Nature of Policy

Problem
What is
Policy?

A plan or course of action, as of a

government, political party, or
business, intended to influence and
determine decisions, actions, and
other matters.
What is public • It is whatever governments choose to do or
policy? not to do.
• As governmental activities made in response
to given societal or political problems.
• It refers to the course of action (or non-
action) taken by the government or
legislature with respect to a particular issue.
○ Actions of the public actors
(typically government)
○ government actions are focused on
a specific issue.
• A system of interrelated actions strongly
depends on the issue at hand.
Policy
Analysis
• Policy analysis is a process of multidisciplinary inquiry
aiming at the creation, critical assessment, and
communication of policy-relevant information.
• As a problem-solving discipline, it draws on social science
methods, theories, and substantive findings to solve practical
problems.
Policy Process
Agenda Setting /
Identification of Issues
or Problems

Policy Evaluation Policy Formulation

Policy Implementation Policy Adoptation /

Legitimization
 ISSUE
IDENTIFICATI
ON
• Publicized demands for government action
can lead to identification of policy problems.
• Attention that prompts the need for
government action.

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 AGENDA
SETTING

• Government begins to give serious

consideration

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 POLICY FORMULATION
• Policy proposals can be formulated through political channels
by policy-planning organization, interest groups, government
bureaucracies, state legislature, and the president and
Congress.
• Development of possible solutions; consideration of several
alternatives

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 POLICY
ADOPTATION/LEGITIMIZATION
• Policy is legitimized as a result of the public statements or
actions of government officials; both elected and appointed –
the president, Congress, state legislators, agency officials, and
the courts. This includes executive orders, budgets, laws and
appropriations, rules and regulations, and administrative and
court decisions that set policy directions.

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 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
• Policy implementation includes all the activities that result from
the official adoption of a policy. Policy implementation is what
happens after a law is passed. We should never assumed that
the passage of a law is the end of the policymaking process.
Sometimes laws are passed and nothing happens.

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 POLICY EVALUATION
•  is the systematic collection and analysis of
information to make judgments about contexts,
activities, characteristics, or outcomes of one or more
domain(s) of the Policy Process.

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THANK
YOU!