An Introduction to Public Policy: Introduction

Book Chapter | in An introduction to Australian public policy : theory and practice , by Maddison, Sarah, author., Denniss, Richard, author., Second edition., Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013

Policy always involve competing interests between competing parties, whether that be political parties or even society, to help aid society in any situation that has arose. Policy actors include government workers and officials, members of NGO’s, associations, unions, lobbyists, and those from educational institutions. Policies have a causal relationship with the environment, as every policy implemented affects the lives of citizens and every aspect of that life, too.

As the two main types, policy can be as cut-and-dry as either an authoritative choice or a structured interaction, or more interwoven of the two. The authoritative type follows policy as a form of reason and rational explanation and analysis of current events and the way to solve any issues surrounding it. It hinders itself on empirical, objective data and is, by name suggests, implemented by the highest level of authority, usually being the prime minister (as Australia follows). Structured interaction however, sees that link between an authoritative figure and society as more of a horizontal, linear line. In this form, society influences and works with government and vice versa, with the policy often being the result of both subjective and objective data taken place like surveys to ensure the correct approach.

Policy can also be seen classified as:

→ Substantive: Decisions that are made surrounding environmental, societal, and security issues

→ Procedural: Decisions that are made surrounding laws, governance, jurisdiction of areas, and authority.

→ Distributive: Decisions that are made surrounding the government’s resources allocation towards society that are beneficial to majority.

→ Redistributive: Decisions that are made surrounding wealth, wage, and tax allocation.

→ Regulatory: Decisions that are made surrounding societal norms in order to keep the individual, and therefore society as a whole, in line.

→ Material: Decisions that are made surrounding the allocation of tangible resources to benefit society.

→ Symbolic: Decisions that are made surrounding benefiting society through promoting and appealing to societal values and ideals.

→ Reflexive: Decisions that are made surrounding the construction, creation, and output of policy and how it is regulated throughout each aspect of society.

→ Production-concerned: Decisions that are made surrounding bettering the welfare of citizens by putting economical structures in place.

→ Distribution-concerned: Decisions that are made surrounding the allocation of wealth between all sectors of society to ensure inequalities are diminished.

→ Consumption-concerned: Decisions that are made surrounding the goods and services consumption rate and the wealth that comes out of it but also the decline it has on the overall societal welfare.

→ Identity-concerned: Decisions that are made surrounding low-stream nationalism and how the population of that society is defined as one nation without being discriminatory towards diverse, indigenous groups.