Question

The policy-makingprocess involves branches of goverment along woth private entities such as interest groups.Select a health issue of interest and describe the process of policy making from identification of the problem to policy implementation.

Answer 1

Ans) Few issues actually make it onto policy agendas but those that do are often a result of public outcry, crises, and the lobbying efforts of important interest groups.
- Issues must become agenda items for policymaking bodies, like legislatures and administrative agencies, in order to proceed into the next stages of the policy process.
- Policy agendas are ephemeral and can easily be replaced by other issues when crises arise.

- For example, a problem encountered by a major political campaign donor can move a given issue more quickly onto the agenda than a problem encountered by a small interest group without great political clout.

- In other instances, issues can move into the public spotlight and be forced onto the policy agenda by the amount of attention and public outcry they receive. The media can be particularly effective in accomplishing this task. For example, widespread reporting on the number of Americans affected by tainted eggs and spinach moved the food safety system onto the policy agenda and resulted in a law that allocated greater authority to the Food and Drug Administration. The media can also keep issues off of the policy agenda by giving the impression that an issue does not require resolution through the policy process.