Good public policies are necessary for the presence of business and investment-friendly climate. Business Member Organisations should be concerned with policies affecting the private sector that the government puts in place. As a result, BMOs need to have a good understanding of public policy so as to enhance their advocacy.  The workbook is prepared for the Understanding Public Policy unit, which is part of the Policy Process module.

The objective of this Unit is to deepen the understanding of public policy by

• providing definitions and description of public policy


• introducing and outlining some of the key concepts used in describing public policy


• describing public policy output, outcome and impact as well as policy instruments and tool


• describing the public policy institutions

Further reading and further information

• Anderson, James E (1984). Public Policy Making: An Introduction, 3rd Ed. Boston: Houghton.


• Bardach Eugene (2012). A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis -The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, 4th ed, Sage USA.


• Dunn N. William (2012). Public Policy Analysis, 4th Ed, Pearson USA.


• Government of Kenya (2010), The Constitution of Kenya, Government Printers, Nairobi. Free access


• Ferlie E, Lynn L and Pollit C (editors) (2005): Oxford Handbook of Public Management, Oxford University Press, UK


• Fischer F, Miller Gerald and Sidney Mara (editors) (2007). Handbook of Public Policy Analysis - Theory, Politics and Methods, CRS Press USA. Free access


• Moran Michael, Rein Martin & Goodin Robert, (editors) (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy Oxford University Press, UK.


• Hill Michael (2013). The Public Policy Process, 6th ed, Routledge, UK.


• Howlett M, Ramesh M and Perl Anthony (2009): Studying Public Policy, Policy Cycles and Policy Systems, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press: Canada.


• Kenya Law Reform Commission (2015), Guide to the Legislative Process in Kenya. Nairobi Free access


• Kingdon John (2011). Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies, 2nd ed, Longman: New York.


• Knill C and Tosun J (2012). Public Policy, A New Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan, UK.


• Parliament of Kenya (2013), National Assembly Standing Orders. Government Printer, Nairobi.


• Peters Guy and Pierre Jon (editors) (2006). Handbook of Public Policy Sage, London.


• Pollock R, Wick C and Jefferson A (2015). The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning, 3rd ed, Wiley, USA.