.Federal Government
Notes: “The policy-making process”
Public policy can be defined as a plan of actions planned by the government to solve a problem
or to express a purpose/goal. The policy-making process involves 5 stages:
1) Agenda setting: the question to frame at this stage is to identify what the problem is.
Problems become matters of public concern (For example, prior to the Affordable Care
Act, a lot of people didn’t have access to health insurance).
2) Policy formulation: once the problem has been identified, there is a need to develop
formal plans or strategies to deal with the problem.
3) Policy adoption: It is the official decision of a government to create/pass a policy and to
put it into effect. The policy responds to the problem that was previously acknowledged.
There are different mechanisms on how to adopt a policy:
a. Legislative process (chapter 12): The Congress passes a bill
Example: The Affordable Care Act (see textbook chapter 17, public policy on
health care)
Every Student Succeeds Act to replace No Child Left Behind Act
(chapter 17, public policy on education)
b. Executive orders by the President
Example: Executive order # 13769 issued on 01/27/2017, known as the “travel
ban”. Executive orders can be accessed at: www.whitehouse.gov
c. Court decisions by different federal courts or Supreme Court of Justice
Example: ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing the same-sex marriage in
the case Obergefell v. Hodges.
d. Regulations by federal agencies
Example: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when in 2009 announced
standards for greenhouse emissions for automobiles under the Clean Air Act (see
textbook p. 664/665).
4) Policy implementation: It involves how policies are carried-out not just by the
government but by individuals and groups as well.
5) Policy Evaluation: Assessment/results of the policy.
For the final research project, students need to write a research project analyzing the 5 stages of
the policy-making process on a current public policy of your choice.
Agenda setting
Policy formulation
Policy adoption
Policy implementation
Policy evaluation
The textbook provides information on different policies. It could be a social policy, on education,
health, environment, etc. If you are not sure if the policy that you chose is correct, please send
me a Bb message. Your paper must be at least 5 pages long, double spaced, with one-inch
margins, and include at least three sources of information.
