Introduction : of cases and contexts ; Historical context and policy studies / Douglas E. Ashford -- Social thought and social action : the "dicey problem" and the role of ideas in English social policy / Krishan Kumar -- Marxism and institutional analysis : working-class strength and welfare state development in Sweden / Bo Rothstein -- The soft state : making policy in a different context / Hans Blomkvist -- Interpretive analysis and policy studies / Douglas E. Ashford -- Democratic social engineering : Karl Popper, political theory, and policy analysis / James Farr -- Functionalism and policy studies / Norman Furniss -- Welfare ideologies and state policies : British oppositions / Anthony Skillen. Policy constitution through discourse : discourse transformations and the modern state in Central Europe / Björn Wittrock and Peter Wagner -- Political science and policy studies / Douglas E. Ashford -- Parties, politics, and democratic choice / Bert A. Rockman -- Public policy and public bureaucracy / B. Guy Peters -- Ordaining powers : rediscovering the state through policy studies ; Conclusion : the policy connection : subject or object? / Douglas E. Ashford.