This innovative reader presents over seventy case studies of policy making in Whitehall and Westminster. The case studies range from the pits closure crisis to the Satanic Verses affair. Combining newspaper excerpts, official documents, academic analysis and the recollections of participants, it examines: * the various ways in which policy originates and is shaped within Whitehall * different modes of parliamentary control, the problems of implementation and policy review * civil servants' part in developing policy * ministers' relations with their departments and their colleagues * the role of the prime minister and cabinet * the impact of the European Union