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Politics & Government vocabulary · Policy and Public Debate

Public policy

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

nounCommon term

In politics & government, public policy means: The decisions, plans and actions of government on issues that affect the public, such as health, education, transport and the environment; also the academic study of these.

In Turkish: kamu politikası, kamu politikaları

How it is used

Used in universities, think tanks and government. People study, analyse, shape or evaluate public policy. Degree programmes are often called Public Policy or Public Administration, and researchers write policy papers and policy briefs.

Example sentences

  1. She has a master's degree in public policy and works for a research institute.

  2. Good public policy depends on reliable data.

Common collocations

  • public policy research
  • shape public policy
  • evaluate public policy
  • public policy debate
  • policyA plan or set of principles that a government, party or organization adopts to deal with a particular issue, such as education, housing or energy.
  • reformA change to a law, system or institution that is intended to improve it, such as changes to the tax, pension or education system.
  • interest groupAn organized group, such as a trade union, business association or charity, that tries to influence government policy in favour of a particular cause or part of society.
  • lobbyingOrganized efforts by companies, organizations or interest groups to influence the decisions of politicians and officials, for example by meeting them or providing information.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Policy and Public Debate

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