Routledge Library Editions: Public Policy – serie

It is widely appreciated that policies, however carefully formulated, too often fall down at the implementation stage. This collection, originally published in 1981 and which includes a number of case studies illustrating the roles and workings of the agencies involved, focuses on implementation in public policy. Part 1 reviews the literature on implementation and provides a theoretical context for examining the ten case studies in Part 2, which cover such policy areas as public expenditure, employment, housing, social services, health, planning and land. The editors also examine the main issues raised by the case studies and suggest a way of reconstructing an understanding of the implementation of public policy.

Housing in the UK and globally has long been an area of central and local government concern, and this reflects its vital importance for both individual and social welfare. Despite increased public expenditure on housing in the post-war years housing remains a major problem area of social and economic policy. While housing standards have risen on average, significant sections of the community continue to endure poor housing conditions and prospects. Originally published in 1979, this study considers the role of public policy in housing, presenting a critical and contemporary account of policies in the late 20th century. The central theme emphasises the importance of extensive local and central government involvement in meeting housing need and ensuring fairness in housing provision. It thus presents an opposing view to those who argue that market forces should have a free rein in shaping housing development.

Originally published in 1970 this textbook on applied economics focusses on those parts of theory which have specifically made a contribution to policy problems. The book provides a coherent treatment of the subject at a particular level – the subject being the application of economic theory to government intervention in the economy. The first part deals with the techniques and size of such intervention and the accepted objectives. It also uses economic analysis to show that the goals of government policy will not be produced by a free-market mechanism and so the government is obliged to intervene in the economy once it has chosen particular policy aims. Part 2 analyses specific examples of intervention.

Originally published in 1980, this volume reviews and synthesises some of the analytical models used by economists in the late 20th century to tackle certain major questions of public policy, and specifically issues of fiscal policy in its widest sense. The essays, dedicated to the economist James Meade and written by contributors who were associated with him at Cambridge provide students and professional economists with an understanding of the ways in which specific taxes and general fiscal instruments may be used to achieve the goals of public policy with respect to the distribution of income and wealth, the allocation of resources and the overall balance and growth of aggregate economic activity.

Originally published in 1973, this book investigates the spatial distribution of General Practitioners (GPs) via the Designated Area Allowance (DAA) which was introduced in England amid controversy in 1966. It analyses the effectiveness of the DAA and presents the results of a survey conducted among general practitioners in England, covering the patterns of geographical mobility among GPs, the relationship between choice of practice area and other connections with the locality. It also discusses the professional and personal differences between GPs in areas which are well served with GPs and those which are not. The book provides an important historical discussion of the inequalities in the distribution of general practitioners in England in the late twentieth century.

Originally published in 1980, this book takes as case studies various policies arising from the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and traces their implementation and impact. The information about disposal of toxic waste on land, bathing water quality, noise abatement zones and industrial air pollution offers fruitful areas of investigation, highlighting different aspects of environmental pollution policy and its wider implications as well as illustrating vital components of the implication process, including enforcement and discretion. Many of these issues are as pertinent now as when the book was first published. Drawing on this evidence to establish some of the features central to public policy generally, the book will be of use to historians of public and environmental policy and those teaching and researching it.