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Through a unique dataset covering half a century of policy-making in Britain, this book traces how topics like the economy, international affairs, and crime have changed in their importance to government. The data concerns key venues of decision-making - the Queen's Speech, laws and budgets - which are compared to the media and public opinion. These trends are conveyed through accessible figures backed up by a series of examples of important policies. As a result, the book throws new light on the key points of change in British politics, such as Thatcherism and New Labour and explores different approaches to agenda setting helping to account for these changes: incrementalism, the issue attention cycle and the punctuated equilibrium model. What results is the development of a new approach to agenda setting labelled focused adaptation whereby policy-makers respond to structural shifts in the underlying pattern of attention
This book investigates how the importance of various policy areas has shifted in British government over fifty years. Drawing on a unique dataset of key decision-making venues like the Queen's Speech, laws, and budgets, Peter John traces the evolution of governmental focus on topics such as the economy, international affairs, and crime. The analysis compares these trends with media coverage and public opinion, illustrating key policy changes with concrete examples. The book aims to illuminate pivotal moments in British political history, including Thatcherism and New Labour, by examining different agenda-setting theories and proposing a new framework called focused adaptation.
The book offers a data-driven analysis of British policy-making, providing a novel perspective on political change. Its strength lies in the unique dataset and the accessible presentation of complex trends through figures and examples. The exploration of various agenda-setting models and the introduction of 'focused adaptation' contribute to scholarly discourse on political science. This work is likely to be of interest to students and researchers of British politics and policy studies.
Page Count:
241
Publication Date:
2013-01-01
ISBN-10:
0230390420
ISBN-13:
9780230390423
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