by Catherine F. Smith (2012)
"In Writing Public Policy, Third Edition, Catherine F. Smith presents a general method for planning, producing, assessing, and critically analyzing communications in a variety of real-life public policy contexts and situations. This practical, concise guide is ideal for students preparing for careers in politics, government, public relations, law, public policy, journalism, social work, public health, public safety, or in any role concerned with public affairs. NEW TO THE THIRD EDITION: A new chapter on policy analysis and critical thinking An expanded chapter on writing More examples of sentence-level writing and revising in the writing sample commentaries Updated case studies and writing samples throughout" -- "Now in its third edition, Writing Public Policy is a practical, concise guide to writing and communicating in public policy processes. Designed to help students understand and perform common types of communication used in solving public problems, this text explains the standards and functions of communicating in the public sector and teaches the use of selected public policy communication genres. Catherine F. Smith presents a general method for planning, producing, and assessing communications in a variety of real-life contexts and situations of public policy work. New to the third edition: - A new chapter on policy evaluation and critical analysis of policy discourse - Updated and new cases, illustrations, scenarios, and samples - More samples by professionals - More on writing and critical thinking Hands-on and accessible, Writing Public Policy teaches know-how and techniques needed to effectively communicate in the democratic process of making public policy. It is a particularly useful tool for any student preparing for a career in politics, government, public relations, law, public policy, journalism, social work, public health, or in any role concerned with public affairs. "--
Amanda Smullen
"Through comparative analysis this book examines and explains the official rhetoric of agency reform across consensus and adversarial political cultures. It traces the trajectory of talk about agency reform in The Netherlands, Sweden and Australia and identifies the national styles of speaking that mediated the agency idea"--
Fred A. Kramer
Public administration and the dynamics of public bureaucracy--Politics and administration--Organization theories of public bureaucracies--Encouraging individual growth and organization development--Public personnel administration--Public sector labor-management relations--Decision-making theory and policy analysis--The budgetary process: politics and policy--Administrative control through the executive--Enforcing administrative accountability from outside the executive--Administrative responsibility and administrators as change agents.
Andrei Lankov
"Andrei Lankov has gone where few outsiders have ever been. A native of the former Soviet Union, he lived as an exchange student in North Korea in the 1980s. He has studied it for his entire career, using his fluency in Korean and personal contacts to build a rich, nuanced understanding. In The Real North Korea, Lankov substitutes cold, clear analysis for the overheated rhetoric surrounding this opaque police state. After providing an accessible history of the nation, he turns his focus to what North Korea is, what its leadership thinks, and how its people cope with living in such an oppressive and poor place. He argues that North Korea is not irrational, and nothing shows this better than its continuing survival against all odds. A living political fossil, it clings to existence in the face of limited resources and a zombie economy, manipulating great powers despite its weakness. Its leaders are not ideological zealots or madmen, but perhaps the best practitioners of Machiavellian politics that can be found in the modern world. Even though they preside over a failed state, they have successfully used diplomacy-including nuclear threats-to extract support from other nations. But while the people in charge have been ruthless and successful in holding on to power, Lankov goes on to argue that this cannot continue forever, since the old system is slowly falling apart. In the long run, with or without reform, the regime is unsustainable. Lankov contends that reforms, if attempted, will trigger a dramatic implosion of the regime. They will not prolong its existence. Based on vast expertise, this book reveals how average North Koreans live, how their leaders rule, and how both survive"--
John McCormick
"This best-selling textbook provides a broad-ranging but concise introduction to the EU, covering all major aspects of European integration. The revised and updated new edition takes full acount of the Lisbon Treaty and the consequences for Europe of the global economic crisis"--