University of Chicago Press The Politics of Information – Problem Definition and the Course of Public Policy in America

How does the government decide what's a problem and what isn't? And what are the consequences of that process? Like individuals, Congress is subject to the "paradox of search." If policy makers don't look for problems, they won't find those that need to be addressed. But if they carry out a thorough search, they will almost certainly find new problems-and with the definition of each new problem comes the possibility of creating a government program to address it.             With The Politics of Attention, leading policy scholars Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones demonstrated the central role attention plays in how governments prioritize problems. Now, with The Politics of Information, they turn the focus to the problem-detection process itself, showing how the growth or contraction of government is closely related to how it searches for information and how, as an organization, it analyzes its findings. Better search processes that incorporate more diverse viewpoints lead to more intensive policymaking activity. Similarly, limiting search processes leads to declines in policy making. At the same time, the authors find little evidence that the factors usually thought to be responsible for government expansion-partisan control, changes in presidential leadership, and shifts in public opinion-can be systematically related to the patterns they observe.             Drawing on data tracing the course of American public policy since World War II, Baumgartner and Jones once again deepen our understanding of the dynamics of American policy making. Review "Baumgartner and Jones have again contributed to the body of knowledge on agenda setting in public policy. In this analysis of how governments discover, define, and address problems, the authors present a model for how governments prioritize problems as problems go through the agenda-setting process. . . . Recommended."-- "Choice" (8/15/2015 12:00:00 AM) "Fascinating. . . . Baumgartner and Jones are grappling with a fundamental question of governance: How do we collectively solve problems whose complexity exceeds the cognition of any one person? And what happens when we attempt to impose simplicity on complex problems that defy such control?"-- "Washington Monthly" (7/15/2015 12:00:00 AM) The Politics of Information illuminates the vast landscape of the national policymaking process. The analysis of the broadening and thickening dimensions of government growth is especially noteworthy.--Morris P. Fiorina, Stanford University "Baumgartner and Jones have done it again! The Politics of Information is yet another pathbreaking study from the authors. This time focus is on the development of American government, but both the theoretical approach and the empirical analysis deserves attention well beyond. Scholars of public policy and comparative politics also have a lot to learn from the book."--Christoffer Green-Pedersen, Aarhus University, Denmark "Baumgartner and Jones provide insights regarding the reshaping of American governance that are truly invaluable to our understanding of the political process. There is no doubt this book will be widely cited for both its theoretical innovations and its empirical insights."--E. Scott Adler, University of Colorado, Boulder About the Author Frank R. Baumgartner is the Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Bryan D. Jones is the J. J. "Jake" Pickle Regent's Chair in Congressional Studies in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they are the authors of several books, including Agendas and Instability in American Politics, also published by the University of Chicago Press.