Understanding Public Policy (in 1000 and 500 words)

Using policy theories to interpret public health case studies: the example of a minimum unit price for alcohol

By James Nicholls and Paul Cairney, for the University of Stirling MPH and MPP programmes. There are strong links between the study of public health and public policy. F

Policy in 500 Words: policymaking environments and their consequences

The eight (and final) of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the  1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them

Policy in 500 Words: bounded rationality and its consequences

The seventh of a series of podcasts tying together 500 Words posts. This lecture is on the distinction between comprehensive/ bounded rationality and how policy actors d

Policy in 500 Words: evolutionary theory

The sixth of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the  1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy in 500 Words: The Advocacy Coalition Framework

The fifth of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the  1000 Wordspodcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy in 500 Words: rational choice, game theory, and the IAD

The fourth of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the 1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy in 500 Words: bounded rationality (ambiguity, power and knowledge, narrative, and social construction)

The third of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the 1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy in 500 Words: multi-centric policymaking

The second of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the 1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy in 500 Words: defining and measuring policy change

The first of a series of podcasts tying together multiple 500 Words posts. They’ll sound a bit different from the 1000 Words podcasts because I recorded them in front of

Policy Concepts in 1000 words: Critical Policy Studies and the Narrative Policy Framework

From Policy Concepts in 1000 words: Critical Policy Studies and the Narrative Policy Framework ‘Critical policy analysis’ (or studies’) is a broad term to describe a wid

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: The Psychology of Policymaking

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: The Psychology of Policymaking Psychology is at the heart of policymaking, but the literature on psychology is not always at the hear

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Combining Theories

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Combining Theories The combination of multiple theories in policy studies is like a valence issue in politics: few would disagree wit

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: the intersection between evidence and policy transfer

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: the intersection between evidence and policy transfer We can generate new insights on policymaking by connecting the dots between man

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Policy Transfer and Learning

see also Teaching evidence based policy to fly: how to deal with the politics of policy learning and transfer From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Policy Transfer and Lea

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: the Westminster Model and Multi-level Governance

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: the Westminster Model and Multi-level Governance A stark comparison between the ‘Westminster Model’ (WM) and Multi-level Governance (

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Power and Ideas

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Power and Ideas Compare with Policy in 500 Words: Power and Knowledge Policy theory is about the relationship between power and idea

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Context, Events, Structural and Socioeconomic Factors

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Context, Events, Structural and Socioeconomic Factors We need a way to describe the things that policymakers take into account when t

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Complex Systems

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Complex Systems There is an unnecessary tendency for proponents of complexity theory to say that it is radically new; a scientific re

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Evolution

From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: Evolution Evolutionary theory is prevalent in policymaking studies and it can be useful if we overcome some initial barriers. First,

Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: the Social Construction of Target Populations

See also Policy in 500 Words: Social Construction and Policy Design The 5000-word version has a detailed guide to further reading. From Policy Concepts in 1000 Words: t