Unit Warm-Up

In this unit we will look at how the policymakers, Congress, the president, the federal bureaucracy and the federal courts, put policies into effect to solve problems Americans face. The decision-making process is not always an easy one. Consider the roles of the policymakers and the linkage institutions, the media, political parties, and special interest groups play in the public policy cycle.

What is Agenda Setting?

Before public policy can be formulated to address an issue, it must gain attention and get on the agenda. How do problems get on the policy agenda in order for leaders to take action?

What is Policy Formulation?

Once agreement has been made that action needs to be taken, a policy must be created. Who participates in the creation of policy? And now is the policy created?

What is Policy Implementation?

Now that a policy has been formulated, it’s necessary to put it into action. Who implements the policy and how do they carry through to solve the original problem?

What is Policy Evaluation?

Once the policy is implemented, it’s important to evaluate the results to determine how successful the policy is at solving the original problem. Who evaluates public policy? Why is it important to evaluate the effects of public policy?

What is Policy Change?

Based on what was learned in the evaluation of the policy, it might be necessary to revise the policy. Why make changes to a policy? What factors lead to policy changes?

What is Policy Termination?

In some cases policies have unintended consequences or outgrown their usefulness. When should policies be ended? What factors lead to those changes?

Some public policy will change incrementally or "around the margins." In this type of policy change, small steps are taken to revise existing policy focusing on achieving a particular means. Many alternatives are attempted in a series of attacks on the problem with the idea that one or a combination of policies will address the problem.

Other policy changes occur in a more dramatic fashion. When the problem is easily separated from other issues and the goals and objectives are clearly identifiable, policymakers may use a rational-comprehensive approach to creating policy. They consider all possible alternatives and investigate the various consequences of those approaches. Then they select the best policy that has the maximum chance for success