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What Is Public Policy?
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Public policy is an attempt by a government to address a public issue by instituting laws, regulations, decisions, or actions pertinent to the problem at hand. Numerous issues can be addressed by public policy including crime, education, foreign policy, health, and social welfare. While public policies are most common in the United States, several other countries, such as those in the United Kingdom, implement them as well. The process to create a new public policy typically follows three steps: agenda-setting, option-formulation, and implementation; the time-line for a new policy to be put in place can range from weeks to several years, depending on the situation. Public policies can also be made by leaders of religious and cultural institutions for the benefit of the congregation and participants, and the term can also refer to a type of academic study that covers topics such as sociology, economics, and policy analysis.

The Process

When new public policies are created, there are generally three key things involved in the process: the problem, the player, and the policy. The problem is the issue that needs to be addressed, the player is the individual or group that is influential in forming a plan to address the problem in question, and the policy is the finalized course of action decided upon by the government. Typically the general public will make the government aware of an issue through writing letters and emails, or making phone calls, to local government leaders; the issue is then brought forward during government meetings and the process for creating new public policies begins.

The rational model for the public policy-making process can typically be divided into three steps: agenda-setting, option-formulation, and implementation. Within the agenda-setting stage, the agencies and government officials meet to discuss the problem at hand. In the second stage, option-formulation, alternative solutions are considered and final decisions are made regarding the best policy. Consequently, the decided policy is implemented during the final stage; in most cases, once public policies are in place, they are widely open to interpretation by non-governmental players, including those in the private sector. Implied within this model is the fact that the needs of the society are a priority for the players involved in the policy-making process; also, it is believed that the government will follow through on all decisions made by the final policy.

Unfortunately, those who frame the issue to be addressed by policy often exert an enormous amount of influence over the entire process through their personalities, personal interests, political affiliations, and so on. The bias is extenuated by the players involved. The final outcome of the process, as well as its implementation, is therefore not as effective as that which could result from a purely rational process. Overall, however, public policy continues to be a vital tool in addressing social concerns.

Examples

In 1993, due to ineffective healthcare policies, the Clinton administration in the US sought to implement a policy that would bring about a national healthcare system. As part of the policies being considered, the US federal government would protect the healthcare consumer’s rights, consumers would be able to form alliances to obtain better healthcare prices, and caregivers would be required to provide fair healthcare packages. Players involved in the policy-making process included lobbying groups and politicians. While some changes were made to healthcare provisions by legislators, the policies advocated by the Clinton administration were not put into effect as result of political differences.

In 2010, US president Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law; this health care reform and public policy is meant to offer all American citizens health insurance that is easier to afford. The policy implemented several changes in health care that no longer allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, nor can they drop coverage when insurance carries become ill. Several years elapsed before the policy was finally passed, and the final stages of the policy are planned to be put in place in 2014.

As an Academic Study

The study of public policy began in 1922, when Charles Merriam, a political scientist, sought to build a link between political theory and its application to reality. Most studies of public policy focus on areas that apply to problems within government management, administration, and operations; some of these topics include economics, program evaluation, sociology, political economy, and public management. Most college degrees on this topic are offered only as master's or doctorate degrees, and the course of study may vary between universities. /p>

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anon241204
Post 66
Is public policy the most important in determining an individual's economic status?
anon235543
Post 65
what is the role of law enforcers in public policy?
anon235271
Post 64
What are the options for development of public policy?
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anon184747
Post 63
They aren't going to answer your homework questions, kids. Stop asking.
anon160767
Post 62
what are the challenges of policy formation and adaption of an organisation in developing countries?
anon155736
Post 60
What are some limitations to public policy analysis?
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anon152132
Post 59
broad-based consultation anchoring on the issues and concerns and the needs can effectively support in the implementation of the policy.
anon149460
Post 58
what is the significance of public policy?
anon145148
Post 56
Why is the study of public policy formation important to the students who study public administration?
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anon131084
Post 54
what is the rationale for public policy making? Please respond in your earliest convenience. Thanks
anon115345
Post 52
After reading all the above I conclude that public policy is determined by the entity who is most influential in the instant situation. --BDFN
anon97728
Post 51
discuss how public policy allows government to intervene on behalf of the powerless (Phil. government).
Related Topics
anon95944
Post 49
I want know more about public policy and the

types, the advantages, examples and more about it.

anon93648
Post 48
what are the forms of public policy?
anon92181
Post 47
What are the major elements of public policy-making cycle? How do the various interested parties interact in the formulation process?
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anon92058
Post 46
what does nigeria's public policy entail?
Lindsy91
Post 45
What are some of the challenges of introducing a rational model of public policy making in the public sector? Please respond promptly. I've got an assignment on this.
anon85490
Post 43
In summary, what is public policy all about?
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anon78143
Post 40
What entails pro-poor health policy formulation?
anon71903
Post 39
public policy is something that needs supervision even after implementation.
anon70157
Post 38
Public Policy is obviously corrupt. how do we fix this?
Related Topics
anon65271
Post 37
what are the main public policies in south africa?
anon62781
Post 36
can we consider indian case of reservation policy is public policy?
anon62519
Post 35
the questions posted are so educative, i feel it is worth getting the presentations on them.
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anon53880
Post 32
Why study public policy?
anon49786
Post 31
What does public policy mean for the individual?
anon44511
Post 29
what are the features of public policy?
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anon44509
Post 28
what does public policy entail and how different is a policy from programmes and projects.
anon44332
Post 27
What is the rationale of public policy?
anon44038
Post 26
what is the framework of public policy?
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anon42991
Post 24
How important is the public policy in Cambodia?
anon40971
Post 23
how are empirical methods used for the policy making process?
CannonMPA
Post 22
To me,public policy will always take on the acronym coined by Luther Gullick: POSDCORB. That stands for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgting. Just in case any of you thought I forgot to word for the letter "O". I didn't. It the second half of Co-Ordinating.

Randy Cannon, MPA

A Public Policy Advocate

www.publicpolicyadvocates.org

Related Topics
anon37177
Post 21
is the Premdass model on public policy developed in Trinidad and Tobago by professor Premdass relevant to modern day policy making process?
anon35458
Post 20
empirical methods would improve the making of policy
ananda
Post 19
How are empirical methods used for the policy making process?
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legalsandy
Post 17
what about an attorney for a certain commission, who advises a city government that an action is against public policy - and then two years later, after political pressure is put on him, he advises his commission client that it's OK to do the same thing he told the city government was against public policy two years earlier!!
anon31739
Post 16
we know public policies are made on the basis of public welfare, but in our country like Pakistan policies are made only for the elite class, meaning during the policy making process, policy makers give priority to elite interests. why is this? also tell me what is the impact of public policy on the lifestyle of the general masses?

mohd ayob

anon29686
Post 15
How does public policy affect education?
Related Topics
Chirs4317
Post 14
What is the definition of policy implementation? How can policy implementation improve better cooperation within the various elements of the criminal justice system? What opportunities for improvement would you recommend for successful policy implementation?

siopao81
Post 13
What are the limits on public policy?
siopao81
Post 12
What are the limits of public policy in The Philippines?
Related Topics
tazama2009
Post 11
What are the limitations of public policy in African countries?
tazama2009
Post 10
Why do public policy implementation and project level differ from original public policy?
anon27107
Post 9
what are the stages involved in designing and implementation of public policy?
Related Topics
anon21830
Post 8
what is the political influence on public policy?
anon21324
Post 7
what is the history of the word policy???

jessezimmer
Post 6
He has already answered it, I was just trying to relate a question that might be on my quiz....well basically I was just writing that because I can't find my paper and thats the only one I remember....
Related Topics
jessezimmer
Post 4
What is public policy and how is it made? Explain the stages of the process, how they interact and the types of policy.
anon19103
Post 3
How has the internet affected the preparation and dissemination of public policy?
anon14840
Post 1
what is the significance of public policy?

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