Policy Making Process Paper

The U.S. government’s expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting cross-currents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government’s

Chapter one of American Public Policy, by B. Guy Peters, gives an in depth explanation of what American public policy is. The definition that Peters gives of Public policy is the” sum of government activities whether pursued directly or through agents, as those activities have an influence on the lives of citizens” (4). This definition of public policy can be categorized into three levels that will make differences in citizen’s lives. The first level is policy choices. This level is when, “decisions made by politicians, civil servants, or other granted authority that are directed toward using public power to affect the lives of the citizens” (4). All of these choices that are made by the president, congressman, or others can evolve into a

At the beginning of this article, the author brings up the fields of policy studies, how to understand the policy making and how they

Policymaking is a political process which is affected by various social and economic factors (Hofferbert, 1974) and media systems play an integral role in shaping the social context in which policies are developed. Through the media, citizens learn how government policies will affect them, and governments gain feedback on their policies and programs. Media systems act as the primary channels between those who might want to influence policy and the policymakers '' controlling the scope of political discourse and regulating the flow of information. Textbook policymaking follows an orderly sequence where problems are identified, solutions devised, policies adopted, implemented, and lastly evaluated (Mazamanian & Sabatier, 1989). In reality,

Patient access to affordable health care is an ongoing issue in the United States. The first portion of the policy process involves three different stages, the formulation stage, legislative stage, and the implementation stage. Three main stages exist in the process to transform a topic into a policy (Morone, J. A., Litman, T. J., & Robins, L.S., 2008). Coupled with the implementation stage is an evaluation of all the stages to determine effectiveness and gather information for use in future public health care policy making. In the formulation stage, the ideas, concepts, and information steam from this process of policy making. The

In order to first start a policy process, the problem for which a policy is to be created must be identified and the policy holding a solution to the problem. Researchers and stakeholders will investigate the problem to identify if the policy will reach the policy making agenda. Policies must be to improve society’s health and wellbeing. In the United States (U.S.) public health related issues that require a formulation of a new policy and come from local, state, or federal legislations which ruling govern the provision of health care services and regulations. In this

This is when the public has the chance to get involved in the policy making process.

The guiding principles driving public policy in America have dramatically changed since the founding, especially in terms of the proper role of government. What the Framers considered to be the appropriate power and scope of the federal government differs greatly from those who defended the New Deal. While both the Framers and the defenders of the New Deal cherished freedom, those in support of FDR’s legislation expanded the idea of freedom to include such things as the freedom from want. To implement this new idea of freedom, they required an expanded scope of the federal government, which they achieved. But neither system worked in the long run or even the short run, leaving America with a broken system in need of reform and the question

While it may be true that government institutions have the authority to pass a policy, the point often overlooked, is that the people on the political level have the say to whether they agree or disagree to passing a policy. The citizens of the United States lived on the principle that authority of the government is base on the consent of the people. If the consent of governing and participation of the citizens are ignored, we would fail to have a democratic government. People outside of the government are the ones who are expressing their concerns to the government and it is the responsibility of the officials in the government, to take actions of addressing the issues, resolving the issues, and implementing policies that cater to the majority of the people. Interest groups and unions who have the majority support from the citizens can have a stronger leverage in voicing their public opinions through social movements, voting campaigns, and elections that can lead for a policy to be put into place. As a result, executive officials are more likely to seek attention to those with popular support within interest groups or unions as a way to gain popularity in voting’s. Majority vote from the parties and groups have the say to what policy is needed to be address, passed, and implemented into the bill. It is essential that parties, interest groups, and unions are aligned and work together with government officials. Otherwise, if government officials commit tyranny, it could lead for an overthrow of the officials. Regardless of which political level to be the most powerful, it is essential to understand that public policy requires full cooperation and passionate efforts from all levels consisting from governmental, political, and

Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2015). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN:

Congress has responded to the public outcry for action in the face of unacceptable suicide rates and has passed multiple pieces of legislation aimed at correcting the problem. The 2007 Joshua Omvig Bill directed the VA to develop “data systems to increase understanding of suicide among Veterans and inform both the VA and other suicide prevention programs” (Veterans Affairs, 2012, p. 7). In 2015, President Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act into Law, requiring the VA to “make it easier for veterans to find mental health resources, do more to recruit and retain professionals” and to increase “accountability for the government programs serving them” (Baker, 2015, para. 2). This recent legislation tends to be

Purpose of / Need for the Policy: Our school has high expectations for academic success and conduct, that are clearly outlined, assessable, and no excuses are made because of the upbringing of students. Students, teachers, parents, and staff initiate and reinforce a culture of achievement and encouragement with a range of formal rewards and consequences for behavior and academic performance.

It’s really quite hard to have achieved impeccable, and stable government, it took a while for us to get it right. Maybe it is impossible, but whatever it is that Europe, Canada, China, Japan, and us Americans seem to be doing at least works pretty well. Albeit, that isn’t always the case. For example, just take a good look at North Korea, I wouldn’t intrust Kim Jong-un with anything, need it be watching $20 for an hour, or let alone an entire government. So here you are, "Catch! it's a government seed. The last one of them all! your incharge of the last of the government seeds, and government trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new government, treat it with care. Give it clean water, and feed it fresh air, Grow a new system, protect it from politicians that hack. Then your government leader, and all of his friends, will come back”.

Throughout times, democracy has emerged as the best political way to rule a country. Within democratic systems, citizens have to vote for people who will represent them in the decision-making system. The question that John Kingdon wanted to understand in his writing of How Do Issues Get on Public Agendas? is how the legislative process and the public policies are made. John Kingdon well illustrates the processes by which an issue becomes policy issue, named the Cohen-March-Olsen, and the coming together of three processes. In the Cohen-March-Olsen, Kingdon proposed three stream: problem-recognition, policy stream of proposals and political stream.

Simply defining policy is a plan of action, is a little too simplistic, the idea of policy must be explored at a greater depth if policy analysis is to have any real impact. Stephen Bell, (1993) states that policy exists in a number of formats. This first being “policy as text”, policies are the result of a great deal of debate and compromises that