Hey there, Justin here. Welcome back to civics. In American government people often
look to the president as a source of guidance and strength, or due to the nature of party politics,
criticize and blame the president for the issues our nation faces. This dynamic exists in part due
to something called public policy. The executive branch of government steers the nation in a
particular direction at any given point in time and what moves the nation in that direction is
policy. But public policy is often the result of years of debate, experimentation in lower levels
of government, and pressure from many different sources. Today we're going to define public policy
as well as explain its basic role in American life. You'll also get to see a preview of what
to expect in Unit 6. So without further ado, let's get down to business, down to government, yeah.
In our last unit, we learned all about America's two-party system, the campaign process,
and how all of its financed. Party politics greatly influenced how we approach issues as a
nation and at times, how we identify those issues. We learned that although people tend to generalize
either side as liberal or conservative, it's a bit more complicated than that. It really
has to do with the current legal status of any given issue. As a society grows and changes,
certain laws need to change and new ones need to be created.
After all, we haven't always had trains, or the internet, or nuclear bombs. In general,
public policy is the application of the legislative decisions that we make, decisions
that can have a tremendous impact on our daily lives. So let's look at what that means exactly.
Public policy is a course of action described by a set of rules created by a government's department,
agency, and or commission designed to produce particular outcomes in which the public,
or a specific portion of the public, is impacted. Or to put it more simply, the legislative branch
says that they want something done and then the executive branch goes out and does the
thing. It's called public because the thing being done impacts society at large. Whichever
organization is empowered to create these rules are first identified and then authorized to do so
by the legislative branch through a law. The particular organization depends on the particular
aspect of life that's being affected. For example, let's pretend that congress just passed a law in
which they provide students across America with digital tools or wi-fi. In the law they
identify the Department of Education to create the rules that would allow them to execute the law.
These rules enable real action by describing a distinct set of processes to follow.
Elected officials aren't always experts in specific areas therefore,
legislators through legislation and executives through executive orders
empower specific parts of the government bureaucracy to create specific rules and
guidelines. These rules and guidelines are called administrative rules and regulations,
they order and enact the policies that try to create these desired outcomes. They're created
and issued by the executive branches at different levels of government. Word alert! Administrative
rules and regulations are officially published agency regulations that have the force and effect
of law. Generally, these rules elaborate the requirements of a law or policy. Not only does
the federal government create these rules, but each state also has its own set of administrative
rules which are passed by the state legislature. So when the department of education comes up with
a way to get all those digital tools to students, they are in fact making administrative rules.
Remember in Unit 3, we went over the federal bureaucracy?
See if you could find those notes. Pause the video if you need to.
People refer to bureaucracies as the fourth branch because of their ability to create administrative
rules. As the bureaucracies grow, it theoretically gives executives greater power, but keep in mind
some of these, such as the FEC, are independent and thus, relatively free from direct executive
influence. As society has grown more complex, greater levels of policy have emerged in response.
For example, today we face a number of issues such as the impact of social media
on our own self-image, the way we connect, and the flow of and access to information.
Parts of the executive branch such as the Federal Communication Commission have overseen other media
such as TV and print sources, but how does it interact with internet companies? A mixture of
elected officials and unelected officials are determining the nature of this policy and thus,
play an increasing role in our everyday life. This requires us, the citizens, to pay close attention
and ask some difficult questions. Public policy can also be created through landmark cases. For
example, brown versus the board of education led to the desegregation of public facilities.
It can also stem from inaction. For example, in 2004 congress allowed a ban on assault rifles
to expire. It's time to show what you know! What is policy? What are administrative rules?
How does policy influence our daily lives?
So many issues, so many governments, so many different parts of governments.
All working in different ways to create and implement policy to deal with an increasingly
complex world. In Unit 6 we try to sort it out by separating policy into two distinct spheres:
Foreign and Domestic. This helps us separate the different actors
responsible for creating policy. Then, we look at the non-government actors that influence policy,
the reasons for their input and its impact on us. There are many applying pressure to the process.
Lobbyists and special interest groups, think tanks, political parties, the media, and
us. This will also raise some important questions like, Are all the different policies necessary? Do
some of them distort democracy and disempower the citizenry? Is the process transparent?
How are responsible political actors held responsible for the consequences intended or not
of policies? And finally, how do we ensure that our voice remains a part of the process?
Time for a show what you know! How is policy divided and why is this division useful? What
are some of the influences on policy and what are some of the questions these influences bring up?
Today we defined policy as a course of action and learned that many different
parts of government are involved in its creation. Policy as the direction of the nation greatly
influences everyday life. Finally, there are many non-government actors influencing policy which
means citizens must pay attention. Well that's it for today folks. Join us next time as we take a
deep dive into the world of domestic policy. Till then don't forget to vote, debate, participate.