Description
Book SynopsisPolicy Making in the Public Interest is the first text and workbook to provide a short and firmly focused introduction to local government policy making techniques. Each chapter introduces core policy concepts and competencies and concludes with exercises that encourage the reader to apply the theme of the chapter to a practical policy issue in local government, such as city-planning, community-economic development, public safety programming, utility planning, developing regional partnerships, and sustainable growth and development.
The exercises explore issues students are likely to analyze as interns or observe in a service learning assignment with local government. For practitioners and elected officials, the exercises focus on issues commonly confronted on the job. This unique approach is designed specifically to lead the reader to a complete and multi-dimensional understanding of the public interest' and to provide tools for identifying and adopting local govern
Trade Review
"Abels brings his experience as a city manager and as an academic together to better prepare students for the real world of public policy as they craft policy informed by public dialogue and deliberations. This is the real deal!" – Robert Denhardt, University of Southern California, USA
"Abels understands the intricacies of policy making from both the practical and theoretical perspectives. This book is an excellent source to help policy makers better develop sound public policy." – Robert F. Apgar, Mayor of City of DeLand, FL USA
"What a refreshing book! Dr. Abels focuses on local government policy making in an era when most academics and media outlets are consumed with federal sausage making. Dr. Abels clearly defines important terms relative to policy making and walks the reader through multiple processes to succeed in policy making with a priority on public interest and citizen engagement. His exercises at the end of each chapter are relevant, practical and open ended and will be relevant for many years to come." – Robert E. Lee, Florida Gulf Coast University, USA
Table of ContentsSection 1. Public Interest and Trends for the Future Introduction 1. Serving the Public Interest 2. Trends Impacting Local Government Policy Section 2. Identifying the Community Public Interest 3. Recognizing the Community Interest Through Strategic Planning Section 3. Tools for Policy Analysis 4. Policy through Sustainability Analysis 5. Comparative Analysis for Multiple Alternatives 6. Moving from Analysis to Recommendation
