Policy analysis in Australia / [electronic resource]
International Comparative Policy Analysis Forum,associated with work.
Head, Brian,editor.
Crowley, K.(Kate),1956-editor.
Policy Analysis in Australia offers a distinctly Australian interpretation of policy scholarship with eighteen chapters strongly reflecting the outstanding contributions of Australian scholars to the field of public policy. It provides a coherent overview of the strengths and opportunities for policy analysis in Australia.   It recognises that government agencies are no longer regarded as the sole source of sound policy analysis, and takes a broad view of policy analysis capacity, both within institutions at all levels of government, and beyond government in the media, political parties, business and non-government associations. It provides a valuable contribution to Australian scholarship about policy analysis in academic, professional, teaching and learning contexts, and is a key addition to research and teaching in comparative policy analysis and policy studies more generally.
Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.
Conclusions: media significant or peripheral? -- Part Four. Parties and interest groups in policy analysis -- 13. Policy development in political parties -- Introduction -- Policy development in Australian political parties? -- Everyday policy development: who participates? -- Institutional influences on policy development and capacity -- Conclusions -- 14. Business associations and policy analysis -- Introduction -- The rise of research-based policy analysis and advocacy -- The Business Council of Australia and other national business associations -- Conclusions -- 15. Policy and the labour movement -- Introduction -- Unions and policymaking: theoretical focus -- Unions and policymaking: setting the scene -- Strategic shift of unions towards policymaking -- Conclusions -- 16. Policy capacity in the community sector -- Introduction -- The community sector in Australia -- Policy-analytical capacity in the community sector -- Policy capacity and avenues for participation in social policy processes -- Conclusions -- Part Five. Policy analysis instruction and research -- 17. Policy analysis instruction in Australia -- Introduction -- Explaining development paths for policy analysis instruction -- Development of policy analysis instruction in Australia -- Surveying the field: policy analysis instruction in Australian universities -- Conclusions: 'policy craft' or 'trade craft'? -- 18. Academic research and public policy -- Introduction -- Types of academic policy research -- Historical overview: academic engagement with policy development -- Are there research-intensive policy domains? -- Incentives and limits of policy-relevant research -- Conclusion: can the 'gap' be bridged? -- Index.
6. Policy and policy analysis in Australian states -- Introduction -- Policy analysis at Commonwealth and state level: similarities and differences -- Commonalities between the states -- Differences between the states -- Conclusions -- 7. Policy analysis capacity and Australian local government -- Introduction -- The nature of Australian local government -- The policy environment of Australian local government -- Policymaking and policy capacity in local government -- The pattern of policymaking in Australian local government -- Conclusions -- 8. Reflections on policy advice in Australia -- Introduction -- Community mobilisation and support -- Exploiting community fears -- Buying influence -- Political ideology -- Conclusions -- Part Three. Policy analysis beyond executive government -- 9. Parliamentary committees and inquiries -- Introduction -- Committees in parliamentary systems -- Committee activity and impacts -- Participation in inquiries -- Conclusions -- 10. Expert policy advisory bodies -- Introduction -- Defining expert policy advisory bodies -- The need for expert advice in public policy -- Expert policy advisory bodies in Australia: issues and trends -- The expert advisory landscape's evolution -- Analysis -- Conclusions -- 11. Consultants, think tanks and public policy -- Introduction -- Classifying research: think tanks to private consultants -- Understanding think tanks in Australia -- Think tanks, the media and the marketplace of ideas -- Governments turning to consultants for advice -- Conclusions: the influence of think tanks and consultants? -- 12. Media influence on public policy -- Introduction -- Which media? -- Public policy as the problem -- Mediatised politics and its implications for policymaking -- Strategic political communication -- Contesting issues via the media -- Media influence ebbs and flows.
Table of Contents -- List of tables and figures -- List of tables -- List of figures -- List of abbreviations -- Australian states and territories -- Australian governments from 1972 -- and map of Australian states and territories -- Australian states and territories -- Australian governments from 1972 -- Map: Australian states and territories -- Notes on contributors -- Editors' introduction to the series -- Foreword -- Preface -- 1. Policy analysis in Australia: context, themes and challenges -- Introduction -- Explaining policy and policy analysis -- Locating policy analysis and advice -- Conclusions -- Part One. The 'policy advising' context -- 2. Policy professionals in context: advisors and ministers -- Introduction -- The Australian advisory system in 1972 -- The Australian advisory system in 2013 -- A decline in capacity? -- Advising ministers -- Ministers and advice: melding politics and policy -- 3. The economic context of policy analysis in Australia -- Introduction -- The economic background -- The policy response -- Policy analysis -- Policy advocacy -- Policy study -- Boom without bust -- Conclusions -- 4. Policy analysis and public sector capacity -- Introduction -- Institutional context of policy advice and policy coordination -- Policy capacity for evidence-based decision-making -- The rise of alternative sources of policy advice -- Conclusions: challenges for innovation, collaboration and policy capacity -- Part Two. Analysis and advice within government -- 5. Policy analysis at the federal government level -- Introduction -- Constitutional restraints and evolving federal powers -- Institutional arrangements to develop and implement federal policy goals -- Frameworks for policy development and the weak tradition of policy analysis -- Emergence of a Commonwealth interest in policy analysis.
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Mar 2022).
Policy Analysis in Australia offers a distinctly Australian interpretation of policy scholarship with eighteen chapters strongly reflecting the outstanding contributions of Australian scholars to the field of public policy. It provides a coherent overview of the strengths and opportunities for policy analysis in Australia.   It recognises that government agencies are no longer regarded as the sole source of sound policy analysis, and takes a broad view of policy analysis capacity, both within institutions at all levels of government, and beyond government in the media, political parties, business and non-government associations. It provides a valuable contribution to Australian scholarship about policy analysis in academic, professional, teaching and learning contexts, and is a key addition to research and teaching in comparative policy analysis and policy studies more generally.
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