In this book, an international group of public policy scholars revisit the stage of formulating policy solutions by investigating the basic political dimensions inherent to this critical phase of the policy process. The book focuses attention on how policy makers craft their policy proposals, match them with public problems, debate their feasibility to build coalitions and dispute their acceptability as serious contenders for government consideration. Based on international case studies, this book is an invitation to examine the uncertain and often indeterminate aspects of policy-making using qualitative analysis embedded in a political perspective.

Contents:
1.Introduction – Policy Formulation: A Political Perspective / Philippe Zittoun, Frank Fischer, and Nikolaos Zahariadis
2.Upcycling a Trashed Policy Solution? Argumentative Couplings for Solution Definition and Deconstruction in German Pension Policy / Sonja Blum
3.Binding and Unbinding Problem–Solution Associations in US Agricultural Policy Making: The Introduction and Demise of Direct Payments to Farmers / Gerry Alons
4.The Role of Expert Reporting in Binding Together Policy Problem and Solution Definition Processes / Magalie Bourblanc, Gabrielle Bouleau, and Philippe Deuffic
5.Coalitions and Values in the Flow of Policy Solutions / Nikolaos Zahariadis
6.The Marks of Ownership: The Promotion of Carbon Capture and Storage in France / Sébastien Chailleux
7.Anticipating Public Approval in the Binding of Immigrant Integration Problems and Solutions / Ilona Van Breugel
8.Discourse Coalitions and the Messiness of Policy Solutions: College Governance in Nevada / Magdalena Martinez
9.Policy Solution Ownership: Road-Space Re-Allocation as a New Approach to Urban Mobility / Charlotte Halpern