Through analysing the capacities and considerations of individual governmental actors, this book examines how and why certain public policy decisions are made and will therefore be of great interest to researchers, educators, advanced students and practitioners working in the fields of political science, public management and administration and public policy. 'For too long, the study of public policy-making has ignored the role of individual managers, politicians or community activists. This book brings them back into the frame. Importantly, it avoids the tendency to reduce everything to a question of super-heroic leadership skills and personal charisma. Instead, it takes the debate forward by analysing the ways in which the expertise and skill of individuals interact with their institutional settings and in the context of particular kinds of policy problems. This points towards a new agenda for research into the ways in which public policy is constructed, negotiated and realised.' - Chris Skelcher, Professor, University of Birmingham, UK 'Each chapter in this excellent collection helps clarify the situation with respect to a relevant set of actors; providing a careful assessment of their motivations and inter-relationships as a decision-making process unfolds. As a result, taken as a whole, the volume moves our understanding of this key phase of public policy-making a considerable ways forward.' - Michael Howlett, Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada and National University of Singapore, Singapore