Handbook of social policy implementation / edited by Tanja Klenk (professor of public administration and public policy, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, Germany) and Lihi Lahat (associate professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy, Sapir Academic College, Israel and affiliate associate professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Department of Political Science, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada).

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Klenk, Tanja, editor.

Lahat, Lihi, editor.

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

Elgar handbooks in social policy and welfare

Elgar handbooks in social policy and welfare series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social policy--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Social policy.

Public administration--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Public administration.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (496 pages)

Place of Publication:

Northampton : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026.

Summary:

"This incisive Handbook provides an overview of how social policies are implemented and how implementation often diverges from political expectations. It demonstrates that delivering welfare services is not only a technical task but a complex, contested process influenced by frontline workers, organizations, and broader social and political forces. Leading international scholars examine how today's welfare states face new challenges, including digitalization, declining administrative capacity, multi-level governance, and changing relationships between the state and society. Addressing key topics such as capacity and resources, the role of emotions and policy reforms for elder care, the authors illustrate that social policy implementation is a dynamic, interactive process in which rules, resources, professional norms, and power are constantly changing. Offering conceptual tools, empirical analysis, innovative research methods, and comparative perspectives, this Handbook advances research on the application of social policy, presenting new directions and methods for future study. The Handbook of Social Policy Implementation is a crucial resource for scholars and students of politics, social and public policy, sociology, and public administration. Practitioners employing social policy in welfare organizations, public agencies, advocacy groups, and state governance will also benefit from its valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Contents: Introduction to the Handbook of Social Policy Implementation / Tanja Klenk and Lihi Lahat

Part I: Theoretical Foundations

1. Discourse in social policy implementation: the case of neoliberalism / Sanford F. Schram

2. Behavioral approaches to social policy implementation / Caroline Fischer and Su Yun Woo

3. How and why ideas matter for social policy implementation / Daniel Béland and Valéry Ridde

Part II: Actors Of Social Policy Implementation

4. Street-level bureaucrats and social policy implementation / Gabriela Thomazinho, Gabriela Lotta and Gianinna Muñoz Arce

5. Clerical heretics: the importance of bureaucracy clerks in social policy implementation / Luiz Alonso de Andrade

6. Between policy implementation and policy entrepreneurship: the role hybridity of civil society organizations in the policy cycle / Noga Pitowsky-Nave

Part III: Key Components Of Implementation

7. Power dynamics in social policy implementation / Huiting Qi, Yeobin Yoon and Bing Ran

8. Capacity and resources for implementing social policy / Giliberto Capano and Yifei Yan

9. Advocacy, lobbying and leadership / Susanne A. Dreas

10. Accountability and coordination in the welfare state / Per Lægreid and Lise H. Rykkja

11. The potential and pitfalls of co-production in social policy implementation / Sanna Tuurnas, Luiz Alonso de Andrade, Elias Pekkola and Kaisa Kurkela

Part IV: Ethical And Critical Issues In Implementation

12. Three worlds of social rights: the backbone of social policy implementation / Silke Bothfeld and Bettina Leibetseder

13. The role of emotions in social policy implementation / Zehavit Levitats

14. Exploring family change from an intersectionality perspective: how can social policy make a difference? / Amit Kaplan and Anat Herbst-Debby

15. Distributive politics and clientelism in social policy implementation / Mohammed Ibrahim and Abdul Karim Ibrahim

Part V: Research Methods For Social Policy Implementation

16. Experimental research designs for studying social policy and its implementation / Michael Jankowski, Mareike Sirman-Winkler and Markus Tepe

17. A process model for action research in social policy / Eleonora Perobelli, Elisabetta Notarnicola, Raffaella Saporito and Giovanni Fosti

18. Rapid ethnography: a method for understanding dynamics and resistance among frontline workers in social services / Donna Baines

19. Qualitative-interpretive methods in social policy implementation research / Magdalena Köppen

Part VI: Context-Specific Implementation

20. Elder care: policy reforms and conditions for implementation / Paula Blomqvist and Ulrika Winblad

21. The centrality of informal personal resources in policy implementation among street-level providers of social services / Einat Lavee

22. Hybridity in social policy implementation / Nicolette van Gestel and Flemming Larsen

23. The comparative study of implementation: a view from the bottom / B. Guy Peters and Maximilian L. Nagel

Part VII: Emerging Trends And Future Directions

24. Sociotechnical limits of digitalization: mind the gap between tech visions and practicalities of implementing digital social welfare / Minna van Gerven, Marja Alastalo and Karoliina Snell

25. Data work and social policy implementation / Stefanie Büchner and Juliane Jarke

26. Conflicts in social policy implementation / Paula Rossi and Jim Broch Skarli

Part VIII: From Implementation To Knowledge And Design

27. Learning in social policy implementation / Claire A. Dunlop

28. Social workers and the policy process: from implementation to knowledge and design / John Gal and Idit Weiss-Gal

29. Designing social policy from the bottom up: street-level policy entrepreneurship / Ofek Edri-Peer and Nissim Cohen.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781035331178 (e-book)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.