Brief Summary
This video explains public policy as the laws, regulations, and actions governments use to address societal issues and achieve goals. It highlights that public policy is a structured approach to managing public resources and addressing societal challenges, reflecting societal values and political ideologies. It also emphasizes that public policy influences social institutions, is shaped by social values and economic conditions, and affects everyday life through various sectors like healthcare and education.
- Public policy includes laws, regulations and guidelines.
- Public policy maintains social order, promotes welfare, and regulates behavior.
- Public policy is shaped by social values, economic conditions, and political forces.
What is Public Policy?
Public policy includes the laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions created and implemented by governments to address societal issues and achieve social and economic goals. It represents the government's decisions on whether to act on specific societal problems or needs. Public policy is a structured approach to managing public resources and addressing societal challenges.
From a sociological perspective, public policy is a key function of the government as a social institution. Governments use it to maintain social order, promote welfare, and regulate behavior in ways that reflect societal values and political ideologies. These policies shape the structure and functioning of other social institutions like education, healthcare, and the economy by setting rules and priorities.
Public policy includes formal elements like constitutions, laws, and judicial decisions, as well as informal practices and administrative regulations. Its effectiveness is measured by its ability to create public value and achieve desired social outcomes. In the context of functionalism, public policy is a mechanism through which the government maintains social equilibrium by regulating social behavior, allocating resources, and addressing social needs.
Public policy is shaped by social values, economic conditions, and political forces, reflecting the interests and power dynamics within society. It affects everyday life through areas like transportation, healthcare, education, and environmental protection. It involves a continuous process of decision-making, implementation, and evaluation to respond to changing social needs and challenges. Public policy is a critical tool through which the government contributes to social order, stability, and the management of societal needs.
