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Preface
About the Author

Chapter 1 The Purpose and Nature of Public Policy

Frameworks

Chapter 2 The Policymaking Process
Chapter 3 Public Policies as Investments

Applications

Chapter 4 Public Infrastructure
Chapter 5 Defense and Homeland Security
Chapter 6 Public Schooling
Chapter 7 Health Care
Chapter 8 Poverty Alleviation
Chapter 9 Criminal Justice
Chapter 10 Science Funding
Chapter 11 Environmental Protection

An Agenda For Change

Chapter 12 Policy Legacies

Acknowledgements
Glossary of Terms
Index

Michael Mintrom

"This work is a significant contribution to the study of public policy-making. I agree with the author's revolutionary approach in regarding public policies as investments, since they entail the public expenditures of scarce resources to which there should be substantial returns."--Mordu Serry-Kamal, Winston-Salem State University

"I am always on the lookout for new texts that can help me convey the information about public policy to students. The investment orientation taken by the author is novel and would certainly be useful in helping me keep the course fresh." --Hugh Bartling, Depaul University

"Given my interest in the political economy approach to the study of public policy, discussing policies as investments is completely up my alley. Public Policy: Investing for a Better World fits the way that I teach the basic concepts of public policy, and there aren't many introductory textbooks on the market that do so." --Craig Ortsey, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne

"Michael Mintrom's new book, Public Policy: Investing for a Better World, is refreshing. It embraces the novel theme that governments should treat their public policies as investments. This theme is effectively carried through each of the eight substantive policy chapters. Mintrom's text is an essential, insightful book that will engage students of public policy." --Ann O'M. Bowman, Professor and Hazel Davis and Robert Kennedy Endowed Chair in Government and Public Service, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University

"There are many textbooks that introduce students to the world of public policy, but Michael Mintrom's accessible and illuminating new book is distinctive. It considers public policies not merely as the outcomes of current political battles but also as 'investments' to create public value. In Mintrom's able hands, the investment perspective demonstrates how governments can make thoughtful, evidence-based decisions to create a better future for citizens. With its engaging presentation and timely case examples, Mintrom's Public Policy: Investing for a Better World will challenge students to think critically about the policy-making process and the policy legacies that emerge from it." --Eric Patashnik, Julis-Rabinowitz Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, Brown University