Public policy

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This article is about government action. Policy, both public and private, is a broader notion, and public policy (law) discusses the use of the phrase "public policy" in legal doctrine.

Public policy can be generally defined as the course of action or inaction taken by governmental entities (the decisions of government) with regard to a particular issue or set of issues.^[1] Other scholars define it as a system of "courses of action, regulatory measures, laws, and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its representatives."^[2] Public policy is commonly embodied "in constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions." ^[3]

In the United States, this concept refers not only to the end result of policies, but more broadly to the decision-making and analysis of governmental decisions. Public policy is also considered an academic discipline, as it is studied by professors and students at public policy schools of major universities throughout the country. The professional association of public policy practitioners, researchers, scholars, and students is the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Contents 1 Government action 2 As an academic discipline 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

Government action

Shaping public policy is a complex and multifaceted 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 supporters and opponents, and mobilizing allies on a particular issue.^[4]

In this context, advocacy can be defined as attempting to influence public policy through education, lobbying, or political pressure. Advocacy groups "often attempt to educate the general public as well as public policy makers about the nature of problems, what legislation is needed to address problems, and the funding required to provide services or conduct research. Although advocacy is viewed as unseemly by some in the professional and research community, it is clear that public policy priorities are influenced by advocacy. Sound research data can be used to educate the public as well as policy makers, thereby improving the public policy process."^[5]

As an academic discipline

As an academic discipline, public policy brings in elements of many social science fields and concepts, including economics, sociology, political economy, program evaluation, policy analysis, and public management, all as applied to problems of governmental administration, management, and operations. At the same time, the study of public policy is distinct from political science or economics, in its focus on the application of theory to practice. While the majority of public policy degrees are master's and doctoral degrees, several universities also offer undergraduate education in public policy.

Examples of institutions offering degrees in public policy are the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California, the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy at Duquesne University, the Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan.

References

1. ^ Wolf, Robert, "Definitions of Policy Analysis"
2. ^ Kilpatrick, Dean, "Definitions of Public Policy and Law"
3. ^ Schuster II, W. Michael, "For the Greater Good: The Use of Public Policy Considerations in Confirming Chapter 11 Plans of Reorganization"
4. ^ Kilpatrick.
5. ^ Kilpatrick

george mason university

See also

• List of public administration schools
• Category:Public administration schools

External links

• Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

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