American Public Policy Making Process - Paper Example

The public policy-making process refers to the actions carried out by the government in coming up with actionable public policies. These policies aim at improving the lives of the American people. The federal government enacts policies to regulate business operations, protect its people, develop social programs to help the poor in the society and propagate social justice objectives (Andrew, 2002). The US government adopted progressive policy-making which includes building the agenda, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and policy evaluation (Ushistory.org, 2018). These steps follow subsequent stages as identified above because the outcome of one level affects the processes in the next undertakings.

Problem Identification

This is the first stage of American public making process. The problem identified to form the basis of the agenda of the policy. Many issues are affecting United States citizens who form public policy agenda. The problem attracts the attention of the concerned authority which then comes up with a policy to address it. For example, after the Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, leaders realized that the nature of structures contributed to the magnitude of the damage. Therefore, construction policy and building code were put in place to improve the strength of building structure (Colton, 2005).

Policy Formulation

This is the second phase which involves formulating the solutions to the problems identified. At this stage, the next course of actions is designed to provide a lasting solution to the agenda issue. The policy makers will engage in an open discussion, and best approaches suggested to correct the problem at hand. Moreover, the Congress, courts and all other interested groups may get involved in the formulation process. The outcome of this engagement is dependent on whether the policy is valid and addresses the problem efficiently. Additionally, the formulated policy has to be accepted by the political class. This is because politicians have vested interests in the adoption and implementation of these policies.

Policy Adoption

Policy adoption is the stage at which the government adopts it for purposes of future implementation. Once a public policy has been formulated, it is incumbent upon the relevant government institutions to adopt it. However, lobby groups, the Congress, and individuals use their powers to influence the kind of policies adopted and implemented (Howlett, & Ramesh, 2003). For example, the negative media coverage stalled Clintons proposals on health care (Adam, Robert & Robin, 1994).

Policy Implementation

This is the most critical stage of the American public policy-making process. A policy can remain as an idea written in books, but the execution is the actual process making the concept a reality. The policy is put into effect, and the proposed solutions enacted (Marion, & Oliver, 2012). Successful implementation relies on clear-cut communication of the policy needs, and budget allocation to ensure that the integration of the new public policy does not disrupt the existing systems.

Policy Evaluation

This is the last stage of the public policy-making process in the USA. When policies are implemented, they must be evaluated to determine their effectiveness. The evaluation results will decide whether the enacted policy bore the results intended by the management. Systems can be assessed by seeking the feedback from the groups that are directly affected by the administration. Furthermore, the scientific evaluation may as well be used to determine the results brought about these policies and the implementation gap identified if any.

References

Adam C., Robert P., & Robin T., (1994) THE HEALTH CARE DEBATE: What Went Wrong? How the Health Care Campaign Collapsed -- A special report.; For Health Care, Times Was A Killer. P.A13.

Andrew W., (2002) Evidence Based Policy Making: The View from a Centre, Public Policy and Administration, vol. 17:3, 12-28.

Colton, C.E., (2005). An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature. Louisiana State University Press.

Marion, N. E., & Oliver, W. M. (2012). The public policy of crime and criminal justice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Howlett, M., & Ramesh, M. (2003). Studying Public Policy. Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems. 2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ushistory.org (2018, February 2009) Policy Making: Political Interactions, American Government Online Textbook. Retrieved from: http://www.ushistory.org/gov/11.asp