In an era of constant policy growth (known as policy accumulation), effective policy implementation is a growing challenge for democratic governance across the globe. Triage Bureaucracy explores how government agencies handle expanding portfolios of rules, programs, and regulations using 'policy triage' – a set of strategies for balancing limited resources across increasing implementation demands. Drawing on case studies from six diverse European countries, the authors show how organizations' vulnerability to overburdening and their ability to compensate for overload determine why policy implementation succeeds in some cases while it fails in others. Triage Bureaucracy offers a deeper understanding of the organizational dynamics behind effective governance and, by placing bureaucratic actors at the center of the policy process, shows why policy growth often outpaces our ability to implement it – shedding light on the consequences of an ever expanding policy state. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘Triage Bureaucracy is another important step in analyzing and explaining the consequences of the growth of rules in contemporary governments. This examination of the difficult choices that implementing organizations must make about rules contributes to understanding several important aspects of contemporary policy. It provides insights into the expansion of expanding public policy within society, but aids understanding the difficult tasks of individuals administrators and their organizations cope with necessary choices.'

B. Guy Peters - Maurice Falk Professor of Government, University of Pittsburgh

‘Christoph Knill, Yves Steinebach, and Dionys Zink have produced a groundbreaking volume on the important problem of the accumulation of policies. Using extensive sources of data, they map the phenomenon comparatively and help us understand it. As well as introducing new ideas such as policy triage, the book offers powerful insights into the policy process in general, using valuable case studies from European countries. There are lessons for policy-makers in how to manage this phenomenon. Overall, this book challenges us to think differently about governance and the way it works. It will be read carefully by researchers and students for many years to come.'

Peter John - Head of School of Politics and Economics, King's College London