This volume is the Australian contribution to the International Library of Policy Analysis series (Policy Press), edited by Michael Howlett and Iris Geva-May. Each volume surveys the state of the art of policy analysis following the structure of Policy analysis in Canada (Dobuzinskis, Howlett and Laycock, 2007). Each explores national policy settings and regimes within and beyond government.

The Canadian volume aspired to ‘lay the foundations for a more systematic understanding of policy analysis in Canada, and thereby contribute to the enhanced practice and utilisation of analytical work undertaken within both governments and those organisations that wish to influence public policy’ (p 3). It implicitly differentiated the Canadian experience from that of the US.

The series provides country-specific studies that allow us to go beyond generalisations about policy systems and processes. Each volume provides basic comparative data and empirical material for further research and pedagogy in the field of comparative analysis and policy studies in general. The Australian experience contrasts with the experience in a range of other democratic countries (primarily in Europe, North America and East Asia) in the series.

The Policy Analysis series shares ground with the ‘power, institutions and actors’ approach, with its focus on understanding the institutions and organisational actors that produce policy ideas and analysis for the ‘real world’ of policy deliberation. It is hoped that this will be of interest to practitioners and to scholars concerned with the nature and quality of policy ideas.

We would like to thank our contributors, the series editors, Peter Shergold for his thoughtful Foreword and participants at the 2013 workshop on ‘Policy Analysis in Australia’, held in conjunction with the annual conference of the Australian Political Studies Association, for their useful insights.

Brian Head acknowledges funding support from Australian Research Council grants LP100100380 on research utilisation and DP140101532 on complex policy problems.