Implementation: How Great Expectations in Washington Are Dashed in Oakland; Or, Why It's Amazing that Federal Programs Work at All, This Being a Saga . . . Morals on a Foundation (Oakland Project)

If only every policy maker and every voter would read this book! Pressman and Wildavsky dig in and show how the best of intentions, and even seemingly great plans, fall apart when it's time to implement them on the ground. They show the difficulties in coordinating the many stakeholders that governments have to bring together, in synchronizing steps carried out by an array of public and private organizations, and of keeping everybody on board over the course of time it takes to execute plans. They show that even if each step in the implementation of a policy seems like a no-brainer, a long series of steps almost certain to succeed can be almost certain to fail! The human mind sees a series of steps that have a 95% chance of success and thinks that the process is likely to work... we rarely appreciate that if there's a 95% chance of each of 15 things working, there's a less than 50% chance that they all work. And when you need to coordinate them to all work on a tight timeline, forget about it! Pressman and Wildavsky's Implementation shows, in both human and theoretical terms, how these miscalculations caused government policy in Oakland to fall apart.

This is for my MPA class!

This is a classic work on program implementation--the process by which words on a piece of paper (such as a law) become translated into an actual program, delivering goods and services to people. There is a rich literature on this subject in political science, public administration, and policy studies. The specialty has come a long way since the first edition of this work appeared in 1973 (I was in graduate school then). This version was the third edition, appearing in 1984.The book addresses problems in implementation by route of a case study--the effort to address unemployment in Oakland, California by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). An odd aspect of this was that the program had originally been designed for more rural areas. But Oakland, technically, fit the criteria.The agency essentially offered financial support for organizations (whether public or private sector) that developed plans to employ the unemployed. So, organizations got money based on a promise (not on performance). EDA spent a fair amount of money in Oakland, with not-so-fantastic results.Pressman and Wildavsky discuss why this might have been the case. For one thing, there were so many steps from the time that EDA decided to go to Oakland with many actors having to agree at each stage of the process. Also, there was the authors' concern that money was provided based on plans rather than actual performance in terms of employment. The book examines successes and failures of a number of funded projects in Oakland--quite instructive!All in all, an important work. For one thing, this was considered one of the earliest works in implementation (at least according to lore--one could make the case that implementation had always been a focus in the discipline of public administration). For another, it began to identify challenges to successful implementation. Finally, the volume made suggestions about how to address these challenges.A satisfying work even decades after its initial appearance. . . .

This is a groundbreaking work to studying policy implementation

I bought this book for my daughter and she needed it for school and this purchase really saved us a lot of money!!

Goood condition and great value

This book was a college epiphany for me. "Geez, the answers to the world's policy issues may be a bit more complicated than I thought. I may have more to consider." I credit the authors, and a great professor for helping me consider the two halves of the puzzle - strategy and execution. One without the other accomplishes nothing, and they both can affect the other in very dynamic ways. My thinking became less naive, and less ego-centric that semester. I wish all my college readings had such a long lasting impact.

Perfect description.

This is a great book, a cornerstone of implementation studies for every student or scholar.Indispensable and a good reading book too!