“Christoffer Green-Pedersen and Stefaan Walgrave have admirably assembled a group of contributors who, individually and collectively, bring the tools of policy agenda analysis to bear on the central political features of each of the countries examined. Along the way, the findings demolish prevailing expectations about national politics in thought-provoking ways. Clear and remarkable for its depth of analysis, this is one of the best collections of essays I have ever read.”

David Lowery, Penn State University

“An impressive and broadly comparative collection of studies on political agenda setting. Agenda Setting, Policies, and Political Systems makes clear the importance of issue attentiveness in politics. It also provides a useful compilation of work on the effects both of and on issue attentiveness by legislatures, political parties, and governments in Europe and North America. In so doing, the book makes an important contribution to a growing body of research arguing that the study of agendas can be a particularly powerful means by which to understand and compare politics and policy making.”

Stuart Soroka, McGill University

“The chapters in this volume demonstrate how the study of agenda setting has developed into a theoretically coherent research program. Beginning with the proposition that political attention is scarce and consequential, the chapters pursue this logic by presenting case studies on how issues gain and lose traction, and the interplay between issue agendas and coalition politics, party systems, electoral competition, and legislative outputs throughout Europe and North America. This volume is a must-read for scholars interested in how specific issues rise and fall, and why this process matters.”

James Adams, University of California, Davis

“Green-Pedersen and Walgrave have collected a number of excellent empirical studies of political agenda setting research. . . . Each chapter offers another piece of the theoretical puzzle and can thus enrich readers’ understanding of how exactly political agendas form and how they impact political decision-making. . . . In sum, [Agenda Setting, Policies, and Political Systems] contains a wealth of information on a variety of countries and extended periods of time.”

LSE Review of Books

“This is a remarkable achievement, . . .  a cross-country collaboration of unusual rigor and scope . . . [that] will help many more scholars join in the debate.”

Perspectives on Politics

“Drawing on the political agenda-setting approach, Agenda Setting, Policies and Political Systems explores the dynamics of a broad range of policy issues in different countries. . . . The book reach[es] an important conclusion: the degree to which institutional and traditional political factors influence legislative activities varies across countries, although institutional factors seem to have little effect on average. . . . [The book] should be considered as not only an important scholarly contribution but also a helpful guide to those who are new to the political agenda-setting approach.”

Political Studies Review