In this eye-opening work, Dye explodes the myth that public policy reoresents the "demands of the people" and that the making of public policy flows upward from the masses. In reality, Dye Argues, public policy in America, as in all nations, reflects the values, interests and preferences of a governing elite. "Top Down Policymaking" is a close examination of the process by which the nation's elite goes about the task of making public policy. Focusing on the behind-the-scenes activities of money foundations, policy planning organizations, think tanks, political campaign contributors, special interest groups, lobbyists, law firms, influence-peddlers and the national news media, Dye concludes that public policy is made from the top down.
