H. Compston 
King Trends and the Future of Public Policy 

This study presents, for the first time, a synoptic picture of the future directions in which public policy in EU countries is likely to move based on using contemporary theories of policy-making to deduce the implications for public policy of major long-term technological, economic, environmental and social trends.

Table of Content

List of Tables List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction: Policy Networks and Advocacy Coalitions in Action PART I: THE MARCH OF NEW TECHNOLOGY Information and Communications Technology Biotechnology Healthcare Technology Military Technology PART II: GROWING AFFLUENCE AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE Growth and Diversification of Production and Consumption Greater Energy Use Increasing Mobility The Shift To Services The Growth of Women’s Employment The Expansion of Trade The Internationalization of Production The Internationalization of Finance The Expansion of Mass Media PART III: CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change PART IV: AGEING, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL LIBERALIZATION Population Ageing Rising Levels of Education Smaller Households Secularization Sexual Liberalization PART V: THE BIG PICTURE The Shape of Things to Come References Index

About the author

HUGH COMPSTON is Reader in Public Policy at Cardiff University, UK. His recent publications include
Handbook of Public Policy in Europe: Britain, France and Germany (edited, 2004),
‘Beyond Corporatism: A Configurational Theory of Policy Concertation’ (
European Journal of Political Research 42, 2003) and
Social Partnership in the 1990s: The West European Experience in Historical Perspective (edited with Stefan Berger, 2002).