Policy has been a key term that many people have used in their daily dialogue. However, few people have stepped back to understand the meaning behind the term policy. Policy is a proposal about a given way in which things should be carried out. This means that policy is an idea about a course of operation that has not been implemented yet. In addition, policy is adopted through a consensus and a contract between the parties involved. This paper will focus on policy as per the field of political science and government.
In politics legislators are bestowed with the responsibility of formulating policies. Policies in this case would refer to a desired course of action that the electorate would like to see implement. The policies that are formulated by legislators are not based on their own interests but are based on the needs of both the interests of the electorate and that of their parties. This means that partisan principles play a key role in the process of formulating policy. For example members of the GOP in the United States are more likely to support policies that are geared towards limited government and the protection of limited government. When a policy that is of the contrary is brought to the floor of the house members of the GOP are likely to water down such a policy. This means that the formulation of policies is based on principles and agreements between the people involved (Miller, 2004, p.52).A policy cannot be termed as being complete if it lacks a support base that is routing for the adoption of such as a proposed action.
Policies are not formulated in any circumstance. There has to be an event or an occurrence that prompts people to lobby for a given policy. Events or an occurrence leading to the formulation of a given policy is called a policy window. For example, prior to 9/11 in the United States policies regarding security would not have been viewed as being important. Therefore, there was no way that government officials and legislators would focus on such policies at the time because they did not have much significance to the electorate. However, after 9/11, there was a policy window that allow for different policies regarding security to be proposed and formulated. For example, it was after 9/11 that the Department of Civil Defense was dissolved and replaced with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which was more proactive in countering terrorism (Treverton, 2010, 44). 9/11 therefore acted as a policy window for policy makers to adopt policies that were in line with the reconceptualization of the notion of security in the United States.
It is also important to note that note all policies that are proposed are found to be viable. There are people whose main purpose is to make sure that their policies are adopted and made into law. These people are referred to as policy entrepreneurs. Policy entrepreneurs have different policies handy but wait until there is a policy window so that they can be able to lobby for the adoption of their proposals as policies. For example, before 9/11 security at the airports was not as tight as it is today. This is because policy entrepreneurs lobbied for the securitization of sectors such as airports which were initially not considered as being sensitive security areas (Bolton, 2008, p.37). Therefore, policy entrepreneurs are the people who are behind the lobbying of various policies in the political and socio-economic spheres.
In conclusion policies are proposals about how things should be done. Policies are adopted through contracts and agreements between policy makers and the people whom they serve. Policies are formulated when a policy window arises because at such a time policies are needed. The people who are involved in the giving proposals about different policies are called policy entrepreneurs.
References
Bolton, M. K. (2008). U.S. national security and foreign policymaking after 9/11: present at the re-creation. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Miller, M. C., & Barnes, J. (2004). Making policy, making law: an interbranch perspective. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
Treverton, G. F. (2010). Making policy in the shadow of the future. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
