Guillaume Fontaine - Böcker

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the origins, theories and methodologies of the growing field of comparative policy analysis (CPA). It explores the similarities and differences in national and international policy-making, addressing the impact of new research methods, globalised communication and economic trade.Guillaume Fontaine and Iris Geva-May assess the range of research designs employed in CPA, drawing on examples from different policy areas and countries to investigate the main challenges of using multi-methods for comparison. Their analysis advances understanding of comparative analytical studies, overcoming the divide between quantitative and qualitative approaches. Chapters cover the epistemology and methodology of CPA, the methods associated with probabilistic frameworks, and those aligned with deterministic frameworks. The book ultimately connects research and practice to provide guidance on how best to study contemporary policy at the cross-national, national and sub-national level.Comparative Policy Analysis is an essential resource for students and academics interested in public policy design, analysis and administration. It is also an important read for policy-makers seeking insight into evidence-based decision making.

This timely Handbook offers a wide-ranging examination of contemporary comparative policy analysis (CPA), advancing the understanding of methodology in the study of comparative public policies, and broadening the array of methods and techniques deployed by scholars in the field.Internationally acclaimed contributors overcome the current concentration on quantitative techniques, engaging with a more conscious and comprehensive selection of methods to improve the quality of CPA. Providing an overview of the major theoretical issues currently under discussion in CPA and the methodological shift in social sciences, this Handbook argues for the utilization of a range of alternative approaches to maximize the utility of the research. Far-reaching and comprehensive, this Handbook offers an insightful overview of methods for researchers of CPA looking to broaden their methodological repertoire. It will also be useful for students of public policy and the social sciences in need of a guide to contemporary research methods and applications.Contributors include: C. Anckar, D. Beach, L. Chaqués-Bonafont, D. Dickson, K. Dowding, A.S. Dubé, W.N. Dunn, T. Erkkilä, G. Fontaine, I. Geva-May, F. Gilardi, A.D. Henry, D.C. Hoffman, K. Ingold, G. Jaramillo, P. John, M.D. Jones, A. Kay, P. Marier, A. Molenveld, J. Muhleisen, D. Nohrstedt, R. Pacheco-Vega, B.G. Peters, O. Porto de Oliveira, J. Schnepf, H.B. Seeberg, A. Smith-Walter, E. Thomann, J. Tosun, C.M. Weible, B. Wüest

This timely Handbook offers a wide-ranging examination of contemporary comparative policy analysis (CPA), advancing the understanding of methodology in the study of comparative public policies, and broadening the array of methods and techniques deployed by scholars in the field.Internationally acclaimed contributors overcome the current concentration on quantitative techniques, engaging with a more conscious and comprehensive selection of methods to improve the quality of CPA. Providing an overview of the major theoretical issues currently under discussion in CPA and the methodological shift in social sciences, this Handbook argues for the utilization of a range of alternative approaches to maximize the utility of the research. Far-reaching and comprehensive, this Handbook offers an insightful overview of methods for researchers of CPA looking to broaden their methodological repertoire. It will also be useful for students of public policy and the social sciences in need of a guide to contemporary research methods and applications.Contributors include: C. Anckar, D. Beach, L. Chaqués-Bonafont, D. Dickson, K. Dowding, A.S. Dubé, W.N. Dunn, T. Erkkilä, G. Fontaine, I. Geva-May, F. Gilardi, A.D. Henry, D.C. Hoffman, K. Ingold, G. Jaramillo, P. John, M.D. Jones, A. Kay, P. Marier, A. Molenveld, J. Muhleisen, D. Nohrstedt, R. Pacheco-Vega, B.G. Peters, O. Porto de Oliveira, J. Schnepf, H.B. Seeberg, A. Smith-Walter, E. Thomann, J. Tosun, C.M. Weible, B. Wüest

This visionary Research Handbook presents the state of the art in research on policy design. By conceiving policy design both as a theoretical and a methodological framework, it provides scholars and practitioners with guidance on understanding policy problems and devising accurate solutions.Chapters discuss the major approaches to policy design as well as the challenges that confront policy designers and academics interested in improving this framework. More than 40 expert contributors operationalise the policy design framework around different models of causation, evaluation, instrumentation and intervention to explain and improve policy outcomes. This framework sheds new light on the nature of policy problems and the means to address these problems, while also explaining if and how a policy fits into the broader social and political environment. The Research Handbook considers not only the process of designing, and the roles that individuals and institutions play in the political process of revising and creating new policies, but also the outcome of the designing process: policy design as a plan for action.Providing a practical alternative to the conventional theories of the policy process like the policy cycle, this Research Handbook will be critical reading for scholars and students of public policy, political theory and public administration and management. It will also be beneficial for policy makers interested in improving the ways in which they formulate public policies.

The authors present a causal mechanism linking ideas and policy outcomes through institutional arrangements, focusing on policy design to describe the role of instruments selection and combination in improving or reducing public accountability through agenda setting, policy formulation, cross-sectorial coordination and political interplays.

The authors present a causal mechanism linking ideas and policy outcomes through institutional arrangements, focusing on policy design to describe the role of instruments selection and combination in improving or reducing public accountability through agenda setting, policy formulation, cross-sectorial coordination and political interplays.

It will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, public administration and governance in Latin America, as well as those interested in political corruption.