Description: How can democracy be improved in an age when people are profoundly disenchanted with government? Part of the answer lies in the design of public policy that unmistakably works to advance citizenship by listening to, educating, and involving ordinary people. Schneider and Ingram evaluate the current approaches to policy theory and recommend a series of reforms that will improve policy designs and help restore citizen confidence in government. Policy Design for Democracy is one of the first books to examine systematically the broader implications of the substantive aspects of public policy.
Review Quotes:
"The book is cogent and well written, offering clear discussion in a logical format."--American Political Science Review
"Critical and perceptive."--Governance
"One of the many attractions of the book is that it takes seriously the claims of social science to explain policy change and stability. . . the book uses the use of the concept of policy design to fill the gaps in rather than replace empirical research. Also, for the practitioner, Schneider and Ingram recommend general principles for good design."--American Politics Review
"In this incredibly rich and sophisticated analysis, Schneider and Ingram develop a theoretical framework that both highlights how the elements of policy designs are socially constructed and explains how the characteristics of those designs often work to weaken democratic values and processes. This superb book will be of special value to those interested in policy studies."--Choice