Overview
Ordinary People and Public Policy offers a wide-ranging exploration of what people receive and expect from government. The book's starting point is that most people spend more time talking to family and friends or acting as consumers than they spend as voters marking ballots. At the same time most families in a mixed economy depend to some extent on the private benefits of public policy for education, health and social security benefits. The growth of government has thus created new links between public institutions and the everyday concerns of citizens.
Synopsis
Ordinary People and Public Policy offers a wide-ranging exploration of what people receive and expect from government. The book's starting point is that most people spend more time talking to family and friends or acting as consumers than they spend as voters marking ballots. At the same time most families in a mixed economy depend to some extent on the private benefits of public policy for education, health and social security benefits. The growth of government has thus created new links between public institutions and the everyday concerns of citizens.
Editorials
From the Publisher
'It's captivating. The best of its kind in years.' Robet Goodin'one of the most thoughtful, original, and penetrating books in the field of political economics (or socio-economics) I have ever read. I recommend it strongly to all my colleagues interested in this field.' - Amitai Etzioni, The George Washington University
'The failure of numbers of people to participate in regular tasks of citizenship such as filling out census forms or balloting signals that the compliance and participation of ordinary people should not be taken for granted. Richard Rose has done a real service in writing about the political motivations and behavior of ordinary people in public policy. Social scientists need to understand much better than they do the relationship between government action and the lives and well being of people at large.' - Helen Ingram, University of Arizona
'This is to say the least a no-nonsense extended essay, stacked with a wealth of cross-national tables... this is entertaining 'counterblast' stuff: full of ideas and chanllenges to be taken up, it is to be hoped by someone.' - Government and Opposition
'this book offers a thought-provoking overview of issues that merit further research and discussion....Rose presents a stimulating examination of a number of facets of modern citizenship.' - American Political Science Review
'an interesting new angle in public policy analysis....the best part of this book is the use of attitudinal survey data to throw light on many obscure aspects of the relationship between the individual and the state. For this reason alone this text should be on the reading lists of public policy analysis courses at undergraduate and graduate levels.' - West European Politics