This textbook explains the complexities of the policy-making process in a refreshingly clear way for students who are new to this subject. It explains: How policy originates, is refined, legitimised, implemented, evaluated and terminated in the forms of theoretical models of the policy process Which actors and institutions are most influential in determining the nature of policy The values that shape the policy agenda such as ideology, institutional self-interest and resource capabilities The outcome of policies, and why they succeed or fail The main policy theories including the very latest insights from network theory and post-modernism How national policy is influenced by globalizationThe text is fully illustrated throughout with a broad range of national and international case studies on subjects such as the banking crisis, the creation of unitary authorities and global environmental policy and regulation.Combining both a clear summary of debates and theories in public policy and a new and original approach to the subject, this book is essential reading for students of public policy and policy analysis.