This timely Handbook examines the background, organization and evolution of policy advice and expertise in contemporary government. Chapters in the book set out and critically re-evaluate conventional assumptions about the role of policy advisors and advice in policy-making in an era when increasing new technologies, political polarization and contestation have mounted challenges to traditional sources of policy ideas and influence.

In 50 chapters on different topics and country experiences, leading international experts explore how issues and developments such as social media and AI have impacted the content, quality and organization of policy advice for modern governments. They discuss how the nature and deployment of policy expertise is changing amidst the fragmentation of existing information ecosystems and growing distrust in traditional actors and institutions. The Handbook analyses the features and problems of existing studies and practices such as evidence-based policy-making and addresses the future of policy advising, illustrating the impact and implications of ongoing shifts towards more pluralistic and social-media-driven sources of policy knowledge.

Students and scholars of public policy, public administration and management, and regulation and governance will greatly benefit from the consolidation of existing knowledge and the novel perspectives on policy advice found in this Handbook. It is also an essential resource for practitioners in public policy and administration.