It is widely appreciated that policies, however carefully formulated, too often fall down at the implementation stage. This collection, originally published in 1981 and which includes a number of case studies illustrating the roles and workings of the agencies involved, focuses on implementation in public policy. Part 1 reviews the literature on implementation and provides a theoretical context for examining the ten case studies in Part 2, which cover such policy areas as public expenditure, employment, housing, social services, health, planning and land. The editors also examine the main issues raised by the case studies and suggest a way of reconstructing an understanding of the implementation of public policy.