B. Guy Peters

The field of policy studies has always been interested in analyzing and improving the sets of policy tools adopted by governments to correct policy problems, and better understanding and improving processes of policy analysis and policy formulation in order to do so. Past studies have helped clarify the role of historical processes, policy capacities and design intentions in affecting policy formulation processes, and more recently in understanding how the bundling of multiple policy elements together to meet policy goals can be better understood and done. While this work has progressed, however, the discussion of what goals policy designs should serve remains disjointed. Here it is argued that a central goal, in fact, 'the' central goal, of policy design is effectiveness. Effectiveness serves as the basic goal of any design, upon which is built other goals such as efficiency or equity.

Written by two of the leading scholars in the field, this book explores public administration in the past, present and future, critically reviewing the modernization of public management reform. It reasserts public administration as an integral component of democratic governance and fostering a state-citizen relationship. Wide-ranging in scope, The Next Public Administration: Extends basic public administration to consider issues associated with management, governance and democracyCovers core public administration concepts and their evolution through timeDraws on an international spread of examples, bringing theoretical discussions to lifeIncludes lists of further reading Essential reading for students of public management and public administration.

Written by two of the leading scholars in the field, this book explores public administration in the past, present and future, critically reviewing the modernization of public management reform. It reasserts public administration as an integral component of democratic governance and fostering a state-citizen relationship. Wide-ranging in scope, The Next Public Administration: Extends basic public administration to consider issues associated with management, governance and democracyCovers core public administration concepts and their evolution through timeDraws on an international spread of examples, bringing theoretical discussions to lifeIncludes lists of further reading Essential reading for students of public management and public administration.

Decision-making is at the heart of governing and governance, and is a more challenging task compared to just a few decades ago as a result of increasing social complexity and globalization. In this book, B. Guy Peters and Jon Pierre propose a new framework for the comparative analysis of governance, arguing that government remains a central actor in governance. By articulating the functionalist dimension of governance they show how goal setting, resource mobilization, decision-making, implementation and feedback can be performed by a combination of different types of actors. Even so, effective governance requires a leading role for government. The framework is also applied to a taxonomy of governance arrangements and national styles of governing. Comparative Governance advances our knowledge about governance failure and how forms of governance may change. It also significantly strengthens the theory of governance, showing how governance can be studied conceptually as well as empirically.

Decision-making is at the heart of governing and governance, and is a more challenging task compared to just a few decades ago as a result of increasing social complexity and globalization. In this book, B. Guy Peters and Jon Pierre propose a new framework for the comparative analysis of governance, arguing that government remains a central actor in governance. By articulating the functionalist dimension of governance they show how goal setting, resource mobilization, decision-making, implementation and feedback can be performed by a combination of different types of actors. Even so, effective governance requires a leading role for government. The framework is also applied to a taxonomy of governance arrangements and national styles of governing. Comparative Governance advances our knowledge about governance failure and how forms of governance may change. It also significantly strengthens the theory of governance, showing how governance can be studied conceptually as well as empirically.

Public Administration: Research Strategies, Concepts, and Methods explores how scholars of public administration and institutional politics can improve their analysis by focusing on the contextual particularities of their research problems and considering the use of multiple theories and methods. The book functions as an introduction to central themes of public administration and related traditions of research, but also proposes a new pluralist approach for studying public institutions.

Public Administration: Research Strategies, Concepts, and Methods explores how scholars of public administration and institutional politics can improve their analysis by focusing on the contextual particularities of their research problems and considering the use of multiple theories and methods. The book functions as an introduction to central themes of public administration and related traditions of research, but also proposes a new pluralist approach for studying public institutions.

From the first, specialization and coordination have presented governments with a conundrum: specialized program might be best for delivering one service to the public, but combining such programs for all public services inevitably produces costly redundancies and inefficiencies. In this long-awaited book, Guy Peters brings his expertise and extensive experience to bear on the problem of administrative and policy coordination. Through theory and four real-world case studies, he explores how—and whether—coordination can transform ordinary, flawed patterns of governing into more effective and efficient performance by the public sector. This timely work arrives at a moment when coordination is proving especially challenging—as popular approaches to public single purpose programs, and as a push to involve the private sector in policy development and implementation has increased government segmentation. For insights into the workings—and limitations—of coordination, or horizontal management, Peters draws on extensive scholarship as well as his own consulting work with governments including Finland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, and Mexico. He highlights practical successes, and failures, of horizontal management in case studies of Homeland Security in the US.; child protection in the UK.; policymaking in Finland; and the operations of the European Union. In the process, Peters evaluates a full tool chest of “instruments” that might be used to enhance coordination. Combining theory and practice, and considering a wide range of public policy challenges, this book clearly and cogently presents the most comprehensive, in-depth, and detailed discussion available of policy coordination in the public sector—at a time when its insights are most urgently needed.

What does political science tell us about important real-world problems and issues? And to what extent does and can political analysis contribute to solutions? Debates about the funding, impact and relevance of political science in contemporary democracies have made this a vital and hotly contested topic of discussion, and in this original text authors from around the world respond to the challenge. A robust defence is offered of the achievements of political science research, but the book is not overly sanguine given its sustained recognition of the need for improvement in the way that political science is done. New insights are provided into the general issues raised by relevance, into blockages to relevance, and into the contributions that the different subfields of political science can and do make. The book concludes with a new manifesto for relevance that seeks to combine a commitment to rigour with a commitment to engagement.

What does political science tell us about important real-world problems and issues? And to what extent does and can political analysis contribute to solutions? Debates about the funding, impact and relevance of political science in contemporary democracies have made this a vital and hotly contested topic of discussion, and in this original text authors from around the world respond to the challenge. A robust defence is offered of the achievements of political science research, but the book is not overly sanguine given its sustained recognition of the need for improvement in the way that political science is done. New insights are provided into the general issues raised by relevance, into blockages to relevance, and into the contributions that the different subfields of political science can and do make. The book concludes with a new manifesto for relevance that seeks to combine a commitment to rigour with a commitment to engagement.

From the first, specialization and coordination have presented governments with a conundrum: specialized program might be best for delivering one service to the public, but combining such programs for all public services inevitably produces costly redundancies and inefficiencies. In this long-awaited book, Guy Peters brings his expertise and extensive experience to bear on the problem of administrative and policy coordination. Through theory and four real-world case studies, he explores how and whether coordination can transform ordinary, flawed patterns of governing into more effective and efficient performance by the public sector. This timely work arrives at a moment when coordination is proving especially challenging as popular approaches to public administration emphasize breaking larger public organizations into smaller, single purpose programs, and as a push to involve the private sector in policy development and implementation has increased government segmentation. For insights into the workings and limitations of coordination, or horizontal management, Peters draws on extensive scholarship as well as his own consulting work with governments including Finland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, and Mexico. He highlights practical successes, and failures, of horizontal management in case studies of Homeland Security in the US; child protection in the UK; policymaking in Finland; and the operations of the European Union. In the process, Peters evaluates a full tool chest of ""instruments"" that might be used to enhance coordination. Combining theory and practice, and considering a wide range of public policy challenges, this book clearly and cogently presents the most comprehensive, in-depth, and detailed discussion available of policy coordination in the public sector at a time when its insights are most urgently needed

Written by a prominent figure in the field, this book provides an accessible introduction to comparative methodology. Drawing on a wide range of approaches throughout, it is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand or research in this major area of political science.

Written by a prominent figure in the field, this book provides an accessible introduction to comparative methodology. Drawing on a wide range of approaches throughout, it is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand or research in this major area of political science.

Governance has become one of the most commonly used concepts in contemporary political science. It is, however, often used to mean a variety of different things. This book helps to clarify this conceptual muddle by concentrating on one variety of governance-interactive governance. The authors argue that although the state may remain important for many aspects of governing, interactions between state and society represent an important, and perhaps increasingly important, dimension of governance. These interactions may be with social actors such as networks, with market actors or with other governments, but all these forms represent means of governing involving mixtures of state action with the actions of other entities. This book explores thoroughly this meaning of governance, and links it to broader questions of governance. In the process of explicating this dimension of governance the authors also explore some of the more fundamental questions about governance theory. For example, although governance is talked about a great deal political science has done relatively little about how to measure this concept. Likewise, the term multi-level governance has become widely used but its important to understand that idea more fully and see how it functions in the context of interactive forms of governance. The authors also link governance to some very fundamental questions in political science and the social sciences more broadly. How is power exercised in interactive governance? How democratic is interactive governance, and is democratic governance always advanced through transparency?

This completely revised edition offers a comprehensive treatment of institutional theory in contemporary political science. "Institutional Theory in Political Science" provides an in-depth analysis of contemporary institutional theory, an essential tool to understand the world of politics and government. Written by B. Guy Peters, a prominent expert in the field, the book argues that the new institutionalism comprises eight variations on the theme of institutional analysis. Through a series of questions, the author assesses the possibility of a unified theory within institutionalism and its potential as a paradigm for political science. This new edition incorporates the most recent developments in the research on the various institutionalisms. It also includes a new chapter that brings into the discussion themes of discursive politics and constructivism. Although the focus is on political science, attention is paid to institutionalism in other disciplines. "Institutional Theory in Political Science, 3rd Edition", reflects the state of the field today while building on the foundations set in the previous editions. This unique work will be of value to anyone studying institutionalism, as well as political institutions, and public administration.

This book discusses the trajectories of creating specialized autonomous units. An analysis of the mechanisms and measures taken for granting autonomy to specialized autonomous units and subsequently to coordinating them back is described. The book shows a range of patterns in the dynamics of specialization and coordination over 25 years.

This book discusses the trajectories of creating specialized autonomous units. An analysis of the mechanisms and measures taken for granting autonomy to specialized autonomous units and subsequently to coordinating them back is described. The book shows a range of patterns in the dynamics of specialization and coordination over 25 years.

At the turn of the millennium there has been a major growth of interest in institutional theory and institutional analysis in political science. This book identifies these approaches to institutions, and provides a frame of reference for the different theories. In the past decade there has been a major growth of interest in institutional theory and institutional analysis in political science. There are, however, a variety of different approaches to the new institutionalism' and these approaches rarely address the same issues. This book identifies the various approaches to institutions, and then provides a common frame of reference for the different theories. Peters argues that there are at least seven versions of institutionalism, beginning with the March and Olsen 'normative institutionalism', and including rational choice, historical and empirical approaches to institutions and their impact on public policy. For each of the versions of institutionalism them is a set of identical questions, including the definition of institutions, the way in which they are formed, how they change, how individuals and institutions interact, and the nature of a 'good institution'. Peters discusses whether them are really so many different approaches to institutionalism, or if there is sufficient agreement among them to argue that there is really one institutional theory.

At the turn of the millennium there has been a major growth of interest in institutional theory and institutional analysis in political science. This book identifies these approaches to institutions, and provides a frame of reference for the different theories. In the past decade there has been a major growth of interest in institutional theory and institutional analysis in political science. There are, however, a variety of different approaches to the new institutionalism' and these approaches rarely address the same issues. This book identifies the various approaches to institutions, and then provides a common frame of reference for the different theories. Peters argues that there are at least seven versions of institutionalism, beginning with the March and Olsen 'normative institutionalism', and including rational choice, historical and empirical approaches to institutions and their impact on public policy. For each of the versions of institutionalism them is a set of identical questions, including the definition of institutions, the way in which they are formed, how they change, how individuals and institutions interact, and the nature of a 'good institution'. Peters discusses whether them are really so many different approaches to institutionalism, or if there is sufficient agreement among them to argue that there is really one institutional theory.

This substantially revised 7th edition of a classic text includes a new chapter on globalization and regionalization and broader coverage of democratic politics, interests and movements; of the media; of social and cultural influences on political behaviour and of public management. It has been systematically revised and updated throughout in the accessible down-to-earth style that has made it such a popular student choice for over 30 years.