Public Policy Argumentation and Debate

Philip Dalton (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is Associate Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Public Advocacy and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, at Hofstra University. He studies political communication and public discourse. John R. Butler (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh) has worked as a debate coach, communication professor, and consultant. He serves as the Director of Communication and Strategy for the Painters District Council No. 30 and its affiliated funds, a labor union located in Aurora, Illinois.

“In an era where so much bad public policy is allowed to persist based upon poor arguments, dubious data, big money and brute force, this book is a breath of fresh air. … I wish I had read it years ago. Just mapping my own experience into it is fascinating!” – Alan Collinge, founder of StudentLoanJustice.org

• Acknowledgments – Preface – Emergence – Orientation – Analyzing Issues and Policy Propositions – Arguing – Understanding Stock Issues in Public Policy Advocacy – Reasoning I: Reasoning about Cause – Reasoning II: Reasoning by Deduction, Induction, and Analogy – Evidence I: Theories and Uses – Evidence II: Evaluation – Reasonable Goals – Targeting Your Audience – Adapting to the Advocacy Setting – Appendix – Index.