This fully revised second edition offers a comprehensive examination of the policy process through a range of perspectives, including rationalism, culturalism, institutionalism, and political analysis. By combining these perspectives, the book enhances our understanding of the complex challenges that today’s policymakers face and promotes a reflexive approach to policy practice. It enables students to discover key concepts and gain a deeper understanding of how public policy is discussed academically and shaped empirically. Key Features: Coverage of all key elements of the policy cycle - Critical reflections on the roles of policy analysts - - Insight into the complexity of policymaking in practice - - Up-to-date review of the literature on the policy process - - Fresh case studies on topics including migration, water management, social policies, and climate change. - Providing an insight into the complexity of policymaking in today’s world, this engaging textbook is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and master’s students of public policy, policy analysis and public administration. ‘ Public Policy in Action offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to the complexities of governance. Blending rational, political, cultural, and institutional perspectives, it illuminates the dynamics of policy processes with rich examples and illustrations. This book is for anyone seeking to understand the challenges inherent in public policies.’ -- Christopher M. Weible, University of Colorado, Denver, US ‘ Public Policy in Action offers the essential combination of theory and practice, to show how key concepts can help us understand and address urgent policy problems.’ -- Paul Cairney, University of Stirling, UK Victor Bekkers, Menno Fenger and Peter Scholten, Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands