This article sums up the development of public policy as a scientific discipline and as an object of research and instruction in the Czech Republic. This is presented within a historical context (examining different stages of the development of Czech social sciences even before it was formalized, and the development of its being constituted since the early 1990s) with due regard for the broader cultural, political and institutional context of its formation and application. A characteristic is given of the main (...) streams of research and instruction in the fi eld (with references to key literature, its authors and context). This is followed by a reflection of results and specification of development potentials. (shrink)