Policymaking is a messy business. It entails more than the traditional policy cycle discussed in most textbooks. And it involves more than presidents and members of Congress.

Judges, bureaucrats, corporate leaders, journalists, and voters all influence and participate in the process, and at all levels of government. Each group practices a different kind of politics, which very often results in different policies and outcomes. By looking at six distinct, yet connected, policy domains, your students will see a more comprehensive and realistic view of policymaking:

Boardroom Politics - decisions by professional and business leaders
Bureaucratic Politics - rule-making and adjudication by administrators
Cloakroom Politics - lawmaking by legislators
Chief Executive Politics - decision making by presidents, governors, mayors, and their advisers
Courtroom Politics - rulings by judges
Living Room Politics - opinions expressed by and through the mass media, grassroots movements, political activists, and voters

Policymakers are faced with tough choices. With this text, students are better prepared to evaluate their leaders' performance given the book'ss unique framework linking how policies are chosen with what policy is chosen.

Thoroughly updated to reflect the issues of the early 21st century, this new edition also incorporates new and important scholarship.

Recommended for classes in: Public Policy and American Government