Pathways of Power
![]() 240 pp., 6 x 9 Hardcover ISBN: 9781626161061 (1626161062) 240 pp., 6 x 9 Paperback ISBN: 9781626160392 (1626160392) eBook ISBN: 9781626160408 E-Inspection Request E-Inspection March 2014 LC: 2013026130 American Governance and Public Policy series EXPLORE THIS TITLE DescriptionTable of Contents Reviews |
Pathways of Power
The Dynamics of National Policymaking
Timothy J. Conlan, Paul L. Posner, and David R. Beam
While civics textbooks describe an idealized model of "how a bill becomes law;" journalists often emphasize special interest lobbying and generous campaign contributions to Congress; and other textbooks describe common stages through which all policies progress, these approaches fail to convey—much less explain—the tremendous diversity in political processes that shape specific policies in contemporary Washington. Timothy J. Conlan is University Professor of Government at George Mason University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on public policy and intergovernmental relations, is a fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration, and has received the "best book," "best paper," and Daniel Elazar Distinguished Scholar Award from the Federalism Section of the American Political Science Association. He is the coauthor, with Paul Posner, of Intergovernmental Management for the 21st Century. Gerard W. Boychuk, Karen Mossberger, and Mark C. Rom, Series Editors
Reviews
"An exceptional contribution to our understanding of the policy process, one that students new to public policy as well as advanced scholars will appreciate. For new students, the book provides a concise, readable, and example-laden account of the policy process literature, and students with a background in recent domestic US policy will be particularly rewarded. Policy scholars will find its systematic invocation of ideas and expertise to be a refreshing addition to modeling the policy process."—Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis "Detailed, in-depth analysis political science readers will find enlightening and well researched"—Midwest Book Review "What drives American national policymaking? Is it the mutual adjustment among contending interest groups, the agendas of unified party majorities, the ideas of policy experts, or the values and beliefs of ordinary citizens? Offering an interesting new framework that complements the classic models of Lowi and Wilson, Timothy J. Conlan, Paul L. Posner, and David R. Beam make a strong case that the answer depends in large part on the scale and method of political mobilization. Attentive to the diversity of actors who play agenda-setting roles in our contemporary political system, Pathways of Power offers a fresh, accessible overview of the policymaking process. Readers will come away with a more comprehensive and realistic view of how Washington works."—Eric M. Patashnik, professor, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia "Conlan, Posner, and Beam have written a remarkable book, one that can change how policy process scholars and students think about the field. Their fourfold categorization of 'pathways' to policy enactment offers a fresh look at how policies are made. Particularly welcome is the focus on expertise as a policy pathway, generally given little weight in current accounts. This is not surprising given the decades of practical experience as policy analysts the authors have, but it is so clearly critical that we all are indebted to them for emphasizing it."—Bryan Jones, J.J. 'Jake' Pickle Regents' Chair in Congressional Studies, The University of Texas at Austin Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction 2. The Pluralist Pathway 3. The Partisan Pathway 4. The Expert Pathway 5. The Symbolic Pathway 6. Pathways and Policy Change 7. Pathways and Budgeting 8. Pathways through the Political Thicket of Taxation 9. The Pathway Dynamics of Intergovernmental Policymaking and Reform 10. Conclusion Appendix: Analysis of Pathways Designations Index |