Comparative Studies of Policy Agendas [Paperback]

Previously published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy, this book draws on the insights of the existing literature on agenda setting and policy changes to explore the dynamics of attention allocation and its consequences.

Attention is a crucial variable in understanding modern politics. Shifts in attention have dramatic consequences for both politics and policy decisions.

This volume includes case studies of nine different political systems including the US, Canada, several European systems, and the EU itself. It asks the following questions:

• Which are the dynamics of agenda-setting in the EU?
• Which role do political parties play in attention allocation?
• What are the cross national differences in attention to health care?
• What role does science and expertise play in attention-allocation?
• What are the effects of political institutions?

Comparative Studies of Policy Agendaswill be of interest to students and scholars of policy analysis and public policy.

1. Agenda-Setting in Comparative Perspective  2. The Policy Agendas Project: A Review  3. Timing and Sequence in Agenda Setting and Policy Change: A Comparative Study of Lawn Care Pesticide Politics in Canada and the U.S.  4. Legislative Priorities and Public Opinion: Representation of Partisan Agendas in the Canadian House of Commons  5. Policy with or without Parties? A Comparative Analysis of Policy Priorities and Policy Change in Belgium, 1991-2000  6. How Agenda-Setting Attributes Shape Politics: Basic Dilemmas, Problem Attention, and Health Politics  Developments in the U.S. and Denmark  7. Explaining Policy Change: The Impact of the Media, Public Opinion and Political Violence on Urban Budgets in England&lS+