PublicPolicy

Public policy is the course of action taken by government or other public authorities to address a perceived public problem. It includes laws, regulations, programs, and decisions, as well as the resources allocated to implement them. Public policy emerges from the interaction of political actors, institutions, values, and evidence, and it aims to combine feasibility with public benefit.

The policy process typically includes problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation, with feedback leading to revisions. Agencies, legislatures, courts, and executives set priorities, mobilize resources, and enforce rules, while interest groups, experts, media, and citizens influence outcomes.

Policy instruments range from command-and-control regulation and taxation to subsidies, public provision, procurement, and information campaigns. Governments often mix instruments to achieve goals such as efficiency, equity, security, and sustainability, while considering administrative capacity and legal constraints.

Evaluation assesses whether policies meet stated objectives, their cost-effectiveness, distributional impacts, and unintended consequences. Evidence from data, pilots, and comparative analysis informs adjustments, decommissioning, or scaling.

The field draws on political science, economics, public administration, and law, with theories explaining agenda-setting, decision-making, implementation, and governance. Public policy operates at multiple levels—local, national, and international—and can involve nonstate actors in collaborative arrangements or regulatory regimes.

Common policy domains include health, education, environment, economy, and social welfare. Critics note that policy outcomes reflect power dynamics, interest-group influence, and resource limits, which can produce gaps between intent and impact.