The ideas behind public policy, explained.

Clear, sourced explanations of the concepts that shape foreign policy, law, security and the economy, with every school of thought in its own best terms.

Start with: The Welfare State: Seven Things Worth Knowing · Terrorism Definition: Why One Word Is So Hard to Pin Down · Supply Side Economics: Five Myths and the Facts

Democratic Imperialism: Stanley Kurtz’s Blueprint for Iraq Essay guide · Stanley Kurtz, Policy Review No. 118, April & May 2003 In "Democratic Imperialism: A Blueprint" (Policy Review, 2003), Stanley Kurtz argued that British India, not postwar Japan, was the real precedent for democratizing Iraq.… Read the essay guide

Fig. 0.1 The map of ideas: 6 fields, 30 concepts

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Balance of power

Foreign Policy

The balance of power is the idea that states stay secure when power in the international system is spread out, so that no single state can dominate the rest. When one country grows too powerful, others arm themselves or form alliances against it until a rough equilibrium returns.

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Each concept is placed by where it is argued: at home or between states, as a theory or inside institutions. Placement is orientation, not judgement. Point at a concept to read its definition; ticked points are concepts you have read.

Placement: Policy Review editors, reviewed October 2026.

Six fields, one method

Each field gathers the concepts that are usually argued together. Pick one, or follow a point on the map.

Fig. 0.2 The fields and what they cover
Field	What it covers	Concepts	Count
Foreign Policy	How states deal with one another: power, alliances, doctrines and the theories that explain them.	Balance of power, Eisenhower Doctrine, Hard power, Isolationism	7
Security	War, deterrence, terrorism and the private armies in between.	Mercenaries, Mutually assured destruction, Terrorism definition, Failed state	4
Law	Constitutions, courts and the doctrines judges use to read them.	Judicial activism, Judicial review, Stare decisis, Textualism	4
Ideas	Ideologies, forms of democracy and the arguments behind them.	Civil society, Direct democracy, Neoconservatism, Political socialization	7
Economy & Society	Markets, welfare, trade and the populations they serve.	Free trade, Globalization, Keynesian economics, Supply-side economics	5
Policy Analysis	The craft itself: what public policy is, and how briefs, memos and evaluations are made.	Policy brief, Think tank, What is public policy?	3

Essays that are still argued about

From 1977 to 2013 this address published the journal Policy Review. For its most-cited essays we write new guides: the argument, the context, the reception, and a link to the original.

All essay guides

How a concept is explained here

The definition first. Two sentences that answer the question you searched for.
Its place on the map. Which field it belongs to, and which concepts it is argued against.
Every side in its best terms. Proponents and critics, described the way they would describe themselves.
Sources you can check. Primary texts, court decisions and official data, listed at the end and dated.

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