15. Policymaking

The two primary purposes of government are: to protect the citizens from danger, and to pass policies that achieve specific goals for society. Policies are government statements of what they intend to do or prevent, while public policy refers to actions that the government actually takes to achieve these goals. Policies can be divided into four areas:

Regulatory policies. These are designed to restrict certain behaviors and actions, for example, environmental policies to restrict environmental damage.

Distributive policies. These policies distribute new resources and opportunities, such as building infrastructure or offering agricultural subsidies to improve food production.

Redistributive policies. These policies modify the distribution of existing resources, such as changing the taxation system or establishing state welfare.

Constituent policies. These are designed to change the political system, for example changing the frequency of elections or who can stand for office.

Policymaking is part of a cycle:

Politicians and parties first set an agenda, identifying an aspect of life they want to change.

This informs policy formulation, where specific plans are made.

This becomes policy adoption, where the party officially adopts this sug- gested change.

If in government, the party then implements the policy by making it law.

The policy is then evaluated to see what is working and what needs to be modified.

These modifications and recommendations then help the party set an agenda, and the cycle continues.