Books by Thomas A. Birkland

Disasters like earthquakes are known as focusing events - sudden calamities that cause both citizens and policymakers to pay more attention to a public problem and often to press for solutions. This book explains how and why some public disasters change political agendas and, ultimately, public policies.

To determine when and how a catastrophic event serves as a catalyst for true policy change, this work examines four categories of disasters: aviation security, homeland security, earthquakes, and hurricanes. It explores lessons learned from each, focusing on three types of policy change.

Explores the relationship of personal values to public policy, and poses the concept of moral community as a vital link between the concerned citizen and the body politic. The author delineates a collective vision of the public good that might be brought to bear on policy issues such as health care, education, civil liberties, and the environment.

The relationship between media and politics receives constant attention and creates heated debate. This title offers an exploration of the intersection between media and politics, from larger themes such as the role of media in civil, democratic society, to more specific topics such as media ownership and regulation.