Thisbookoffersanovelapproachtothinkingaboutpublicpolicyandanew,distinctivemethodologyforanalysingpolicy.Itintroducesasetofsixquestionsthatprobehow‘problems’arerepresentedinpolicies,followedbyaninjunctiontoapplythequestionstoone’sownpolicyproposals.Thisformofanalysis,itsuggests,iscrucialtounderstandinghowpolicyworks,howwearegoverned,andhowthepracticeofpolicy-makingimplicitlyconstitutesusassubjects.
Thebookmountsachallengetotheproblem-solvingparadigmcurrentlydominatingtheintellectualandpolicylandscape,aparadigmmanifestin‘evidence-basedpolicy’.Arguingthatsuchaparadigmdeniestheshapingthatgoesonintheprocessofproblematisation,itoffersa‘what’stheproblemrepresentedtobe?’approachtopolicyanalysisasacounter-discourse.Inthisviewcriticalthinkinginvolvesputting‘problems’intoquestionratherthanlearninghowto‘solve’them.
Bacchi’snewapproachtopolicyanalysisoffersexcitinginsightsinawidearrayofpolicyareas,includingwelfare,drugs/alcoholandgambling,criminaljustice,health,education,immigrationandpopulation,mediaandresearchpolicy.Invaluabletothoseinvolvedinpolicystudiesandpublicadministration,itwillalsoappealtostudentsandacademicsinsociology,socialwork,anthropology,culturalstudiesandhumangeography.