This text integrates three aspects of public policy study: government institutions and the policymaking process, the concepts and methods of policy analysis, and the choices that we make collectively about substantive public policies at all levels of government. Throughout, [the authors] focus on the interrelationship of government institutions, the interests and motivations of policy actors both inside and outside of government, and the role of policy analysis in clarifying public problems and helping citizens and policymakers choose among policy alternatives. These central themes are reinforced by providing students with the tools they need - how to find key information, how to use specific evaluative criteria, how to apply policy analysis methods, and how to assess the politics of policymaking - to investigate issues and carry out policy analysis on their own.-Pref.