Policy Press

Politics and Public Policy

Public Policy is one of our core strengths with series including the International Library of Policy Analysis and New Perspectives in Policy & Politics.

We also have a range of valuable public policy textbooks including Studying public policy: An international approach, edited by Michael Hill, and Public management in transition: The orchestration of potentiality, edited by Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen and Justine Grønbæk Pors. Inspection copies are available for these and all our textbooks. 

Our politics publishing, in conjunction with the Bristol University Press imprint, includes high-profile titles from authors such as Peter Hain, Nick Raynsford and Patrick Diamond.

Don't miss our related journal Policy & Politics which contains many articles of interest in this area.

Showing 37-48 of 327 items.

Time to Save Democracy

How to Govern Ourselves in the Age of Anti-Politics

In the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, Henry Tam explores what should be done to revive democracy, setting out in a clear and accessible manner 9 key areas where reforms are necessary to ensure we can govern ourselves more effectively.

Policy Press

The Third Sector Delivering Public Services

Developments, Innovations and Challenges

This edited collection explores areas such as social enterprise, capacity building, volunteering and social value, and charts the historical development of the state-third sector relationship, reviewing the major debates and controversies accompanying recent shifts in that relationship.

Policy Press

Taking Power Back

Putting People in Charge of Politics

This important book asks where should power and governance lie in our democracy? Simon Parker, a leading expert on public services and government, claims the answer is to give power away. He offers policy recommendations and practical ideas for creating a new kind of politics focused on unleashing society's creative potential.

Policy Press

Superdiversity, Policy and Governance in Europe

Multi-scalar Perspectives

First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics, this insightful volume brings together contributions from experts across Europe to explore the ways in which superdiversity has influenced the development of policy and to consider challenges for the future.

Policy Press

Subversive citizens

Power, agency and resistance in public services

Citizens' everyday conduct is shaped by governmental action, yet there is much evidence that both front-line public service staff and service users can sometimes act in ways that modify or disrupt intended policy outcomes. This book presents a highly original examination of how policy objectives can be 'subverted' through the actions of citizens.

Policy Press

Substance Not Spin

An Insider's View of Success and Failure in Government

Based on his personal experience at the heart of government and the voluntary sector, Nick Raynsford, a former MP, Minister and campaigner, explores making and implementing policy and legislation. He gives an ‘insider’s view’ on a range of events, some not previously made public, making a fascinating bridge across the policy and practice divide.

Policy Press

Studying Public Policy

An International Approach

Edited by Michael Hill

This is the first book to explore the public policy process through 19 contributions from diverse scholars from all over the world, using empirical material to demonstrate how many of the key theories and concepts may be applied to its analysis.

Policy Press

The Struggle for Social Sustainability

Moral Conflicts in Global Social Policy

Leading interdisciplinary scholars focus on the ‘social’ of social policy. This ground-breaking volume tackles pressing ‘social questions’ and critically engages with contested conceptions of ‘the social’ which are increasingly deployed by international institutions and policy makers.

Policy Press

Squaring the Circle on Brexit

Could the Norway Model Work?

Two preeminent Norwegian scholars of politics and law offer a comprehensive first-hand account of Norway’s relationship with the EU and how this affects the country’s legal and political system, setting out what Britain can learn from Norway’s experience and how transferable these lessons are.

Bristol Uni Press

Spatial Planning and Resilience Following Disasters

International and Comparative Perspectives

International contributors from academia, research, policy and practice use their experience and knowledge to explore on-going efforts to improve spatial resilience across the globe and predict future trends.

Policy Press

Social work, politics and society

From radicalism to orthodoxy

This original and stimulating book examines contemporary issues in social work, particularly exploring the politicisation of the profession from the 1970s onwards.

Policy Press

Social Work and the Making of Social Policy

Bringing together international case studies, this book offers theoretical and empirical insights into the interaction between social work and social policy.

Policy Press