Public policy addresses specific challenges through government action. There are eight steps to making public policy: 1) making assumptions, 2) setting the agenda, 3) deciding to act, 4) deciding how much to do, 5) choosing a tool like spending, taxes, or regulations, 6) deciding who will deliver goods or services like federal, state, or private groups, 7) making implementation rules, and 8) running the program. Public policy can be distributive, redistributive, or counterdistributive depending on if it gives benefits to all, takes from some and gives to others, or takes from all to solve a problem.

1. Public Policy
AP Government

2. What is it?
Government action to address a specific challenge.

3. What are today’s
challenges?

4. Politics and
Policy

5. Types of Public
Policy
 Distributive policy (new
benefits are given to all
citizens)
 Redistributive policy
(resources taken from one
group and given to
another—zero sum game)
 Counterdistributive policy
(resources taken from
everyone to solve a specific
problem—Social Security)

6. The Eight
Steps in
Making
Public
Policy
1. Making assumptions about the
world
2. Setting the agenda
• Nondecision
• Policy agenda
• Think tanks
3. Deciding to act
4. Deciding how much to do
• Incremental policy
• Punctuating policy
• Iron triangles
• Issue networks

7. The Eight
Steps in
Making
Public
Policy
5. Choosing a tool
 Federal spending
 Use of taxes
 Providing goods and services
 Guarantee protection against risk
 Regulations and rules
 Provision of both material and symbolic benefits
6. Deciding who will deliver the goods or services
 Federal government
 “Third-party government”
 Private businesses
 Colleges and universities
 State and local governments
 Charities
7. Making rules for implementation
 Federal Register
8. Running the program

8. Pages in the
Federal
Register

9. Policy-Making
Alliances
IronTrianglesFederal department or
agency
Interest groups
House and/or Senate
authorizing committee
Issue Networks
Federal department
or agency
House and/or Senate
authorizing committee
= Small,
highly
specialized
interest
groups