The Politics of Information: Problem Definition and the Course of Public Policy in America [Hardcover]

How does the government decide whats a problem and what isnt? And what are the consequences of that process? Like individuals, Congress is subject to the paradox of search. If policy makers dont look for problems, they wont find those that need to be addressed. But if they carry out a thorough search, they will almost certainly find new problemsand with the definition of each new problem comes the possibility of creating a government program to address it.
???????????
WithThe Politics of Attention,leading policy scholars Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones demonstrated the central role attention plays in how governments prioritize problems. Now, withThe Politics of Information,they turn the focus to the problem-detection process itself, showing how the growth or contraction of government is closely related to how it searches for information and how, as an organization, it analyzes its findings. Better search processes that incorporate more diverse viewpoints lead to more intensive policymaking activity. Similarly, limiting search processes leads to declines in policy making. At the same time, the authors find little evidence that the factors usually thought to be responsible for government expansionpartisan control, changes in presidential leadership, and shifts in public opinioncan be systematically related to the patterns they observe.
???????????
Drawing on data tracing the course of American public policy since World War II, Baumgartner and Jones once again deepen our understanding of the dynamics of American policy making.

Frank R. Baumgartneris the Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Bryan D. Jonesis the J. J. Jake Pickle Regents Chair in Congressional Studies in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they are the authors of several books, including, most recently,Agendl#7