Policy Entrepreneurs and School Choice. By Michael Mintrom. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2000. 324p. $60.00 cloth, $24.95 paper.

Abstract

Policy entrepreneurs or issue advocates figure prominently in major theories of the policy process (e.g., Frank R. Baum- gartner and Bryan D. Jones, Agendas and Instability in American Politics, 1993; John W. Kingdon, Agendas, Alterna- tives, and Public Policies, 1995; Paul A. Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith, Policy Change and Learning: An Advocacy Coalition Approach, 1993). This book explores in depth the phenomenon of policy entrepreneurs, the individuals who invest their time and resources in trying to bring an idea to fruition. The controversial issue of school choice is a partic- ularly apt example of a policy that has spread through the efforts of entrepreneurs laboring in a number of states. A good overview sets the scene in the first chapter and describes such variants as public school choice (within and across districts), charter schools, private voucher plans, and publicly funded vouchers. But the book emphasizes building and testing a theory of policy entrepreneurship. This carefully crafted study presents a number of significant arguments and findings that will be of interest for scholars (or graduate students) concerned with policy diffusion, policy change, and agenda setting as well as education policy.