Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society vs Theories of the Policy Process: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Policy sciences, Sciences de la politique, Political planning, Politique publique, National, Government

Cover of Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society

Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society Larry N. Gerston · 2002 ★★★★☆ 3.7 240 pages · ≈ 4 h 27 m · Moderate

While some people profess a disdain for politics, in a democracy politics is the primary vehicle for citizens to influence the decisions and decision makers that shape public policy at every level. This widely acclaimed…

Citizen participation

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Theories of the Policy Process Paul A. Sabatier · 1999 ★★★★☆ 3.8 416 pages · ≈ 7 h 42 m · Moderate

"Since the first edition published in 1999 with editor Paul Sabatier, Theories of the Policy Process has served as the quintessential gateway to the field of policy process research for students, scholars and…

Public Policy

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Theories of the Policy Process.
Theories of the Policy Process has the widest readership — 185 ratings behind its score.

Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society: Check price →Theories of the Policy Process: Check price →

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society ≈ 4h vs 7h for Theories of the Policy Process

Scores by source

	Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society	Theories of the Policy Process
Goodreads	3.5 (12)	3.9 (185)
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Reception

	Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society	Theories of the Policy Process
Ratings	12	185
Editions	11	16
Citations	10	—
Want to read	27	139
Reading it now	2	13
Written reviews	1	11
Pages	240	416
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society or Theories of the Policy Process?

Theories of the Policy Process has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Theories of the Policy Process 3.8/5, Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society or Theories of the Policy Process?

Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society (240 pages, ≈ 4 h 27 m); Theories of the Policy Process (416 pages, ≈ 7 h 42 m).

Which is harder to read: Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society or Theories of the Policy Process?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society: Moderate; Theories of the Policy Process: Moderate.