Chapter 1: Policy and Policy Studies

1.1 Concept of Policy
1.2 The Beginning and Development of Policy Studies
1.3 Values ​​embedded in the policy
1.4 Four components and roles of policy
1.4.1 Authoritative government agencies
1.4.2 Policy Objectives
1.4.3 Policy tools
1.4.4 Policy target group or policy target person
1.5 Types of policies
1.5.1 Classification of policies by power and coercion: Lowi's policy classification
1.5.2 Policy Classification by Functional Characteristics: Almond and Powell's Policy Classification
1.5.3 Policy Classification by Purpose and Target of Regulation: Ripley and Franklin's Policy Classification

Chapter 2 Policy Environment, Political System, and Policy

2.1 Political system and policies
2.2 Policy Decision Factors Theory
2.2.1 The emergence and development of policy decision-making factors
2.2.2 The role and limitations of the political system and the policy environment
2.3 Characteristics and policies of the political system
2.3.1 Persons in Charge of the Political System
2.3.2 Structure of the political system
2.3.3 Political ideology of the political system
2.3.4 Political and administrative culture of the political system
2.4 Mutual influence of policy environment and policy

Chapter 3 Policy Process and Participants

3.1 Policy Process
3.2 Official Participants
3.2.1 Parliament: National Assembly
3.2.2 President
3.2.3 Administrative Agencies
3.2.4 Judiciary
3.2.5 Central Bank: Bank of Korea
3.3 Informal Participants
3.3.1 Political parties
3.3.2 Interest groups
3.3.3 Non-profit organizations
3.3.4 Media
3.3.5 Policy experts, policy communities, and research institutes
3.3.6 Ordinary Citizens, Public Opinion, and Public Disclosure

Chapter 4: Hierarchy and Interaction of Policy Participants

4.1 The significance of power theory and models
4.2 Traditional power theories and models
4.2.1 Eliteron
4.2.2 Pluralism
4.2.3 Shin Eliteron
4.2.4 Neo-Pluralism
4.2.5 Subordinate Government Model
4.2.6 Other traditional power models
4.3 Modern Power Theories and Models 1: Policy Network Theories and Models
4.4 Modern Power Theories and Models 2: Governance Theories and Models
4.4.1 The emergence and significance of governance theory
4.4.2 Contents and Characteristics of Governance
4.4.3 Representative types of governance
4.4.4 Success Factors by Major Type of Governance
4.4.5 Differences between the Policy Network Model and the Governance Model
4.5 Classification of power models according to the scope of the leading actor and the actor

Chapter 5: Policy Agenda Setting

5.1 Policy agenda setting process and types
5.1.1 The significance and process of policy agenda setting
5.1.2 Actors, Paths, and Repeatability in Policy Agenda Setting
5.2 Policy Agenda Setting Theory
5.2.1 Pluralism
5.2.2 Non-decision theory
5.3 Policy Agenda Setting Model Based on Policy-Leading Actors and Openness
5.4 Policy agenda setting model based on the timing, process, and reasons for policy adoption
5.4.1 Multi-flow model
5.4.2 Issue Attention Cycle Theory
5.4.3 Innovation Diffusion Theory and Isomorphism Theory
5.5 Factors Influencing Policy Agenda Setting
5.5.1 Leading Participants in Policy Agenda Setting
5.5.2 Political factors and events
5.5.3 Characteristics of the problem and dramatic events
5.6 The significance and limitations of the government's preemptive agenda setting
5.6.1 Significance
5.6.2 Limitations

Chapter 6 Policy Analysis

6.1 Meaning and Procedure of Analytical Decisions
6.2 Analysis of policy issues and goal setting
6.2.1 Key analytical work on policy issues
6.2.2 Key Elements of Policy Goal Setting
6.3 Definition of policy issues
6.3.1 The Meaning and Importance of Defining Policy Issues
6.3.2 Definition of objective and subjective policy issues
6.3.3 Desirable Definition of Policy Problems
6.3.4 Framework for understanding policy issues and legitimacy of policy intervention
6.4 Setting Policy Goals
6.4.1 Criteria and steps for setting policy goals
6.4.2 Conflicts between policy objectives and local rationality
6.5 Exploring Policy Alternatives
6.5.1 Significance of Exploring Policy Alternatives
6.5.2 Key Resources and Methods for Exploring Policy Alternatives
6.5.3 Order of Policy Alternative Exploration
6.6 Types and Applications of Major Policy Alternatives
6.6.1 Market-based solutions
6.6.2 Incentive Stimulation Using Taxes and Subsidies
6.6.3 Proposal of new regulations
6.6.4 Supply through non-market means
6.6.5 Government guarantees and buffers
6.7 Predicting the Outcomes of Policy Alternatives
6.7.1 Methods for predicting the outcomes of policy alternatives
6.7.2 Uncertainty in Policy Analysis
6.7.3 How to overcome uncertainty
6.8 Comparative Evaluation of Policy Alternatives
6.8.1 The Need for Comparative Evaluation of Policy Alternatives
6.8.2 Desirability Evaluation Criteria
6.8.3 Feasibility Assessment Criteria
6.8.4 Comparative Evaluation Methods and Applications of Policy Alternatives
6.9 Limitations of Analytical Decisions
6.9.1 Methodological Limitations of Analytical Decisions
6.9.2 Excessive costs and limited effectiveness of analytical decisions
6.9.3 Policymakers' capabilities and time limitations
6.9.4 Constraints and feasibility of organizations and groups

Chapter 7 Policy Decisions

7.1 The necessity of a policy decision model, the emergence of rational models, and alternative models
7.1.1 The necessity of a policy decision model and a rational model
7.1.2 Contents and Limitations of the Rational Model
7.1.3 Major policy decision models proposed as alternatives to the rational model
7.2 Satisfaction Model
7.2.1 Contents of the satisfaction model
7.2.2 Evaluation of the satisfaction model
7.2.3 Application of the satisfaction model
7.3 Prospect Theory
7.3.1 Contents of Prospect Theory
7.3.2 Evaluation of Prospect Theory
7.3.3 Application of Prospect Theory
7.4 Incremental model
7.4.1 Contents of the incremental model
7.4.2 Evaluation of the incremental model
7.4.3 Application of the incremental model
7.4.4 Non-incremental policy decision model
7.4.5 A Compromise Between Rational and Incremental Models: The Mixed-Injection Model
7.5 Company Model
7.5.1 The emergence of models
7.5.2 Standard Operating Procedures
7.5.3 Three Key Variables
7.5.4 Four Core Connectivity Concepts
7.5.5 Evaluation of the corporate model
7.5.6 Application of the company model
7.6 Trash Can Model
7.6.1 Emergence of the Model
7.6.2 Three prerequisites
7.6.3 Four Elements of Decision Making
7.6.4 A representative method of decision-making using the trash can model
7.6.5 Evaluation of the trash can model
7.6.6 Application of the trash can model
7.7 Allison model
7.7.1 The emergence of models
7.7.2 Key Contents and Comparison
7.7.3 Application of Allison's Model: The Cuban Nuclear Missile Introduced Case
7.7.4 Evaluation of the Allison Model
7.7.5 Application of the Allison Model
7.8 Advantages and Limitations of Collective Decision Making
7.8.1 Advantages of Collective Decision-Making in Policy Making
7.8.2 Limitations of collective decision-making in policy making

Chapter 8 Policy Enforcement

8.1 The meaning of policy implementation and conditions for success
8.1.1 Significance of Policy Implementation Research
8.1.2 The Meaning and Importance of Policy Enforcement
8.1.3 Policy Implementation and Policy Decisions
8.1.4 Conditions for Successful Policy Implementation
8.2 Policy Instruments Theory
8.2.1 The Emergence and Development of Policy Instrument Theory
8.2.2 Policy Combinations and Policy Pairing
8.3 Overview of the Development and Approach of Policy Implementation Theory
8.3.1 Classical Policy Implementation Theory and Its Limitations
8.3.2 The Emergence of Modern Policy Implementation Theory
8.3.3 Development of Policy Implementation Theory
8.4 Top-down approach
8.4.1 Concepts and Key Elements of the Top-Down Approach
8.4.2 Advantages of the Top-Down Approach
8.4.3 Limitations of the Top-Down Approach
8.5 Bottom-up approach
8.5.1 Concepts and Key Elements of the Bottom-Up Approach
8.5.2 Advantages of the Bottom-Up Approach
8.5.3 Limitations of the Bottom-Up Approach
8.6 Integrated Approach
8.6.1 Choosing the Appropriate Approach Based on the Policy Context: Situational Enforcement
8.6.2 Responding to Dynamic Policy Environment Changes: Mutually Adaptive Implementation
8.6.3 New Directions in Policy Implementation Research
8.7 The importance of the enforcement site and the discretion of frontline enforcement officials
8.7.1 Importance of the Execution Site
8.7.2 The Need for Discretionary Authority of Frontline Executive Officials
8.7.3 Problems and Limitations of Frontline Executive Officers' Discretion
8.7.4 General Behavior and Solutions of Frontline Enforcement Officials

Chapter 9 Policy Evaluation and Feedback

9.1 The Emergence and Development of Policy Evaluation Theory
9.1.1 Background of the Emergence of Policy Evaluation Theory
9.1.2 The Role and Prospects of Policy Evaluation
9.2 Overview of Policy Evaluation
9.2.2 Purpose of Policy Evaluation
9.2.2 Detailed types of policy evaluation
9.2.3 Central Axis of Policy Evaluation: Summative Evaluation and Process Evaluation
9.3 Summative Evaluation
9.3.1 Effectiveness Evaluation
9.3.2 Efficiency Evaluation
9.3.3 Equity Assessment
9.3.4 Significance and Limitations of Comprehensive Evaluation
9.4 Process Evaluation
9.4.1 Process Evaluation to Identify Causal Relationships
9.4.2 Enforcement Process Evaluation
9.5 Policy Evaluation Procedure
9.6 Utilization of Policy Evaluation and Policy Feedback
9.6.1 How to Use Policy Evaluation
9.6.2 Desirable Policy Evaluation Methods for Policy Feedback
9.6.3 Examples of Using Policy Evaluation in the Policy Feedback Process

Chapter 10: Causal Policy Evaluation

10.1 The Concept and Fundamental Limitations of Causal Policy Evaluation
10.1.1 Concept of Causal Policy Evaluation
10.1.2 Fundamental Limitations of Causal Policy Evaluation
10.2 Overview of Causal Policy Evaluation Methods
10.2.1 Non-experimental methods
10.2.2 Experimental Methods
10.3 Causal Policy Evaluation Using Non-Experimental Methods
10.3.1 Group Comparison Methods and Self-Selection Effects
10.3.2 Pre- and post-comparison methods and time effects/event effects
10.3.3 The Essential Problem of Nonexperimental Methods: Introducing Spurious Variables
10.3.4 Essential Problems of Nonexperimental Methods: Confounding Variables
10.4 Overview of Causal Policy Evaluation Using Social Experimental Methods: Quasi-Experiments and True Experiments
10.5 Causal Policy Evaluation Using Quasi-Experimental Designs: Design of the Double-Difference Method
10.5.1 Representative quasi-experimental designs: double difference method and logic
10.5.2 Weaknesses of the double difference method
10.5.3 How to compensate for the weaknesses of the double difference method
10.6 Causal Policy Evaluation Using Experimental Design: Designing Randomized Controlled Trials
10.6.1 The logic and strengths of true experiments
10.6.2 Weaknesses and Countermeasures of True Experiments
10.6.3 Comparison of true and quasi-experiments
10.7 Causal Policy Evaluation Using Natural Experiments: Natural Experiments That Can Be Applied to the Double-Difference Method
10.7.1 The significance of natural experiments
10.7.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Experiments

Chapter 11 Policy Changes

11.1 Types, Forms, and Causes of Policy Changes
11.1.1 Meaning and Types of Policy Changes
11.1.2 Types and causes of policy changes
11.2 Policy changes due to changes in problems and resources
11.3 Policy changes due to changes in the political system
11.3.1 Changes in the Political System
11.3.2 Structural changes in the political system
11.3.3 Changes in Belief Systems
11.3.4 Shift in Policy Paradigm
11.3.5 Policy Window and Policy Change
11.4 Unnecessary policy changes and countermeasures
11.5 Policy Change, Resistance, and Strategies for Successful Policy Change
11.5.1 The Need for Rational Policy Changes
11.5.2 Resistance to Policy Change
11.5.3 Strategies for Successful Policy Change

preface

Social issues and government policies are always close to our lives, whether we pay attention to them or not.
We all possess different abilities, are born into different environments, and live our own lives. However, in the process, we come to realize that not only individual choices but also government policies have a profound impact on the direction of our lives.
Many of the problems we face in our daily lives, such as those related to education, real estate, labor, family, and retirement, have become societal challenges that are difficult to solve through individual efforts alone, and our quality of life can change depending on the direction of government policy.
How government policies aimed at solving these social problems should be justified, how they should be implemented and evaluated, and to what extent they should be tolerated are key questions raised by policy studies.
In addition, it is an important task to consider together what role individuals and communities can play in solving social problems.

I was curious about these government policies and have been studying them ever since I entered university.
After graduating from college, he studied abroad in the United States and worked as a professor at Indiana University. He is currently researching and teaching policy in the Department of Public Administration at Korea University.
Through numerous lectures, papers, seminars, and academic conferences, I have deeply explored the intersection of various policy theories and reality.
Of course, we still do not have clear answers to the questions, “What can the government do?” and “What should individuals and communities do?”
Perhaps such an answer is something that is difficult to find even if you search for it for a lifetime.
However, I am still continuing my academic research through reading, thinking, discussing, and writing to get even a little closer to that answer.
In the process, I also developed my own perspective and philosophy on policy.
This book is the result of my efforts to organize my policy concerns, drawing on the knowledge and experience of senior scholars.
By reflecting on the essence and practical significance of policy studies, we sought to explore how theory and reality intersect through various recent policy cases.

This book is an introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students who are new to policy studies.
The focus is on providing a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the basic concepts of policy studies and how key theories and models can be applied in actual policy settings.
For students seeking to delve deeper into policy studies, this book will serve as a solid starting point, helping them expand their studies with a variety of specialized books and academic papers.
Additionally, the content was organized so that it can be usefully utilized in class from the instructor's perspective.
Based on a 15-week semester course, the course is designed to effectively teach core theories and models of policy studies by organically connecting them with actual policy cases.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family, who have always supported and inspired me throughout the publication of this book.
I sincerely hope that the policies we are working on and developing together will help solve today's problems, even if only a little, and help more people live better lives.

June 2025
At the Sangnam Jeonggyeonggwan Research Lab in Anam-dong
Jeong Hae-il