity and Other Forms of Coping 69

Faith and Politics 70

What Is a Country? 76

3 Organizations Designed Not to Be Governed 85

Public Organizations That Are Not Governmental 86

Who But a Person with Illusions Would Seek to Administer a Major University? 93

4 Choosing Simple Solutions for the Problems of Politics and Policymaking 107

Political Parties 108

Incrementalism: If It Was Good Enough Yesterday, It's Good Enough for Tomorrow 113

Slogans 117

Cope: Do Not Cross All the T's and Dot All the I's 137

When Doing Nothing Is the Simplest, and Maybe the Best, Policy 139

Other Rules of Simplicity 142

5 Intelligence, Cunning, and Wisdom in Politics and Policymaking 169

Learning When to Apply a Simple Rule 170

Other Knotty Problems of Public Policy 177

Simple Rules and Their Opposites 192

When Are Simplifications Worthwhile? 196.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-206) and index.

ISBN:

1588260844

OCLC:

48966680