Kai Oppermann is reader in Politics at the University of Sussex. His research interests relate to the domestic sources of foreign policy and European integration as well as British and German foreign and European policy.

Alexander Spencer is assistant professor of Global Governance at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. His research focuses on constructivist approaches to global governance and European foreign and security policy.

The volume brings together research from both Public Policy and Foreign Policy on conceptualisation, causes and consequences of policy fiascos. Appealing to scholars and practitioners interested in policy failures and fiascos both within and among states and other international actors.

1. Studying fiascos: bringing public and foreign policy together 2. Revisiting the study of policy failures 3. A public policy approach to understanding the nature and causes of foreign policy failure 4. Telling stories of failure: narrative constructions of foreign policy fiascos 5. 'Fiasco prime ministers': leaders' beliefs and personality traits as possible causes for policy fiascos 6. The fiasco of the 2013 Syria votes: decline and denial in British foreign policy 7. Over- and under-reaction to transboundary threats: two sides of a misprinted coin? 8. Resilient blunderers: credit rating fiascos and rating agencies' institutionalized status as private authorities 9. Dissonance and decision-making mistakes in the age of risk