Public policy is a government attempt to address public issues through laws, regulations, decisions, or actions. The process involves three stages: agenda setting, options formulation, and implementation. Public policy is also an academic study. Examples include the Affordable Care Act in the US. However, personal interests and biases can influence the process, leading to less effective outcomes.
Public policy is an attempt by a government to address a public issue by instituting laws, regulations, decisions or actions relevant to the issue at hand. Numerous issues can be addressed by public policy, including crime, education, foreign policy, health and social welfare. While public policies are more common in the United States, many other countries, such as those in the United Kingdom, also implement them. The process of creating a new public policy typically follows three stages: agenda setting, options formulation and implementation; the timeline for implementing a new policy can range from weeks to several years, depending on the situation. Public policy can also be done 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 covering topics such as sociology, economics, and policy analysis.
How does it work
When new public policies are created, there are generally three key elements involved in the process: the problem, the actor 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 at hand, and the policy is the ultimate course of action decided by the government. Typically the general public notifies the government of an issue by writing letters and emails or making phone calls to local government leaders; the issue is then brought forward during government meetings and the process of creating new public policies begins.
The rationale for the public policy-making process can typically be divided into three phases: agenda setting, option formulation, and implementation. In the agenda-setting phase, government agencies and officials meet to discuss the issue at hand. In the second stage, the formulation of options, 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 largely open to interpretation by non-governmental actors, including those in the private sector. Implicit in this model is the fact that society’s needs are a priority for the actors involved in the policy-making process; moreover, it is believed that the government will follow all decisions made by the final policy.
Unfortunately, those who frame the issue for policy to address often wield a tremendous amount of influence over the whole process through their personality, personal interests, political affiliations, and so on. The bias is mitigated by the players involved. The final outcome of the process, as well as its implementation, is therefore not as effective as what could result from a purely rational process. Overall, however, public policy continues to be a vital tool for addressing social concerns.
Examples
In 1993, due to ineffective health care policies, the Clinton administration in the United States tried to implement a policy that would lead to a national health care system. Under the policies under consideration, the US federal government would protect the rights of health care consumers, consumers would be able to form alliances to get better health care prices, and health care providers would be required to provide fair health care packages. Actors involved in the decision-making process included lobbyists and politicians. While some changes to health care provisions have been made by lawmakers, policies advocated by the Clinton administration have not been implemented due to policy differences.
In 2010, US President Barack Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act; This health care reform and public policy is intended to make health insurance easier to afford for all American citizens. The policy implemented several health care changes that no longer allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions, nor can they drop coverage when insurance companies get sick. It was several years before the policy was finally approved, and the final stages of the policy are expected 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, tried to build a link between political theory and its application to reality. Most public policy studies 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 university degrees in this subject are offered as masters or doctoral degrees only, and the course of study can vary between universities. /p>
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