Public policy

Public policy refers to the actions taken by government—what it does, why it does it, and how it does it. It's a complex, multi-faceted process that involves the interplay of numerous individuals and interest groups competing and collaborating to influence policymakers to act in a particular way. These individuals and groups use a variety of tactics and tools to advance their aims, including advocating their positions publicly, attempting to educate policymakers and the public, and mobilizing allies on a particular issue.

Definition

Public policy can be generally defined as a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action, and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its representatives. Public policy is commonly embodied in constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions.

Types of public policy

Public policy can be classified into different types for better understanding. The types include:

• Substantive public policy: This type of public policy has a major impact on individuals, such as Social Security policy.
• Regulatory policy: This type of public policy regulates the behavior of individuals and corporations, such as environmental policy.
• Distributive policy: This type of public policy distributes resources in society, such as education policy.
• Redistributive policy: This type of public policy involves the redistribution of resources, such as welfare policy.

Public policy process

The public policy process is the manner in which public policy is formed. This process is typically characterized by various stages, including:

• Problem identification: The recognition of an issue that requires governmental attention.
• Policy formulation: The development of appropriate courses of action to address the issue.
• Policy adoption: The acceptance of a policy as the official course of action.
• Policy implementation: The execution of the policy by the appropriate governmental agency.
• Policy evaluation: The assessment of the policy’s effectiveness in addressing the issue.

See also

• Policy analysis
• Policy studies
• Public administration
• Public management
• Public policy school

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