Overview

Public Policy is a brief, student-friendly textbook that quickly connects readers to the inner workings of American public policy. The Third Edition has been updated to address issues around policymaking in the current political context, as well as recent policy questions around issues including health care, climate change, immigration, income inequality, tax and economic policy, and tuition costs.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sara R. Rinfret ,  Denise L. Scheberle ,  Michelle C. Pautz
Publisher:   Sage Publications Inc Ebooks
Imprint:   SAGE Publications Inc
Edition:   3rd Revised edition
Weight:   0.730kg
ISBN:  

9781071962879

ISBN 10:   1071962876
Pages:   424
Publication Date:   18 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgments About The Authors Section I: Defining Us Public Policymaking Chapter 1: The Foundation Public Policy and our Everyday Lives Starting with a Definition The Process A Motley Crew: Institutional and Noninstitutional Actors Policy Analysis Why Studying Public Policy Matters Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 2: The Policy Process and Policy Theories Policy Rhetoric and Reality What Really is Policy? Understanding the Context of Public Policy The Quest for Public Policy Theory The Stages Heuristic Model of Public Policymaking Alternative Policy Process Models Actors in the Policy Process Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Section II: The Practice of Public Policy Chapter 3: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Up in Smoke: Federal and State Marijuana Policies Collide Overview of Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Evolve Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Today Enduring Virtues of a Federal System Everyday Citizen Connection Discovery Question Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 4: Rulemaking and Regulations 737 Max Airplanes and E-Cigarettes Understanding the Context of US Regulations Understanding Regulatory Processes Influence and Participation After a Rule Becomes a Law The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The Future of Regulatory Policy Everyday Citizen Connection Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Section III: Understanding Key Public Policy Issues Chapter 5: Economic Policy and Government Budgeting Federal Government Shutdowns: What are the Costs? Overview of Economic Policy and Government Budgeting Size and Scope of the US Economy The Federal Budget History and Development of Economic Policy Major Economic Policy and Budgeting Statutes Major Actors in Economic Policy Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 6: Crime and Public Policy Guns on College Campuses and Schools Overview of Crime in America History and Development Actors in Criminal Justice Policyq Major US Criminal Justice and Crime Policy Statutes Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 7: Education Policy Behind the Curtain of a Public Education Overview of US Education Policy History and Development of the US Education System Major Education Policy Statutes Major Actors in US Education Policy State Actors and Vested Interests Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 8: Civil Rights And Immigration Policy Campus Protests & Deportation Overview of Immigration Policy History and Development of US Immigration Policy Major US Immigration Policy Statutes The Actors in Immigration Policy Unofficial Actors in Immigration Policy Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 9: Social Welfare and Health-Care Policy Living on $2 a Day Overview of Social Welfare Policy History and Development of US Social Welfare Policy Overview of Health-Care Policy History and Development of US Health-Care Policy Major US Social Welfare and Health-Care Statutes Major Actors in Social Welfare and Health-Care Policy Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Chapter 10: Environmental and Energy Policy A Web of Actors and Apocalyptic Los Angeles Area Wildfires Overview of Environmental and Energy Policy History and Development of Environmental Policy Birth of the Modern Environmental Movement in the 1960s and 1970s Understanding US Energy Policy History and Development of Energy Policy Major Environmental and Energy Policy Statutes Major Actors in Environmental and Energy Policy Issues and Challenges Concluding Thoughts Key Terms Discussion Questions Suggested Resources Conclusion Glossary References Index

Reviews

Public Policy, Third Edition by Sara Rinfret et al. provides a comprehensive introduction of U.S. public policymaking not only through the description and explanation of its institutional systems and structures but also through making the material relatable on personal level. In particular, the ""Policy Choices"" section in each substantive chapter makes the material practical and engaging, despite the complexities surrounding these policy options and issues. -- Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan * Review * Not only is this a solid academic text, but it resonates mightily with my students because our enrollment is predominantly female. When seeing themselves through these authors, my students feel empowered. For this and other reasons, this book fills an important void in academic scholarship. -- Hunter Bacot

Public Policy, 3e by Sara Rinfret et al. provides a comprehensive introduction of the U.S. public policymaking not only through the description and explanation of its institutional systems and structures but also through making the material relatable on personal level. In particular, Policy Choices section in each substantive chapter makes the material practical and engaging, despite the complexities surrounding these policy options and issues. -- Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan * Review *

Author Information

Dr. Sara R. Rinfret is currently a Professor of Public Administration and Associate Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs at Northern Arizona University. She has more than a decade of higher education administrative experience and is a nationally recognized scholar in regulatory policy, environmental policy, and public administration. She previously served as the Acting Dean for the Alexander Blewett School of Law, Chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, and the Director of Master of Public Administration at the University of Montana. To date, she has published 8 books and more than 40 peer reviewed articles, and several book chapters. She is the recipient of the Fulbright Specialist Program in public administration and studied with scholars at the University of Aarhus (Denmark, 2016). She holds an MPA from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs (Ohio State), and PhD in political science from Northern Arizona University.  Denise Scheberle is a clinical teaching professor for the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado– Denver. She is Professor Emerita from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay,where she served as the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor in Environmental Studies and professor and chair of the Department of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is the recipient of national, state, and campus teaching awards, including the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Distinguished Teaching Award and University of Wisconsin Regents Teaching Excellence Award. She is the author of Industrial Disastersand Environmental Policy: Stories of Villains, Heroes, and the Rest of Us and Federalism and Environmental Policy: Trust and the Politics of Administration, as well as numerous articles. Her research focuses on environmental policy, public service, and intergovernmental relations. She holds a PhD in political science from Colorado State University and an MPA from the University of Wyoming. Michelle C. Pautz is professor of political science and assistant provost of the Common Academic Program at the University of Dayton. Her research has appeared in Administration & Society, Administrative Theory & Praxis, Journal of Political Science Education, Journal of Environmental Studies & Sciences, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Policy Studies Journal, PS: Political Science & Politics, Public Voices, and the Review of Policy Research, among others. She is the author of Civil Servants on the Silver Screen: Hollywood’s Depiction of Government and Bureaucrats; coauthor of The Lilliputians of Environmental Regulation: The Perspective of State Regulators and U.S. Environmental Policy in Action: Practice & Implementation (now in its second edition), both with Sara Rinfret; and coeditor of Administering the U.S. Food System:  Revisiting Food Policy and Politics. She is the recipient of the University of Dayton’s Alumni Award for Faculty Teaching in 2016. She holds a PhD in public administration and an MPA from Virginia Tech. She earned a BA in economics, political science, and public administration from Elon University.

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