Public Administration and Public Policy in Ireland: Theory and Methods

Designed specifically for students of Irish politics and public administration, this textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to public policy and administration in Ireland, thereby bridging the gap between general texts on public policy and books on Irish politics. Each chapter examines one of the key issues or frameworks in policy analysis, such as rational choice or corporatism, and includes a review of recent developments in the field and its major criticisms. It is then illustrated with an empirical Irish case study. In this way the editors highlight the wide variety of alternative explanations available to students who are interested in understanding how policy is made. Students of policy analysis, comparative politics and public administration will find this an invaluable introduction to the role theories of decision-making can take in furthering an understanding of the policy process. With the inclusion of further reading, overviews of main concepts and original source material, the editors provide a student-friendly textbook which fills an important gap in the available literature on Irish politics and public administration.