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Applying Public Opinion in Governance

The Uses and Future of Public Opinion in Managing Government

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Introduces new data on the use of public opinion in managing government programmes
  • Presents a comparative study on the use of public opinion in 4 Western democracies, which links to broader political, informational and governance issues
  • Casts new light on the differing perspectives of elites and the mass public
  • Explores both recent historical patterns in the use of public opinion and the integration of new data sources

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management (Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. Introduction

    • Scott Edward Bennett
    Pages 1-6
  3. The Scope of Public Opinion and Governance

    • Scott Edward Bennett
    Pages 7-13
  4. Summary and Implications

    • Scott Edward Bennett
    Pages 83-97
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 99-119

About this book

This book explores how public opinion is used to design, monitor and evaluate government programmes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Using information collected from the media and from international practitioners in the public opinion field, as well as interviews in each of the 4 countries, the author describes how views of public opinion and governance differ significantly between elites and the general public. Bennett argues that elites generally risk more by allowing the creation of new data, fearing that its analysis may become public and create communications and political problems of various kinds. The book finds evidence that recent conservative governments in several countries are changing their perspective on the use of public opinion, and that conventional public opinion studies are facing challenges from the availability of other kinds of information and new technologies. This book is a hugely valuable contribution to a hitherto little explored field and will appeal to academics and practitioners alike.




Authors and Affiliations

  • Political Science, Carleton University , Ottawa, Canada

    Scott Edward Bennett

About the author

Scott Edward Bennett is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Carleton University, Canada. He is also Managing Director at the Community Analytics Institute.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access