What Is the Purpose of Public Policy?

As we set about doing policy analysis, it is worth pausing to reflect on the purpose of public policy. What is the point of it, what is our overarching objective, and what might success look like? People have different ideas about this. When working as a policy analyst, you will find yourself engaging with colleagues, managers, politicians, and other stakeholders whose vision, purpose, and values may differ from your own. To help you prepare for this, the chapter introduces six big ideas about the purpose of politics and public policy, with summary assessments of their strengths and weaknesses and some implications for public service. In many ways, these different ideas build on and correct one another. They provide different lenses to apply to defining policy problems and identifying and assessing potential solutions. As you advance in your policy career, you can expect to have greater opportunities to engage in explicit discussions with decision-makers about vision and values—and the why as well as the who, what, where, when, and how of policy-making.