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An In-Depth Look at Public Policy Issues and 5 Examples

Public policy issues encompass a wide range of challenges that societies face and require government intervention to address them. These issues can vary in nature and scope, covering areas such as social, economic, environmental, and governance-related concerns. Public policy plays a vital role in identifying, analyzing, and implementing strategies to tackle these issues effectively. Let’s explore public policy with definition and some examples of public policy issues to gain a better understanding:

Table of Contents

Public Policy Definition

Public policy is a broad term that refers to the decisions taken by a government in order to address specific public issues, such as taxation, healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Public policy is typically created through a process of political decision-making involving legislators, government officials, and policy analysts. The goal of public policy is to promote the collective well-being of citizens, businesses, and society as a whole.

It refers to the decisions, actions, and guidelines adopted by governments to promote public welfare, address societal issues, and achieve specific goals. Public policy encompasses a wide range of areas, including economic development, social welfare, education, healthcare, environmental protection , and more. 

Must Read- Exploring the 8 Essential Characteristics of Public Policy

It involves a systematic process of policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, drawing upon research, stakeholder consultations, and political considerations.

By setting the direction and framework for governance, public policy influences the allocation of resources, the provision of public services, and the overall well-being of individuals and communities. Effective public policy is essential for tackling pressing issues, promoting social justice, fostering economic growth, and ensuring a sustainable future.

Public Policy examples

  • Universal Healthcare: This policy aims to provide healthcare coverage and services to all citizens of a country or region. It typically involves the establishment of a government-run healthcare system or the expansion of existing public healthcare programs. Universal healthcare policies strive to ensure that everyone has access to necessary medical care, regardless of their financial means or pre-existing conditions.
  • Gun Control : Gun control policies focus on regulating the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of firearms. These policies vary widely across countries and jurisdictions, but they often include background checks for gun buyers, restrictions on certain types of weapons, waiting periods, and licensing requirements. The goal of gun control policies is to enhance public safety, reduce gun-related violence, and prevent unauthorized access to firearms.
  • Minimum Wage: Minimum wage policies establish a legally mandated wage floor that employers must pay to their workers. The minimum wage is typically set by the government and varies depending on the region or industry. The purpose of minimum wage policies is to ensure that workers receive a fair and livable wage, promote income equality, and protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.
  • Environmental Regulations: Environmental regulations are policies that aim to protect the environment, natural resources, and public health. These regulations can cover various areas, such as air and water quality standards, waste management, emissions controls, and conservation efforts. The objective of environmental regulations is to prevent pollution, mitigate climate change, preserve ecosystems, and promote sustainable practices.
  • Education Reform: Education reform policies focus on improving the quality and accessibility of education systems. These policies may include changes to curriculum standards, teacher training and evaluation, school funding, and the promotion of innovative teaching methods. Education reform policies aim to enhance educational outcomes, reduce achievement gaps, and equip students with the necessary skills for future success.

It’s important to note that these examples represent a small fraction of the numerous public policies that exist, and policies can vary significantly across different countries and regions.

Must Read- The Crucial Link Between Public Policy and Administration

Public Policy Issues

Public policy issues encompass a wide range of challenges and concerns that societies face. Here are five examples of public policy issues that are commonly addressed by governments and policymakers:

  • Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability: Climate change poses significant threats to ecosystems, natural resources, and human well-being. Public policy efforts focus on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy sources, preserving biodiversity, and implementing sustainable practices to combat climate change and ensure environmental sustainability.
  • Income Inequality and Poverty: Addressing income inequality and poverty is a crucial public policy issue. Governments work to design and implement policies such as progressive taxation, social welfare programs, minimum wage regulations, and job creation initiatives to reduce poverty, narrow income gaps, and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
  • Healthcare Access and Affordability: Public policy plays a vital role in ensuring access to quality healthcare services for all individuals. Policies focus on expanding healthcare coverage, improving healthcare infrastructure, regulating pharmaceutical costs, promoting preventive care, and addressing health disparities among different populations.
  • Education Quality and Access: Public policy efforts are directed toward improving the quality of education and ensuring equitable access for all individuals. Policies focus on enhancing teacher training, curriculum development, school infrastructure, and increasing educational opportunities for marginalized communities, thereby fostering inclusive and quality education.
  • Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: With the rapid growth of digital technologies, cybersecurity, and data privacy have become significant policy concerns. Governments work to establish regulations and standards to protect individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure from cyber threats, while also safeguarding personal data and ensuring privacy rights.
  • Immigration: Crafting policies to address immigration challenges, including comprehensive immigration reform, border security measures, and pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
  • Criminal Justice Reform: Develop policies to address issues of mass incarceration, promote rehabilitation over punishment, and reduce recidivism rates through initiatives like sentencing reform, diversion programs, and police accountability measures.

Must Read- Importance of Public Policy-10 Points Need to Know

These examples highlight the diverse and pressing nature of public policy issues. Effective public policy requires thorough analysis, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based decision-making. It involves balancing competing interests, considering long-term implications, and promoting the overall welfare of society. Ultimately, successful public policy strives to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all.

In conclusion, public policy issues are complex challenges that societies face and require careful consideration and action. They encompass a wide range of areas, from healthcare and education to environmental protection and economic regulation. These issues often involve competing interests and values, making the policymaking process challenging and demanding. However, public policy is essential for shaping the direction of society and addressing its most pressing problems.

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How COVID-19 has changed public policy

From the end of austerity policies to the worrying rise of compulsory digitalization, Harvard Kennedy School faculty see a world changed by the coronavirus pandemic.

For months, the coronavirus has crawled across the globe. One person at a time, it has passed through millions, reaching every corner of the earth. And it has not only infected people, but every aspect of our human cultures. Policymakers and the public sector face their biggest test in generations—some say ever—as lives and livelihoods hang in a terrible, delicate balance. Facing health crises, economic collapse, social and political disruption, we try to take stock of what the pandemic has done and will do. We asked Harvard Kennedy School faculty, in fields ranging from climate change to international development, from democracy to big power relations, to tell us how this epochal event has changed the world.

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Democratizing Work

Julie Battilana headshot.

As the United States and countries around the world consider re-opening after COVID-19, we are faced with a crucial question: Is our current societal model working and, if not, what kind of societal model do we want for tomorrow? Staying the course would be a recipe for disaster. The current levels of social and economic inequality both globally and locally have become untenable, and the current pandemic only reinforces these inequalities. Moreover, we are pushing the limits of what our natural world can endure. The status quo must change if we hope to survive the combined health, social, economic, political, and environmental crises at hand.

In May, Isabelle Ferreras, Dominique Méda, and I joined forces to ask a simple question: What can we learn from the crises that we are facing? At the time, admittedly, our thinking was focused on making it through the COVID-19 period only. And yet, the solution we put forth in a joint manifesto , which has now been signed by 5,000 academics around the world, outlines a solution—democratizing work— that we hope can contribute to fighting the health, economic, social, and political crises stemming from COVID-19, as well as the longstanding crisis of anti-Black racism, for which calls for change have intensified in the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.

What these crises are first and foremost teaching us is that humans never were and are not resources. They invest their lives, their time, and their sweat to serve the organizations that they work for and their customers. As we say in the manifesto itself, workers are not one type of stakeholder among many: they hold the keys to their employers’ success. Without workers, there would be no manufacturing plant, no deliveries, no production. All workers are essential. They are thus the core constituency of the firm. And, yet they remain excluded from participating in the government of their workplaces—a right that is still monopolized by capital investors. This exclusion is unfair and unsustainable and it prevents organizations from reaping the benefits of workplace democracy.

What I have seen in my research is that workplace democracy may well be critical to the success of corporations in the future. I have been studying organizations that pursue social and environmental objectives alongside financial ones for more than a decade. It is time we turn to these organizations and learn from their work as the economy as a whole transitions towards setting clear goals for employee well-being, and environmental and social metrics, alongside financial performance. My research reveals a critical link to workplace democracy: organizations that are more democratic—that give a voice to their workers—are better at staying the course and pursuing these multiple objectives.

Finally, democratizing workplaces is one of the most promising avenues for creating more just (including more racially just) workplaces where all workers—workers of color, women, workers with disabilities—have real control over resources, and an actual say, as equals in the governance of their organizations. By giving employees representation in decision-making bodies and the right to participate and control their organization’s strategic decisions, we can collectively build institutions that are truly equitable and fair.

Julie Battilana is Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School; Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; and the founder and faculty chair of the Social Innovation and Change Initiative .

The Rainy Day Is Here

Linda Bilmes headshot.

The single best way to strengthen the national economy right now is to help reboot local economies, which are reeling from the economic fallout of the pandemic. The United States has 90,000 jurisdictions—including cities, towns, school districts, and transit systems—that together provide the public with schools, water, sanitation, trash collection, fire safety, emergency medical response, and infrastructure. 

Local governments are now on the front line in fighting the pandemic: responsible for organizing local testing, contact tracing, treatment and isolation programs, buying protective equipment, and setting up a system to eventually deliver a vaccine. But their revenues have collapsed—and will be hit even harder in the new fiscal year that started July 1.  

State revenues are a mixture of sales and income taxes, federal aid and user fees. Following the 2008 financial crisis, most states prudently set aside “rainy day funds” in order to improve their balance sheets. This time the revenue shortfall will be far deeper and will quickly deplete these funds. Many revenue-producing activities—such as tourism, international airports, conventions, and sporting events—are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels for years. States that entered the pandemic in a poor fiscal position are especially vulnerable. And, unlike the federal government, states must balance their budgets. 

Meanwhile, local communities face an existential crisis. Revenues from sales taxes and user charges (tolls, parking fines, hotel and restaurant taxes, and the like) have dried up. And across America, small businesses—many of which are minority and women owned—are failing. Local governments will face a second fiscal crisis if property values fall, leading to a decline in property taxes.

State and local governments have already laid off 1.5 million employees, most of them teachers. A further 1.5 million are in danger of losing their jobs next month. Congress has provided some $200 billion in aid to states, but this is no match for the estimated $1.3 trillion revenue shortfall expected over the next three years. The Federal Reserve’s $500 billion Municipal Lending Facility is welcome, but it is only available to states and very large jurisdictions and must be repaid within three years. This will not help thousands of medium-sized communities that wish to issue longer-term debt to finance critical infrastructure projects that generate jobs.

States and municipalities are already taking steps to mitigate the damage. These include restructuring their balance sheets, entering into regional recovery efforts, carefully examining operating costs, adopting job-shares, monetizing fixed assets, pruning overheads and working closely with community banks. But at the end of the day, these efforts alone will not be enough to prevent cuts in vital local services that often fall on the most vulnerable. If night bus routes are curtailed, the night-shift nurse will be left standing outside the hospital waiting longer to get home.

Studies conducted in the 2008 crisis showed that each dollar invested this way produced a return to GDP of $1.3 to $1.55. In the current environment, we need to strengthen local communities by providing a flexible program of cash-flow assistance and long-term liquidity to states and localities.

Linda Bilmes is Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy.

Everyone Stays Home

Juliette Kayyem headshot.

The nexus between work and home has raised some interesting questions about how we prioritize “care,” mainly child care, as a critical infrastructure that needs to be prioritized in any crisis management response. We often think about a disaster, such as a hurricane or earthquake, as impacting water or food supply, or an electrical gird. But what if the response to the crisis is everyone—absolutely everyone—stays home. We can wish for an “opening up” but if our kids are home—if we haven’t figured out the school and even college issue—then it all seems rather besides the point.

Juliette Kayyem is Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security.

The End of Austerity?

Jason Furman headshot.

The economic response to the pandemic by the United States and other advanced economies has been faster and larger than anything we have ever seen before, including both dramatic policies by central banks and extraordinary actions by fiscal policymakers. As a result, household incomes are actually up not down in many countries, and while consumer spending has fallen, at least in the United States it has fallen by a lot less than it did in the financial crisis. If policymakers follow through (in the United States this means extending) the assistance after its slated expiration, this could be a real demonstration that early, large and sustained fiscal policy responses can be successful in protecting families from the worst ravages of recessions and getting the economy back on track more quickly. Instead of the debates over austerity in the wake of the financial crisis, we might have broad agreement on the critical role of fiscal and monetary expansions after this crisis.

Jason Furman is Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy.

The Perfect Storm

Ricardo Hausmann headshot.

COVID-19 is causing the biggest economic downturn that developing countries have ever seen. Governments and the international community have prepared for a tropical storm, but it increasingly looks like a Category 5 hurricane. They need to act and they need to act fast to assure that the government is adequately financed to withstand the collapse in tax revenues and the need for increased health and social expenditures. Absence of such action will lead to a combination of currency, debt, and banking crises. Recovery from such avoidable events is slow and painful. 

Ricardo Hausmann is Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy.

It Will Never Be the Same

Lawrence Summers headshot.

COVID-19 is the most important development in my professional lifetime. The 1918 pandemic, the 1929 economic decline, the 1968 social implosion and the Andrew Johnson presidency all at once is how it’s been described. Labor markets, financial markets and international relations will never be the same.

Lawrence Summers is Charles W. Eliot University Professor.

The Tide Is Rolling Back

Rema Hanna headshot.

COVID-19 is a game-changer for much of the developing and emerging countries of the world, and not in a good way. 

COVID-19 hotspots are flaring up in many low-income countries. And, while it is challenging to combat the disease in developed countries, developing ones face even graver challenges. Combatting spread is difficult. Social distancing remains near impossible in the dense mega-cities. The lack of clean water in many poorer towns and villages prevents effective handwashing techniques. For those who do become ill, health systems are less developed, with fewer hospital beds and medical personnel per citizen, less technology, and less equipment and personal protective equipment.

But, it is not just the disease that will have a human toll. The corresponding slowing of the global economy from the pandemic is leading to unemployment and food insecurity. For the first time in over 20 years, we expect that global poverty will rise. This, in turn, may roll back gains in nutrition, education, and preventative health.

Rema Hanna is Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies.

A Dangerous Turn

Nicholas Burns headshot.

We are facing the most consequential set of challenges since the Great Depression and World War II. The United States, in particular, is at a dangerous turning point facing four fundamental crises:

  • The Coronavirus Crisis: With more than 120,000 Americans dead, inadequate testing and irresolute federal leadership, we are not well organized for a possible second wave;
  • The Economic Crisis: More Americans are unemployed now than any time since 1933 with no clear administration plan to encourage a recovery;
  • The Racial Crisis: There is nothing more dangerous to our future than continued domestic dysfunction, especially denial of justice to African Americans and other minority groups;
  • The Leadership Crisis: President Trump has failed to address these and other crises. His active attempt to divide Americans on race is the most disgraceful act by an American president in our lifetime. On this issue alone, he should be defeated on November 3.

There is hope. Americans have taken to the streets in the largest peaceful demonstrations in recent decades. Our businesses and universities lead the world in the digital age. The courts, career public servants in Washington, and the military leadership are defending democracy. Our students are ready to lead and to write the next chapter in the American story.

Nicholas Burns is Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations

Global Trends and Foreign Policy

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. headshot.

Will the COVID-19 pandemic change or accelerate pre-existing global trends? Many commentators predict the end of the era of globalization that prospered under U.S. leadership since 1945. Some see a turning point at which China surpasses the United States as a global power. Certainly, there will be major changes in many economic and social dimensions of world politics, but humility is in order. One must be wary of assuming that big causes have predictable big effects. For example, the 1918–1919 flu pandemic killed more people than World War I, yet the major global changes were a consequence of the war, not the disease.

Globalization—defined as interdependence across continents—is the result of changes in the technologies of transportation and communication which are unlikely to stop. Some aspects of economic globalization such as trade will be curtailed, but while economic globalization is influenced by the laws of governments, other aspects of globalization such as pandemics and climate change are determined by the laws of biology and physics. Walls, weapons, and tariffs do not stop their transnational effects.

Thus far American foreign policy has responded by denial and blaming others rather than taking the lead on international cooperation. On a speculative counterfactual, imagine an American administration taking its cue from the post-1945 U.S. presidents I describe in Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump . For example, the United States could launch a massive COVID-19 aid program—a medical version of the Marshall Plan. Instead of competing in propaganda, leaders could articulate the importance of power with rather than over others and set up bilateral and multilateral frameworks to enhance cooperation. Recurrent waves of COVID-19 will affect poorer countries less able to cope and a developing-world reservoir will hurt everyone if it spills northward in a seasonal resurgence. In 1918, the second wave of the pandemic killed more people than the first. Both for self-interested and humanitarian reasons, the United States could lead the G-20 in generous contributions to a major new COVID-19 fund that is open to all poor countries. If a U.S. president were to choose such cooperative and soft-power-enhancing policies, it might create a geopolitical turning point to a better world. More likely, however, the new coronavirus will simply accelerate existing trends toward nationalist populism, authoritarianism, and tense relations between the United States and China. 

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus.

Sounding a Retreat

Stephen Walt headshot.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most disruptive global event since the Great Depression and World War 2. More than 7 million people have been infected in less than six months, more than 400,000 people have died, and many more deaths will occur even if effective vaccines or treatments are eventually found. The economic costs are staggering: much of the world has fallen into recession, public debt levels are soaring, and future growth prospects have dimmed.

Yet despite these far-reaching effects, the current pandemic will not transform the essential nature of world politics. The territorial state will remain the basic building-block of international affairs, nationalism will remain a powerful political force, and the major powers will continue to compete for influence in myriad ways. Global institutions, transnational networks, and assorted non-state actors will still play important roles, but the present crisis will not produce a dramatic and enduring increase in global governance or significantly higher levels of international cooperation.

Instead, COVID-19 is more likely to reinforce divisive trends that were underway before the first case was detected. In particular, it will accelerate a retreat from globalization, raise new barriers to international trade, investment, and travel, and give both democratic and non-democratic governments greater power to track and monitor their citizens’ lives. Global economic growth will be substantially lower than it would have been had the pandemic not occurred. Relations among the major powers will continue the downward trend that was apparent before the pandemic struck.

In short, the post-COVID-19 world will be less open, less free, less prosperous, and more competitive than the world that many people expected to emerge only a few years ago.

Stephen Walt is Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations .

A New Energy Landscape?

Meghan O’Sullivan headshot.

The coronavirus and the immobilization of much of the global economy that followed have created enormous challenges for energy markets. These challenges have been most pronounced in oil, in large part due to the fact that the majority of the world’s oil consumption is for transportation. Constraints on the mobility of billions of people around the world resulted in a drop in oil demand of approximately 25 million barrels a day, out of a pre-COVID demand of 100 million. This cratering of demand led to a dramatic decrease in prices, including a day in which the American benchmark for oil went into negative price territory.

These developments, and fear that such volatility in one of the world’s largest and most strategic industries could further exacerbate a teetering global economy, led to an unprecedented mobilization of international actors. In an extraordinary shift from past positions, the G20, the United States, and even President Trump personally became actively involved in brokering a deal among OPEC members and other allied producers to agree to the largest oil production cut in history. This cut, and market forces which brought several million more barrels of oil off-line in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, has helped stabilize oil markets, albeit from historic lows.

But critical questions remain, and debates are raging about whether the energy landscape will ever return to pre-COVID parameters. One of the most important, questions revolves around whether this abrupt rupture in energy markets can be translated into a boost for the transition to a more environmentally sustainable global energy mix. The answer to this question depends on how durable changes in consumer behavior are (particularly around travel), and whether governments seize the opportunity that pumping economic stimulus into their economies gives them to advance the energy transition. Europe has already demonstrated a willingness to use its stimulus packages to further the transition; China’s actions demonstrated a mixed intent, and—thus far—there has been little indication that advancing a clean energy transition is high on the list of U.S. policymakers’ priorities. The world has at least one opportunity to create a silver lining from the COVID crisis, but it will require vision and action to realize.

Meghan O’Sullivan is Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Relations.

Good and Bad News for Climate

Robert N. Stavins headshot.

The coronavirus pandemic will likely have profound effects on both climate change and climate change policy.  These impacts are mainly—but not exclusively—due to the severe economic downturn that has been brought about by the response of governments, firms, and individuals to the pandemic. With depressed economic activity, there has been and will continue to be a net reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked with the observed net decrease in energy demand. Without the pandemic, overall, global emissions might have peaked in 2024. Instead, it now appears that global emissions may have peaked last year, in 2019. That’s good news for climate change, but economic recession is surely not a desirable approach to mitigating emissions.

The impact of economic recession is surely less positive for the course of environmental and climate change policy. Political will for environmental policies and regulations always decreases during economic downturns. However, the financial responses by governments to the recession can compensate for this, at least partly. Short-term financial assistance and economic relief have reasonably been focused on helping economies recover as rapidly as possible, as well as targeting relief to those in society who have been particularly disadvantaged. But long-term economic stimulus can include elements that help move the economy in a green, climate-friendly direction—less reliance on fossil fuels, greater reliance on renewable sources of energy, and greater efficiency in the production and use of energy. In the last recession, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included abundant use of such green incentives. And now the European Union’s proposed Economic Recovery Plan does likewise. Whether such an approach is used this year and next year in the United States, however, depends upon difficult domestic politics, not to mention the outcome of the November election.

Robert N. Stavins is A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development.

A New Look at Business and Government

Amitabh Chandra headshot.

Coronavirus and other health pandemics will happen again, and sooner than we think because of climate change. COVID-19 provides an opportunity to seriously examine the roles of business and government in society, to figure out what each is best at doing, to figure out what each is not well-suited to deliver, and what they must do more of together. These determinations must be made in a clear-eyed manner with data, incentives, and a tremendous sense of social-justice for the poor and vulnerable.

Amitabh Chandra is Ethel Zimmerman Wiener Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Henry and Allison McCance Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School.

The Worrying Rise of Digitalization

Matthias Risse headshot.

In times of crises, such as pandemics, all of society’s underlying vulnerabilities lie bare: the long history of injustice, of not respecting people’s rights as citizens and as human beings, lifts its ugly head one more time. We hardly need reminders that not all is well in the human rights domain, but COVID-19 definitely is one. Also, many of the responses to this pandemic, in one way or another, have rather forcefully driven along the digitalization of our lifeworlds. The possibilities for surveillance as practiced by both governments and private sector will increase enormously. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was formulated in responses to centuries of hardship in a thoroughly analog world. COVID-19 is one more, very big step into an increasingly digital world in which human rights not only need to be rethought in their new context, one by one, but also need to be defended in ways that themselves make use of the compulsory digitalization that happens all around us.

Mathias Risse is Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Administration.

Rebuild What? And How?

William C. Clark and Alicia Harley.

Our work on sustainable development invites a long-term perspective on today’s overlapping crises, of which the coronavirus, racism, and climate heating are only the most visible faces. From that intergenerational perspective, shocks and surprises are the norm, not the exception. Sometimes they stem from wars, sometimes from environmental degradation, sometimes from technological innovations, sometimes from revolutionary ideas … and sometimes from pandemics.  Such disruptions invariably impoverish or kill some people, while opening opportunities for others. They can also lay bare underlying social inequalities that incumbent regimes have ignored or papered over. This is certainly the case today, where it has become starkly clear how the burden of our overlapping crises is falling disproportionately on people who are Black or poor or otherwise socially marginalized.

The long-term perspective of the quest for sustainable development also highlights the reality that—however terrible the immediate impacts of history’s cataclysmic disruptions—their ultimate consequences for human well-being are not foreordained, but rather depend on how we choose to rebuild in their wake.

But rebuild what? And how?

Research suggests that the prospects for rebuilding a more just and prosperous world—and a world better prepared to weather the next shocks that will inevitably come along—depend on long-term programs of action to strengthen and maintain the following six interdependent social capacities:

  • The capacity to conserve and enhance the natural and anthropogenic resources that constitute the productive base of society.
  • The capacity to assure greater equity in access to that resource base and the flow of goods and services produced from it.
  • The capacity to adapt to unexpected shocks through identification and provisioning of essential reserves and through practice in mobilizing them.
  • The capacity to transform unsustainable development pathways into more sustainable ones through disempowerment of incumbents vested in unjust aspects of the status quo.
  • The capacity to link knowledge with action in ways that enhance the effectiveness of political agitation aimed at equitable improvements in well-being.
  • The capacity to govern—to work together to achieve what we can’t achieve alone—and thus to develop and implement all the other capacities in an integrated and mutually supportive fashion.

An integrated strategy of capacity building is no substitute for immediate action to meet the basic needs and redress the violent injustices facing us in today’s crises. But such a strategy is a historically informed alternative to the temptations facing each of us to focus exclusively on the single ill or capacity about which we feel most strongly. The capacities we list here are complementary, not competitive. Society has already built a significant understanding of how to foster each of them, and has sometimes learned to integrate them in sustained programs that support deep and long-lasting social change. Such programs should be put into action today by diverse actors at multiple scales in concerted efforts to rebuild a more just and sustainable world from the wreckage of our current crises.

William C. Clark is Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development; Alicia G. Harley is Post-Doctoral Fellow, Sustainability Science Program.

A Just and Democratic New Normal

Archon Fung headshot.

A perfect storm of three crises is battering America: a public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic; a civic crisis of widespread protests sparked by racist police abuse; and an economic crisis of record unemployment and dislocation. Between now and November, we may well face a fourth political crisis surrounding the presidential election, its conduct, and perhaps even its outcome. These crises have vanquished all sense of normalcy for now. But, in the longer term, will we be able to create a better new normal? What world will COVID-19 leave behind?

Writing in the Financial Times , Peter Atwater foresees a ”K”-shaped recovery . The upward part of the “K”—people who will do better than before these crises—consists of professionals and others in others at the top end of the income distribution. The bottom part of the “K” consists of “have-nots” who may fare even worse than they did before the crisis: essential but sometimes disposable workers, sometimes lacking health care, sick leave, employment, and low-income and people of color whom we now know suffer much more from damage of COVID-19.

If the future is this “K,” COVID will merely have accelerated the trends toward economic, social, political, and health inequities that have been widening in the United States for the past forty years: a quickening of the old normal as we knew it.

But perhaps it is within our grasp to create a different new normal, one that is more equitable and democratic. We can see shoots of this better new normal in the civic federalism of local responses to COVID-19’s damage. Many governors and mayors stepped up with energy and creative solutions to protect public health and map the way to recovery. Some businesses and nonprofits took costly action early to protect their employees and communities. Labor and community advocates organized immediate aid, but also spoke up for the least advantaged.

There are more shoots visible in the huge protests following George Floyd’s killing. People of many races and classes have awakened to the reinforcing harms of economic inequality, disease, and racism. Himself an avatar of this intersectionality, Floyd lost his job as a security guard because of the pandemic, contracted COVID-19 in April, and was killed several weeks later by Minneapolis police.

Will these shoots multiply into a robust new American democracy? Or, will they be mowed down by the juggernauts of racism and plutocracy that preceded this pandemic? The answer is up to us.

Archon Fung is Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government.

Information Is Survival Gear

Nancy Gibbs headshot.

This pitiless spring of 2020 has exploited the forces that already weakened us: our political divisions, our doubts, and our intersecting injustices. Partisan division turned public health measures into performance art; distrust of institutions deepened as they struggled to respond; and the weight of suffering, physical and economic, on communities of color has inspired people all around the world to risk their own health and safety to come into the streets in solidarity.

Early in this crisis, the World Health Organization warned of an “Infodemic”— people overwhelmed by information, some of it true, much of it not, that made it harder for anyone to know what to believe. In the months since we’ve seen just how viral conspiracy theories can be, spread by those looking to divide us even further or profit from our fears. So both the media and the platforms that control so much of our information ecosystem face a reckoning that was long overdue. We are seeing that play out in real time, from the serial policy adjustments at Facebook and Twitter to the soul searching at our largest newsrooms to the desperate efforts to save what remains of local news.

Good information is more than a democratic value; it is survival gear. When people show up in emergency rooms after drinking bleach in hopes of preventing infection, or blame 5G, GMOs, or Bill Gates for the spread of the virus, we have failed to protect our information streams from lethal toxins. So out of this crisis, for all our divisions and distrust, should come a deep and broad debate over rules and norms about speech: who controls what we read and see and hear; how do we honor both freedom and fairness; what can we do to promote reliable information even as we prevent misinformation from spreading? We aren’t likely to agree on the way forward; so the next test is how well we create the conditions for debate, listening with open minds, putting the public interest first and realizing that the tension between values can be a source of strength, not an excuse for surrender.

Nancy Gibbs is Lombard Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy; Visiting Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice.

When Misinformation Mobilizes

Joan Donovan headshot.

As a researcher of critical internet studies who specializes in media manipulation and disinformation, I am often asked about how social media impacts society. When it comes to thinking about health misinformation on tech platforms, we must recognize how quickly people’s behaviors change when exposed to new information. Questions about how to protect yourself and family from COVID-19 became a breeding ground for misinformation, where political polarization exacerbated an already contentious issue. To wear a mask or to not became a show of partisanship as the relatively innocuous recommendation became a political discussion on social media.

As the pandemic hit, like a slow-moving hurricane, many took shelter indoors and followed along closely online, where social media platforms amplified both truth and misinformation about COVID-19. Rumors and conspiracy about medical recommendations sit alongside data about potential risk and harm, which are difficult for public health professions to address. Some health misinformation underpins in-person rallies to reopen the economy in the United States, where activists claimed COVID-19 was a grand hoax by Democrats to hijack the election. When misinformation mobilizes, it can endanger the public.

For the last decade, we have witnessed social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, become the most indispensable conduits of information during social upheaval, elections, and natural disasters. But, if we look back to their origins, they were not designed for such critical communication infrastructure: YouTube began as a dating site; Facebook was a place for college students to network; and Twitter’s purpose as a microblog was described by CEO Jack Dorsey as “a short burst of inconsequential information.” How things have changed!

The lessons we learn today about how to handle health misinformation may hold the key to developing public policy on other forms of disinformation, especially as it relates to the role social media companies will play in curating content online.

Tech companies are slowly coming to the realization that it’s not just their corporate reputations at stake; it’s also our lives.

Joan Donovan is Research Director at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.

Banner photo by REUTERS / Eric Gaillard.

Faculty portraits by Martha Stewart.

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Policy - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Policy refers to a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual. Essays on policy could discuss the formulation, implementation, and impact of various policies in governmental, organizational, or societal contexts. Discussions might also revolve around the analysis of particular policies within healthcare, education, or economics. We’ve gathered an extensive assortment of free essay samples on the topic of Policy you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

China’s One Child Policy

China is considered to be the highly populated country across the world. History says that China has the largest population which has ever been witnessed. By 1979 China's population was estimated to be approximately one billion. This number of people made the country to look for a way they can do to reduce this population before it was too late. That's when they came with a policy of one child. This policy has affected this country negatively. Firstly, according to […]

Defense Policy’s Impact on Ontario Students’ College Choices

This essay represents the first phase of a multi-year collaborative essay initiative of the Association of Ontario. The essay is designed to develop a picture of a pass away from the secondary moments to college. As a matter of fact, the main aim of this essay is to identify secondary schools students perceptions of the Ontario College as well as their perception of college as a post-secondary education destination for them (Sutter, & Paulson, 2017). Moreover, the essay will discuss […]

What is Discrimination?

Discrimination is well known in all societies. It is treating some people unequally that is treating people differently. Discrimination can be unlawful or legal. Legal discrimination is whereby you discriminate against a person for being who he or she is. However, if you treat a person in an unjust manner due to their race, religion, age, nationality ethical background or gender is said to be unlawful. In businesses, for instance, where an employer may decide to mistreat his or her […]

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Health Care Policy Analysis

Introduction Women’s reproductive rights have been an ongoing issue the United States has dealt with for decades. The main issues surrounding women’s rights, namely the woman’s right to choose, has been debated and politicized, often times with out the actual input from a woman. This policy analysis will examine the relationship between politicizing the reproductive rights of women coupled with the rights of employers to refuse coverage for birth control and the policies surrounding these issues. In 2018, Federal policy […]

Richard Nixon Foreign Policy and Cold War

The Cold War began to come to an end once President Richard Nixon stepped into office. He wanted to take a different approach to the international relations by using diplomacy instead of military action. In 1972, Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet premier, and Nixon signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. This treaty made both sides agree to halt all nuclear weapons manufacturing. This would then lead to a big step to ending the threat of nuclear war. Even though Nixon had […]

What is Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is the right of ones' right to express and communicate their ideas, opinion, and beliefs. As a result, nobody should fear being reprimanded, punished, or expurgated by society and perhaps the government at large. In most cases, it is done to attract mass attention from the community. It is entirely synonymous to seeking freedom of denied privileges such as an inappropriate distribution of public resources and side-lining of the minority among others. It is a universal right […]

Policy Recommendation

A research done by the Society for Human Resource Management in 2016 indicates that 7% of employers allow members of staff to bring their dogs to work (Roepe, How to be...). That this statistic appears to be on the rise ought to make us question why employers are opting for dog-friendly offices, as well as consider the benefits for an office that accommodates our four-legged friends. A survey by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers shows that having dogs at the place […]

Honesty in Conduct Article: Honesty is the Best Policy

In the article, Honesty in Conduct, it portrays how honesty is the foundation of trust and trustworthiness in the context of business theory, practice, and decision making. When it comes to cheating, people may think about students cheating in school, however, cheating happens in all walks of adult life. This creates not merely a moral responsibility, but the worth of trust, a violation of the duty to be fair. The article states, “When cheaters prosper, the honest people lose” cheating […]

Employee Relations and Trade Unions

Employee Relations Employee relations can be defined as an organization's effort to manage and improve relationships between its employees and the employers. It is evident that Employees are the backbone of every organization and business, however, unlike machines that diligently work at the push of mere button employees need to have a flexible working environment so as to be effective (Dicker 2003, pg 24). For instance, employees need support from the management to solve their issues and share ideas. For […]

Homelessness Policy in the United States

The logic behind the previous and current strategy of state-funded and driven housing policy improvement is that by allowing cities and states to control and determine policy fitting their specific needs, there will be more room for innovative strategies for complex problems. The affordable housing struggle of 2018 is different from those of the 1960s or 1980s, and its solution may require a more creative solution than federal vouchers and subsidies equally applied based on income. In a world of […]

Child Welfare Policy

Child Welfare policies began to be implemented in the United States in 1974. The major Child Welfare policies are as follows: AFCARS- The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. The system was created to collect and preserve case information on all children who are in foster care as well as all children who have been adopted. It houses demographics of the foster/adoptive parents as well as the child’s information. It documents the current placement as well as the […]

Gender Hierarchy of Power

There has been gender discrimination over the years in our societies by power. Most of the society has been structured in such a way the culture value one gender more than the other, and this is what has led to gender discrimination. In many societies, the gender hierarchy has brought unequal opportunities in power, and this has discriminated the female gender leading to the feminism in our societies. According to the Bechdel movies, it has explained the gender hierarchy in […]

Sustainability Policy

1.Introduction The Sustainability Policy defines the overall Sustainability Practices for (ORGANISATION), as per the ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework. The purpose of this policy is to support ORGANISATION in becoming the most sustainable transport provider in the Middle East. ORGANISATION's Policy is aligned with the relevant local and national strategic directions of the UAE. The ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework follows a continual improvement management approach (Plan-Do-Check-Act) to ensure continuous improvement. It includes establishing reference to the ORGANISATION Sustainability Framework, the related KPIs, and […]

Illegal Immigration and President Donald Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy

Illegal immigration, according to the Unites States of America is defined as when people who are foreigners and or immigrants try to enter the United States without the proper documentation needed to enter. During the summer of 2018, illegal immigration reached an all-time high due to President Donald Trump's zero tolerance policy. This crisis and the collapse of the border policy caused the Trump Administration to be very frustrated because this was an issue that was not going to be […]

Rethinking the Drugs Policy

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (2017) reported that the United States requests $27.8 billion on prevention, treatment, domestic law enforcement, interdiction and international operation to addressing the drug problem. Furthermore about $9.2 billion Federal resources are directly related to support domestic law enforcement efforts. The legalization of drug as a policy option for curtailing drug abuse is increasingly worth serious consideration. In addition, drug prohibition’s limited capability could lead to severe adverse effect regardless of how harmful the […]

Rule of Law and Political Stability in Nigeria’s Governance and Economic Policy

Institutional qualities are the major determinant of good governance within every aspiring country. Factors such as voice and accountability, regulatory control, control of corruption, government effectiveness, rule of law, and political stability come into play. This study will focus on the rule of law and political stability as proxies for good governance. Good governance of a nation pertains to the management of the public sectors of the economy in terms of accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness, along with the free flow […]

Overpopulation in the World

Introduction The current world population stands 7.6 billion as per the United Nations Statistics, while the human population is projected to clock 10.5 billion in the year 2040 and 12 billion by the year 2050. The current human population growth rate per year 70 million. China has got the highest number of people per unit area, with the total population being 1.2 billion. The African continent has reached the highest population growth rate, which is 6 percent while the lowest […]

United States Policy should Treat Refugees more Kindly

Refugees come from many places and bring with them many stories influenced by worldwide issues. Wars, famines, droughts, and religious conflicts are among the key concerns. In the United States, there is a lengthy process for refugees seeking asylum. It's essential that we treat refugees with a sense of urgency and kindness. There's a compelling need for the United States to change its policy on refugees. The current U.S. policy requires refugees to live in America for at least five […]

Affirmative Action Policy

Attention Getter: According to data from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES), in 2007, 70 percent of white high school graduates immediately enrolled in college, compared to 56 percent of African American graduates and 61 percent of Hispanic graduates.  More recent data from NCES reports some changes in this gap, most notably for African American students.  The updated report finds that in 2011, 69 percent of white high school graduates immediately enrolled in college, compared to 65 percent of […]

Immigration Policy of Donald Trump

On the 17th January 2017, at a campaign rally in Miami, President Donald Trump stated that A Trump administration will stop illegal immigration, deport all criminal aliens, and save American lives (poltifact.com). The president and his administration will do actions to keep the US clear and safe. Trump tried to deport about 11 million undocumented immigrants (Wessler). This is just so cruel to destroy people live by sending them back to totally strange country, to separate their family, and to […]

Immigration Policy in Texas

The background of Senate Bill 4 or Texas SB4 is an arm or tentacle of the federal 287 G program that authorizes the Director of the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to sign agreements with agencies State and local law enforcement agencies, allowing designated officials to perform immigration compliance functions, provided that local law enforcement officers receive adequate training and function under the supervision of ICE officers. The purpose of the law is to eliminate sanctuary cities. In […]

Milton Friedman and Social Responsibility

Friedman do not affirm that the executives can act in any way as are used in accordance with the law and follow the ethical custom. But he closed the charity activity since they do not contribute straight to the victory. An upright overview of organization activities in the views of Friedman's agreement is simply not that carry out happenings simply since they are ethical, but since they are economically feasible. One of the main reasons for Friedman to the exclusion […]

Change in America’s Role in Foreign Policy

America’s role in foreign affairs underwent significant changes from 1865-1920. Prior to this period, Americans were generally indifferent to and minimally involved in foreign affairs. America was primarily focused on domestic issues such as the Civil War, industrialization, and settlement of the west. However, this changed after 1865, the end of the Civil War, for many reasons. For one, industrial growth led to larger production quantities and a need for bigger markets and additional raw materials. In addition, the Spanish-American […]

Risk Policy, Management and Communication

I would like to thank the Municipal Administration and Water Supplies Department, State Government of Tamil Nadu, India for inviting me to speak about the current scenario and to give my recommendations for making P.N.Palayam a model town with regard to Sanitation. I am Priscilla, an Environmental Scientist, representing Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, India. I have done my master’s in environmental science in 1996 and completed my Doctoral degree in Environmental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public […]

Public Policy for its Nationals

Public policy implies the moves made by government and its decisions that are relied upon to deal with issues and improve the individual fulfillment for its nationals. At the bureaucratic measurement, open techniques are requested to coordinate industry and business, to guarantee nationals at home and abroad, to help state and city governments and people, for instance, the poor through financing educational programs, and to engage social destinations. A system set up and assisted by the organization encounters a couple […]

Repercussions of the Chinese Government’s One-Child Policy

For more than 35 years, starting in 1979, the government of China instituted the One-Child Policy, which allowed a family only a single offspring. The One-Child Policy pushed parents of millions of “illegal” children to utilize adoption, abortion, or to immediately kill the baby right after it was born. Although the government of China sought the best interest of China’s population, in reality, the hurt to the families, society and abandoned children did just the opposite. For many families, this […]

What are Private Property Rights?

Property and prosperity rights are inseparably linked. The significance of having strongly protected and clearly defined property rights is currently widely recognized among policymakers and economists. A private property right provides people the exclusive right to utilize their resources as they see appropriate (Calandrillo, et al., 2015). That power over what belongs to them leads property users to be responsible of all the costs and benefits of employing those assets in a certain way. The process of weighing between benefits […]

Policy Innovation is Commonly Defined as the Adoption of New Policy

Policy innovation is commonly defined as the adoption of new policy by a participating government. Scholars have studied this political phenomenon quite effectively through field research and analyzing data through presented by institutions actions. The readings that we have been assigned have analyzed three main pathways that lead to policy innovation. The organizational means in which public officials and governmental entities need to adopt to outside pressure. The cultural shifts that cause the general public, the constituents of the public […]

Federal Judge Struck down a North Carolina School’s Policy

"Last week a federal judge struck down a North Carolina school’s policy requiring girls to wear skirts for violating the Constitution’s equal protection clause. In his ruling, US District Judge Malcolm Harris wrote that “[t]he skirts requirement causes the girls to suffer a burden the boys do not, simply because they are female” (Peltier v. Charter Day School, Inc., 2017). The ruling comes as part of a larger wave of awareness that appears to be building among researchers and education […]

Study by the Migration Policy Institute

On October 30, 2018 during an interview, President Trump told Jonathan Swan and Stef W. Kight of AXIOS, that his administration is in the process of filing an Executive order to repeal the 14th Amendment. He intends to revoke the birthright citizenship to children born to parents whom are non citizens, this includes green card holders. According to a study by the Migration Policy Institute, if citizenship were to be denied to every child born to parents who are non […]

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How To Write an Essay About Policy

Understanding policy and its implications.

Before you begin writing an essay about policy, it is essential to understand what policy is and its significance in society. A policy is typically a plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters. Policies can cover a wide range of societal issues, including healthcare, education, environmental protection, and economic management. Start your essay by defining the specific policy or type of policy you are discussing. Explain its objectives, the problems it aims to address, and its expected outcomes. Understanding the context in which a policy is developed is key, including the socio-political environment, the stakeholders involved, and the challenges it seeks to overcome.

Developing a Thesis Statement

Your essay should be guided by a clear, concise thesis statement. This statement should present a specific viewpoint or argument about the policy. For instance, you might analyze the effectiveness of a particular policy in achieving its goals, discuss the unintended consequences of a policy, or argue for changes to enhance its effectiveness. Your thesis will guide the direction of your essay and provide a structured approach to the topic.

Gathering Supporting Evidence

To support your thesis, gather evidence from various sources such as academic journals, government reports, case studies, or news articles. This evidence might include statistical data, expert opinions, historical examples, or comparative analyses. Use this evidence to support your thesis and strengthen your argument. It's important to consider different perspectives on the policy, including those who might be in favor or against it.

Analyzing the Policy's Impact and Effectiveness

Dedicate a section of your essay to analyzing the policy's impact and effectiveness. Discuss the outcomes of the policy, whether it has met its intended objectives, and the factors contributing to its success or failure. Consider both the short-term and long-term effects of the policy on individuals, communities, and the broader society. Explore any ethical, economic, or social implications the policy may have.

Concluding the Essay

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points of your discussion and restating your thesis in light of the evidence provided. Your conclusion should tie together your analysis and emphasize the overall significance of the policy in question. You might also want to suggest areas for future research, potential policy modifications, or implications for policy development in other contexts.

Reviewing and Refining Your Essay

After completing your essay, review and edit it for clarity and coherence. Ensure that your arguments are well-structured and supported by evidence. Check for grammatical accuracy and ensure that your essay flows logically from one point to the next. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to further refine your essay. A well-written essay on policy will not only demonstrate your understanding of the topic but also your ability to critically engage with complex political and social issues.

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Essay on Politics: Topics, Tips, and Examples for Students

essay on policy issues

Defining What is Politics Essay

The process of decision-making that applies to members of a group or society is called politics. Arguably, political activities are the backbone of human society, and everything in our daily life is a form of it.

Understanding the essence of politics, reflecting on its internal elements, and critically analyzing them make society more politically aware and let them make more educated decisions. Constantly thinking and analyzing politics is critical for societal evolution.

Political thinkers often write academic papers that explore different political concepts, policies, and events. The essay about politics may examine a wide range of topics such as government systems, political ideologies, social justice, public policies, international relations, etc.

After selecting a specific research topic, a writer should conduct extensive research, gather relevant information, and prepare a logical and well-supported argument. The paper should be clear and organized, complying with academic language and standards. A writer should demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject, an ability to evaluate and remain non-biased to different viewpoints, and a capacity to draw conclusions.

Now that we are on the same page about the question 'what is politics essay' and understand its importance, let's take a deeper dive into how to build a compelling political essay, explore the most relevant political argumentative essay topics, and finally, examine the political essay examples written by the best essay writing service team.

Politics Essay Example for Students

If you are still unsure how to structure your essay or how to present your statement, don't worry. Our team of experts has prepared an excellent essay example for you. Feel free to explore and examine it. Use it to guide you through the writing process and help you understand what a successful essay looks like.

How to Write a Political Essay: Tips + Guide

A well-written essay is easy to read and digest. You probably remember reading papers full of big words and complex ideas that no one bothered to explain. We all agree that such essays are easily forgotten and not influential, even though they might contain a very important message.

If you are writing an essay on politics, acknowledge that you are on a critical mission to easily convey complicated concepts. Hence, what you are trying to say should be your main goal. Our guide on how to write a political essay will help you succeed.

political-essay

Conduct Research for Your Politics Essay

After choosing a topic for the essay, take enough time for preparation. Even if you are familiar with the matter, conducting thorough research is wiser. Political issues are complex and multifaceted; comprehensive research will help you understand the topic better and offer a more nuanced analysis.

Research can help you identify different viewpoints and arguments around the topic, which can be beneficial for building more impartial and persuasive essays on politics. Sometimes in the hit of the moment, opposing sides are not able to see the common ground; your goal is to remain rational, speak to diverse audiences, and help them see the core of the problem and the ways to solve it.

In political papers, accuracy and credibility are vital. Researching the topic deeply will help you avoid factual errors or misrepresentations from any standpoint. It will allow you to gather reliable sources of information and create a trustworthy foundation for the entire paper.

If you want to stand out from the other students, get inspired by the list of hottest essay ideas and check out our political essay examples.

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Brainstorm Political Essay Topics

The next step to writing a compelling politics essay is to polish your thoughts and find the right angle to the chosen topic.

Before you start writing, generate fresh ideas and organize your thoughts. There are different techniques to systematize the mess going on in your head, such as freewriting, mind mapping, or even as simple as listing ideas. This will open the doors to new angles and approaches to the topic.

When writing an essay about politics, ensure the topic is not too general. It's always better to narrow it down. It will simplify your job and help the audience better understand the core of the problem. Brainstorming can help you identify key points and arguments, which you can use to find a specific angle on the topic.

Brainstorming can also help you detect informational gaps that must be covered before the writing process. Ultimately, the brainstorming phase can bring a lot more clarity and structure to your essay.

We know how exhausting it is to come up with comparative politics essay topics. Let our research paper writing service team do all the hard work for you.

Create Your Politics Essay Thesis Statement

Thesis statements, in general, serve as a starting point of the roadmap for the reader. A political essay thesis statement outlines the main ideas and arguments presented in the body paragraphs and creates a general sense of the content of the paper.

persuasive politics essay

Creating a thesis statement for essays about politics in the initial stages of writing can help you stay focused and on track throughout the working process. You can use it as an aim and constantly check your arguments and evidence against it. The question is whether they are relevant and supportive of the statement.

Get creative when creating a statement. This is the first sentence readers will see, and it should be compelling and clear.

The following is a great example of a clear and persuasive thesis statement:

 'The lack of transparency and accountability has made the World Trade Organization one of the most controversial economic entities. Despite the influence, its effectiveness in promoting free trade and economic growth in developing countries has decreased.'

Provide Facts in Your Essay about Politic

It's a no-brainer that everything you will write in your essay should be supported by strong evidence. The credibility of your argument will be questioned every step of the way, especially when you are writing about sensitive subjects such as essays on government influence on economic troubles. 

Provide facts and use them as supporting evidence in your politics essay. They will help you establish credibility and accuracy and take your paper out of the realm of speculation and mere opinions.

Facts will make your essay on political parties more persuasive, unbiased, and targeted to larger audiences. Remember, the goal is to bring the light to the core of the issue and find a solution, not to bring people even farther apart.

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Structure Your Political Essay

Your main goal is to communicate your ideas to many people. To succeed, you need to write an essay that is easy to read and understand. Creating a structure will help you present your ideas logically and lead the readers in the right direction.

Sometimes when writing about political essay topics, we get carried away. These issues can be very emotional and sensitive, and writers are not protected from becoming victims of their own writings. Having a structure will keep you on track, only focusing on providing supported arguments and relevant information.

Start with introducing the thesis statement and provide background information. Followed by the body paragraphs and discuss all the relevant facts and standpoints. Finish it up with a comprehensive conclusion, and state the main points of your essay once again.

The structure will also save you time. In the beginning, creating an outline for essays on politics will give you a general idea of what should be written, and you can track your progress against it.

Revise and Proofread Your Final Politics Essay

Once every opinion is on the paper and every argument is well-constructed, one final step should be taken. Revision!

We know nothing is better than finishing the homework and quickly submitting it, but we aim for an A+. Our political essay must be reviewed. You need to check if there is any error such as grammatical, spelling, or contextual.

Take some time off, relax, and start proofreading after a few minutes or hours. Having a fresh mind will help you review not only grammar but also the arguments. Check if something is missing from your essays about politics, and if you find gaps, provide additional information.

You had to spend a lot of time on them, don't give up now. Make sure they are in perfect condition.

Effective Political Essay Topics

We would be happy if our guide on how to write political essays helped you, but we are not stopping there. Below you will find a list of advanced and relevant political essay topics. Whether you are interested in global political topics or political science essay topics, we got you covered.

Once you select a topic, don't forget to check out our politics essay example! It will bring even more clarity, and you will be all ready to start writing your own paper.

Political Argumentative Essay Topics

Now that we know how to write a political analysis essay let's explore political argumentative essay topics:

  • Should a political party take a stance on food politics and support policies promoting sustainable food systems?
  • Should we label Winston Churchill as the most influential political figure of World War II?
  • Does the focus on GDP growth in the political economy hinder the human development index?
  • Is foreign influence a threat to national security?
  • Is foreign aid the best practice for political campaigning?
  • Does the electoral college work for an ideal political system?
  • Are social movements making a real difference, or are they politically active for temporary change?
  • Can global politics effectively address political conflicts in the modern world?
  • Are opposing political parties playing positive roles in US international relations?
  • To what extent should political influence be allowed in addressing economic concerns?
  • Can representative democracy prevent civil wars in ethnically diverse countries?
  • Should nuclear weapons be abolished for the sake of global relations?
  • Is economic development more important than ethical issues for Caribbean politics?
  • What role should neighboring nations play in preventing human rights abuse in totalitarian regimes?
  • Should political decisions guide the resolution of conflicts in the South China Sea?

Political Socialization Essay Topics

Knowing how to write a political issue essay is one thing, but have you explored our list of political socialization essay topics?

  • To what extent does a political party or an influential political figure shape the beliefs of young people?
  • Does political influence shape attitudes toward environmental politics?
  • How can individuals use their own learning process to navigate political conflicts in a polarized society?
  • How do political strategies shape cultural globalization?
  • Is gender bias used as a political instrument in political socialization?
  • How can paying attention to rural communities improve political engagement?
  • What is the role of Amnesty International in preventing the death penalty?
  • What is the role of politically involved citizens in shaping minimum wage policies?
  • How does a political party shape attitudes toward global warming?
  • How does the federal system influence urban planning and attitudes toward urban development?
  • What is the role of public opinion in shaping foreign policy, and how does it affect political decision making
  • Did other countries' experiences affect policies on restricting immigration in the US?
  • How can note-taking skills and practice tests improve political engagement? 
  • How do the cultural values of an independent country shape the attitudes toward national security?
  • Does public opinion influence international intervention in helping countries reconcile after conflicts?

Political Science Essay Topics

If you are searching for political science essay topics, check our list below and write the most compelling essay about politic:

  • Is environmental education a powerful political instrument? 
  • Can anarchist societies provide a viable alternative to traditional forms of governance?
  • Pros and cons of deterrence theory in contemporary international relations
  • Comparing the impact of the French Revolution and World War II on the political landscape of Europe
  • The role of the ruling political party in shaping national policies on nuclear weapons
  • Exploring the roots of where politics originate
  • The impact of civil wars on the processes of democratization of the third-world countries
  • The role of international organizations in promoting global health
  • Does using the death penalty in the justice system affect international relations?
  • Assessing the role of the World Trade Organization in shaping global trade policies
  • The political and environmental implications of conventional agriculture
  • The impact of the international court on political decision making
  • Is philosophical anarchism relevant to contemporary political discourse?
  • The emergence of global citizenship and its relationship with social movements
  • The impact of other countries on international relations between the US and China

Final Words

See? Writing an essay about politic seems like a super challenging job, but in reality, all it takes is excellent guidance, a well-structured outline, and an eye for credible information.

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Annie Lambert

Annie Lambert

specializes in creating authoritative content on marketing, business, and finance, with a versatile ability to handle any essay type and dissertations. With a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a passion for social issues, her writing not only educates but also inspires action. On EssayPro blog, Annie delivers detailed guides and thought-provoking discussions on pressing economic and social topics. When not writing, she’s a guest speaker at various business seminars.

essay on policy issues

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How to Write a Music Essay: Topics and Examples

Essays on Policy

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A Political Science Guide

For students, researchers, and others interested in doing the work of political science.

essay on policy issues

Policy Paper

What is a policy paper.

Policy papers are different from the standard research papers in several respects:

  • They are usually addressed at a non-academic audience , such as a particular official, agency, or organization
  • They often focus on prescriptive questions. They may begin by diagnosing a particular issue or situation, and typically argue for a solution that will address that issue or situation
  • Often, policy papers are focused on being persuasive . The intention is to convince the target audience that your position is the correct one.
  • Evidence in support of a position is crucial. This is also important for research papers, but it tends to be absolutely critical in policy papers.
  • Policy papers are written efficiently. The audience often does not have much time and does not want to read a book on the subject. Indeed, often policy papers are accompanied by policy briefs which summarize the papers in a page or less.

Policy Paper Components

As with research papers, there is not just one way to write a policy paper.The University of Texas has a nice website with a detailed model, “Suggestions for Writing Policy Analysis” .

The basic elements of a policy paper include:

  • It is helpful to careful define the problem and frame it as a specific question to be answered.
  • These are the choices for addressing the policy problem.
  • This is the step that often is missed in policy analysis. Writers often fail to be explicit and may even assume that everyone shares the same ideas of what the criteria for making a choice should be. This is a mistake. Indeed, it is an important service to the reader (and to the decision-maker) to know the reasons for recommending one policy (or set of policies) over others. There often is major debate about criteria that should be used.
  •   In his book, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis , Eurgene Bardach helpfully notes that such criteria are best thought of as applied to “the projected outcomes ” of a policy choice. He makes the useful distinction between evaluative criteria, such as efficiency and fairness, and practical criteria, such as legality and political acceptability.
  • Ideally, the policy recommendation should flow from the logical application of your criteria to your policy choices. This is illustrated in the hypothetical example (see table) below.
  • In this example, the researcher was able to make clear outcomes about how the policy choices met some criteria (Policy Choice A fails to meet the first criteria of legality). However, it there is some uncertainty about others. For instance, it is unclear how Policy Choice B would affect the criteria of inclusiveness, or how to judge the cost effectiveness of Policy Choice C. In the real world, we may need to incorporate such uncertainty into our policy judgments. But it is important for the policy analyst to be clear to readers and decision-makers where that uncertainty exists.
  • Another thing to note is that not all criteria are equal. It may be useful to rank the importance of criteria. Many of us would likely consider legality a necessary criterion. This would allow us to immediately remove Policy Choice A from our list of choices without any further consideration.
No Yes Yes
No Cost neutral Probably
Yes Probably Yes

Policy Paper Examples

  • Peterson Institute for International Economics. “Policy Briefs”
  • UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. “Working Paper Series.”
  • Many articles in the journal Foreign Affairs are policy papers.
  • Oxfam International. “Policy & Research.”
  • Bardach, Eugene and Eric M. Patashnik. 2015. A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving. CQ Press.
  • Eóin Young and Lisa Quinn. “Writing Effective Policy Papers: A guide for policy advisers in Central and Eastern Europe.” Open Society Institute .
  • “The Policy Analysis Process”, Professor Michelle A. Saint-Germain (CSULB)
  • Overseas Development Institute. “Writing Policy Papers.”
  • UN Food and Agriculture Organization. “Writing Effective Reports, Section 4: Preparing Policy Briefs”
  • “How to inform policy makers in a briefing memo or opinion”
  • “Tasks for writing briefing memos or opinions”
  • Checklists for communicating the policy process

updated July 12, 2017 – MN

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POL 101: American Government

  • eBooks and Reference
  • Academic Journals/Trade Publications/Primary Sources
  • Evaluating Sources
  • Public Policy Essay

Assignment:

Governments administer, or design and implement public policy to address social problems and controversies. Politics is the contested social process whereby individuals and groups compete to have government represent varied and often opposed interests as official public policy. In a 3-4 page essay, you will analyze a political issue that the federal government addresses through public policy. Your essay should cover the following themes:

  • Issue Identification and Explanation: Identify and explain an important political issue that the federal government administers through public policy. Why is the issue controversial? What are the relevant facts? Provide data or support.
  • Interest Group Analysis: How do they get government to do what they want? Do they lobby the Congress and executive branch of government? Do they mobilize the public with information and grassroots movements? Be specific.
  • Government Administration and Policy Analysis: Identify and explain how the federal government administers the policies that address the political issue. What laws have Congress passed regarding the issue? What executive department, agency, or bureau is responsible in creating and enforcing the public policies and programs related to the issue? How have the federal courts and Supreme Court ruled in interpreting the constitutionality of legislation and policies related to the political issue?
  • Assessment and Conclusion: Conclude by providing an assessment of your research: Are government institutions effective in addressing the political issue through public policy? Why or why not?

Formatting and Requirements:

  • Length: 3-4 pages
  • Double-spaced
  • 12-point font (Calibri or Times New Roman)
  • Standard margins
  • Clear introduction with a thesis statement
  • Well-organized body paragraphs with evidence
  • Concluding paragraph summarizing your analysis
  • Proper citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

Resources for Paper

  • Lobbying “Lobbying.” The Columbia Encyclopedia , by Paul Lagasse and Columbia University, 8th ed., Columbia University Press, 2018. Credo Reference
  • See Also: ebooks and Reference
  • See Also: Databases
  • << Previous: Evaluating Sources
  • Last Updated: Aug 22, 2024 2:10 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.gateway.kctcs.edu/americangovernment

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U.S. climate and environment diplomacy aspires to realize economic growth, energy security, and a healthy planet. The well-being of the natural world affects millions of U.S. jobs and the health of our people, and so we work with partners to advance U.S. interests on issues such as addressing the climate crisis, combating wildlife trafficking, fostering resilience, conserving nature, water security, and reducing harmful pollutants.

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Bold action to tackle the climate crisis is more urgent than ever. The record-breaking heat, floods, storms, drought, and wildfires devastating communities around the world underscore the grave risks we already face. Through our actions at home and our leadership abroad, the United States is doing its part to build a zero-carbon future that creates good jobs and ensures a healthy, livable planet for generations to come.

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Effectively combating transnational criminal organizations requires a comprehensive, committed, and well-coordinated approach between us, other federal agencies, and our partners around the world.

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As the threats posed by terrorist organizations continue to evolve, we work to build global consensus to degrade and defeat these adversaries.  We also work closely with the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, and the Intelligence Community to lead an integrated whole-of-government approach to international counterterrorism.

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In partnership with other countries, we lead the U.S. government’s efforts to promote an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable information and communications infrastructure that supports international trade and commerce, strengthens international security, and fosters free expression and innovation.

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Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy

Our economic officers focus on building a strong U.S. economy that creates jobs and underpins national security, highlight economic considerations in policy formulation, and build the relationships needed to expand commercial ties that drive American prosperity.  

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We promote U.S. interests globally on critical issues such as ensuring economic and energy security for the United States and its allies and partners, removing barriers to energy development and trade, and promoting U.S. best practices regarding transparency and good governance. We also work to deny terrorists and rogue nations access to funds derived from energy production.

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Global Health

Outbreaks of infectious disease do not respect national boundaries. Halting and treating diseases at their points of origin is one of the best and most economical ways of saving lives and protecting Americans. We actively work to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.

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Global Women’s Issues

The United States is committed to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through U.S. foreign policy. We have identified four key priorities to advance gender equality and the status of women and girls around the world: women, peace, and security; women’s economic empowerment; gender-based violence; and adolescent girls.

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Human Rights and Democracy

The United States uses a wide range of tools to advance a freedom agenda, including bilateral diplomacy, multilateral engagement, foreign assistance, reporting and public outreach, and economic sanctions. We work with democratic partners, international and regional organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and engaged citizens to support those seeking freedom.

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Human Trafficking

We lead U.S. global engagement to combat human trafficking and support the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts across the U.S. government. The United States follows the widely used “3P” paradigm — prosecution, protection, and prevention — to combat human trafficking worldwide. We also employ a “4th P” — for partnership — as a complementary means to achieve progress across the 3Ps and enlist all segments of society in the fight against modern slavery.

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The Ocean and Polar Affairs

The United States works to efficiently and effectively develop and manage ocean resources with neighboring countries and the international community to preserve their health and wealth for many generations to come. The changes today in the Arctic — economic, social, and environmental — transcend national borders, opening new opportunities and making international cooperation critical for the Arctic’s continued sustainable development.

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Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

The primary goal of U.S. humanitarian assistance is to save lives and alleviate suffering by ensuring that vulnerable and crisis-affected individuals receive assistance and protection.  U.S. funding provides life-saving assistance to tens of millions of displaced and crisis-affected people, including refugees, worldwide.

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Science, Technology, and Innovation

We execute public diplomacy programs that promote the value of science to the general public. We also implement capacity-building programs in emerging markets that train young people to become science and technology entrepreneurs. Our efforts contribute to scientific enterprises that hasten economic growth and advance U.S. foreign policy priorities.

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Treaties and International Agreements

Treaties and other international agreements are written agreements between sovereign states (or between states and international organizations) governed by international law.  The United States enters into more than 200 treaties and other international agreements each year.

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Current Public Policy Papers

ACP public policy papers summarize and dissect published research and discussion on current issues involving clinical practice, medical education, bioethics, and health care financing and delivery, and make specific recommendations for internal medicine physicians, patients, and policy makers. Read about ACP's public policy development process .

Learn more about where ACP stands on important and timely issues:

Racial Health Disparities, Prejudice and Violence

Health care reform/access, payment/delivery system reform, health information technology, medicare and medicaid, controlling costs, improving effectiveness, prescription drugs and public health related topics, workforce and physician shortage, coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19), acp policy compendium, updated july 2024.

Download an up-to-date summary of ACP's policy positions. 

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  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, Queer and Other Sexual and Gender Minority Health Disparities (June 2024)
  • The Integration of Care for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Other Behavioral Health Conditions into Primary Care (August 2015)
  • Full Paper   
  • Assessing the Patient Care Implications of "Concierge" and Other Direct Patient Contracting Practices (November 2015)
  • Retail Health Clinics (October 2015)
  • Artificial Intelligence in the Provision of Health Care (June 2024)
  • Health Information Privacy, Protection, and Use in the Expanding Digital Health Ecosystem (April 2021)
  • Policy Recommendations to Guide the Use of Telemedicine in Primary Care Settings (September 2015)
  • Clinical Documentation in the 21st Century (January 2015)
  • Full Paper and Issue Brief  
  • Full Paper  
  • Appendix 1: Playbook
  • Principles Supporting Dynamic Clinical Care Teams (September 2013)
  • Full Paper and Issue Brief

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For questions about the content of Public Policy Papers, please contact the ACP Division of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy , 25 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001-7401. 202-261-4500. To order copies of position papers, please contact us .

88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best healthcare policy topic ideas & essay examples.

  • ⭐ Simple & Easy Healthcare Policy Essay Titles

💡 Good Essay Topics on Healthcare Policy

📌 most interesting healthcare policy topics to write about.

  • Healthcare Policies in Nursing Informatics In this context, nurses aid in the technological transformation of the healthcare delivery system, particularly in the effective and efficient HIT deployment.
  • Regulatory and Allocative Healthcare Policymaking This essay discusses health policies, the determinants of health, and the connections between the two. The determinants of health are individual and environmental factors that affect people’s physical and mental well-being and the ability to […]
  • Advanced Practice Nurses: Impact of Healthcare Policy and Advocacy The healthcare policy can also dictate the approach used in compensating the APNs, thus affecting the attractiveness of the job. It influences policy change by making the followers commit to a new strategy that the […]
  • Health and Social Care Practice and Policy It should begin by evaluating the effectiveness of the current initiatives in attaining various outcomes: William Burns can access health services with the equal quality as the other people and sleeping rough on health to […]
  • The Health Care Policy Problems and Suggestions The health care policy presented in this paper looks at health care as a public policy that is pertinent to a country’s achievement of its vision.
  • The Replacement for the ACA Healthcare Insurance Policy For example, the AHCA policy allows a waiver of the ACA’s healthcare provision for societal rating and enables the federal government to charge patients more capital regarding the payment of premiums.
  • Healthcare Policies and Delivery To gain a better perspective of the healthcare policy and regulations within the organization, an interview with the Chief Nursing Officer was conducted. According to the CNO, the organization is explicitly dependent on the healthcare […]
  • A Healthcare Public Policy Meeting on Number of Doctors The Committee thought it was crucial to gather all the information regarding the number of physicians needed by hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
  • Johns Hopkins Healthcare: Policy Evaluation The survey for the patients to determine if the policy was appropriate for their Medicare plans is one of the measures used for evaluation.
  • Healthcare Policy. S. 3799: Prevent Pandemics Act Among the threats to national security in the sphere of citizens’ health, the risks of complications of the epidemiological situation against the background of the unfavorable situation in foreign countries for a number of dangerous […]
  • New Health Care Transparency Requirements: Policy Health Brief Access to this data is helpful to policymakers for identifying individuals and entities responsible for increasing the cost of health care.
  • Standard of Care Delivery and Health Care Policies The providers believe that the services remunerated for are reasonable and correspond to the care offered to the clients. Moreover, they are confident the structures, procedures, and guidelines that are in place guarantee effective and […]
  • Detailed Description of Healthcare Policy Bill This is due to the fact that from the very beginning of the increasing tendency of the human immunodeficiency virus widespread, people who became infected by this illness are not only physically but also mentally […]
  • Health Care Policy Development The impact of climate change reduction on the health care delivery system and the existing higher occurrence of asthmatic diseases in the US can be tremendous.
  • Healthcare Policy Overview and Analysis If the LCR mandated annual water testing in all schools, these schools would have discovered the health risk and taken appropriate measures to counter the effects. The LCR should mandate annual testing, reporting, and mitigation […]
  • Steer, Not Row Concept of Healthcare Policy This ideology refuses to recognize the role of the clearly societal factors on people’s continual ability to enjoy the ‘fruits of civilization’ while proposing that the task of ensuring the continuation of socio-economic progress is […]
  • Health Care Policy: HPV Vaccination It is important that these actors among others play a big role in influencing formulation of health policy. In this regard, it is necessary that content is marched up to its objectives of health policy.
  • Self Evaluation: Healthcare Policy & Planning But upon enrollment and active participation in this course, I have benefited a great deal in not only evaluating the policy implications of healthcare legislation, but also in understanding ways through which I can undertake […]
  • Evaluation of a Healthcare Policy Analysis This development has caused some legislators to question whether it is right for the federal government to continue funding the organization because it is unlawful for the government to finance abortion services.
  • Development of Health Care Policies To begin with, the consultation process is carried out to define the benefits and shortcomings of the strategy. Constant monitoring of the results of the already adopted reforms is also necessary to define whether they […]
  • Health Care Policy: Senate Bill 94 Allowing advanced practice registered nurses to order radiographic imaging tests is identified as the current healthcare policy issue in Georgia. It was intended to remove the barrier provided in the Georgia statutes that restricts APRNs […]
  • TRICARE Health Care Policy Analysis Tricare has other services like Prime remote and Overseas that cater for service members when they are in areas not accessible to the care.
  • U.S. Health Care Policy on Counterfeit Drugs These are pharmaceutical products produced and sold with the intention of misrepresenting their active ingredients, efficacy, safety, and authenticity. These include the pharmaceutical products, which are produced and approved in the U.

⭐ Simple & Easy Healthcare Policy Essay

  • Goals of Healthcare Policy and Prevention of Epidemic A Healthcare policy refers to a statement of a decision about a goal in healthcare. War torn areas such as Afghanistan and Somalia are some of the main targets of the current healthcare policy.
  • Healthcare: Policy Implementation and Modification Since the enactment of the Medicare Policy Act in 1965, the act has undergone several amendments in a bid to improve the level of accessibility and quality of health insurance coverage to all Americans.
  • Healthcare Policy and Affordable Care Act: Four Key Issues As reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United States has the largest nursing workforce in the world, and yet it does not meet its residents’ demands.
  • Promotoras’ Role in Healthcare and Social Policies Several people discuss promotoras serving as liaisons between communities and agencies, analyzing health and social issues, as well as motivating and informing the residents to participate in resolving said issues.
  • Healthcare Responses in Health Policy: Reducing Disparities in Access to Health Care The issue of the Action Plan from the Department of Health and Human Services that consisted of the lack of activities’ specifications seems to be reasonable.
  • Healthcare Reform in Modern Conditions: New Health Policy A healthcare reform in modern conditions is an integral part of the transformation of the social sphere as a whole and the general process of transformation of the American society.
  • Affordable Care Act: Healthcare Policy Position The history of a single-payer system in the US is long and it dates back to the times of President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s when he proposed the adoption of a universal healthcare plan […]
  • Trump’s Contributions to Healthcare Policy Also, Trump’s contributions to the healthcare system are strictly related to Medicaid services and the costs of insurance plans, but he has not managed to fulfill all of his goals yet.
  • Clinton’s Plan and Obamacare: Healthcare Policy In September 1993, the president gave a major speech on health care in the US Congress, where he introduced the parts of the healthcare reform, including a mandate for employers, which forced them to cover […]
  • Healthcare Policy Analysis: Outbreak of Flu in Illinois The seriousness of the problem is obvious, and it is necessary to work on the prevention of such statistics in the future.
  • Health Care Policy and Regulations in the United States As for the significance of the chosen policy issue, it can be listed among the key problems of the United States as income inequality in the country has significantly increased since the end of the […]
  • Florida Healthcare System: Policy Planning, Assessment, Evaluation, and Corrective Measures The changes in government revenue pattern and rates are majorly attributed to economic patterns, which affect the stability and financial power of the government and the changes in health care system as well as its […]
  • Issues of the Health Care Policy in the USA It is also quite important to note that most of the establishments in the Healthcare industry are offices, which have been established for health practitioners such as dentists, physicians and doctors, among others.
  • Health Care as an Essential Public Policy On the broader spectrum, huge expenditures on health care systems are directly related to the life’s satisfaction derived by individuals and the general public, the generational effects being the baseline of the benefits of the […]
  • Economic Terms and Healthcare History: Policies to Enhance Access to Healthcare This has led to the evolution of healthcare economics as the costs for accessing medication shift from one sector of the economy to the other. Macroeconomics relates to the expenditure of the government and the […]
  • Healthcare and Legal Issues: Containment Policies and Its Rates of Efficiency More to the point, the people in the given area will be unable to acquire information concerning the current status of the disease and the existing treatment methods.
  • The Health Care Policy in the United Kingdom The main principles of the National Health Service are to provide healthcare services to all people, and this means all the medical services that the resident of the United Kingdom might need.
  • Analyzing the Healthcare Policy – Personal Protective Equipment
  • Are Remittances Good for Your Health? Remittances and Nepal’s National Healthcare Policy
  • Linking Congressional Committees and Healthcare Policy
  • Defining Health and Identifying Influences on Healthcare Policy
  • Healthcare Advocacy and Its Impact on Healthcare Policy
  • The Relationships Between Healthcare Policy and Economics
  • Healthcare Policy Affecting Access, Cost, and Quality
  • The Relations Between Healthcare Policy and Finance
  • Healthcare Policy and Complications in the United States
  • Overview of Healthcare Policy and Improvement of Patient Care
  • Healthcare Policy and Economics of the Field of Nursing
  • Analysis of Healthcare Policy and Its Effectiveness
  • Assessing Quality of the Healthcare Policy
  • Healthcare Policy and Regulations on Healthcare
  • Importance of Healthcare Policy and Healthcare Financing
  • Healthcare Policy Bill and Changes to Medicare
  • How Healthcare Policy Influences the Working of the Nurses
  • Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments
  • Market Competition: Implications for Healthcare Policy in the United States
  • Healthcare Policy Issue and Nursing Strategies
  • Population-Level Intervention and Information Collection in Dynamic Healthcare Policy
  • Healthcare Policy Report: Medicares New Benefits Catastrophic Health Insurance
  • Relationship Between Healthcare Policy, Regulations, and Finance
  • Overview of Service Development and Healthcare Policy
  • The Complicated Healthcare Policy in the United States
  • The Current Healthcare Policy: A Stable Healthcare System
  • The International Healthcare Policy Health and Social Care
  • Why the American Healthcare Policy Needs a Reform
  • Development of Healthcare Policy Since 1945 as a Result of Welfare Ideologies
  • American Healthcare Policies and Nursing Role
  • Childhood Vaccination as a Healthcare Priority Policy Issue
  • Nurses and Their Role in New Healthcare Policy
  • Long-Term Care Facilities and Healthcare Policy
  • Overview of Healthcare Policy in Mercy Miami Hospital
  • Healthcare Policy and Pfizer’s Nigeria Scandal
  • Patient Good Nutrition as a Healthcare Policy
  • Advocacy in Nursing: The Process of Healthcare Policymaking
  • Malnutrition and Patient Safety Healthcare Policy
  • Healthcare Policy Effects on Individuals: Affordable Care Act
  • Occupational Health Paper Topics
  • Affordable Care Act Essay Titles
  • Government Regulation Titles
  • Health Insurance Research Topics
  • Pharmacy Research Ideas
  • Nursing Theory Questions
  • Obamacare Questions
  • Alcohol Abuse Paper Topics
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 27). 88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/

"88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 27 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 27 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 27, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/healthcare-policy-essay-topics/.

Atlas of Public Management

Policy Issue Paper

… a core concept in Communication Skills and Atlas 109

Concept description

Leslie Pal (reference below) discusses the meaning of a policy issue paper.

Pal (p. 353) draws on William Dunn’s book:

“Dunn also makes a useful distinction between policy issue papers, policy memoranda, and executive summaries. Other terms are sometimes used for the same products – for example, policy paper instead of policy issue paper – but the logic of the distinctions is virtually universal. Policy issue papers are longer, more detailed, and technical analyses of a policy problem, with consideration of options and recommendations (see Box 9.1).

“Whatever their length and level of detail, all three of these forms of policy communication are written and are part of an older form of communication. Modern decisionmaking relies less and less on straight textual communication, and more and more on visualizations of information and data. … the majority of policy communication from analysts to decisionmakers is in the form of some sort of presentation software, most likely PowerPoint.”

Atlas topic, subject, and course

Writing to Persuade (core topic) in Communication Skills  and  Atlas109 Leadership and Communication Skills .

Leslie Pal (2014), Beyond Policy Analysis – Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times, Fifth Edition , Nelson Education, Toronto. See Beyond Policy Analysis – Book Highlights .

Dunn, W. N. (2004). Public policy analysis: An introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall.

Page created by: Ian Clark, last modified 23 April 2017.

Image:  ScienceDocs Inc., at https://www.sciencedocs.com/writing-a-research-paper-discussion/ , accessed 8 April 2017.

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    By Julia Minson, and Nancy Gibbs. August 2, 2024. Trust in nonpartisan news is essential to civil society—but is declining in the United States. However, language that demonstrates active engagement with opposing views may build trust. Public Leadership & Management. Leadership Perspective: What Makes Leadership Development Impactful?

  3. An In-Depth Look at Public Policy Issues and 5 Examples

    Public policy issues encompass a wide range of challenges and concerns that societies face. Here are five examples of public policy issues that are commonly addressed by governments and policymakers: Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability: Climate change poses significant threats to ecosystems, natural resources, and human well-being.

  4. How to Write a Policy Analysis Paper Step-by-Step

    Study policy dynamics and real-world implications in a policy analysis paper, exploring areas such as healthcare, education, and environmental sustainability.

  5. How to Write a Political Essay, With 5 Tips

    Learn how a political essay works, what to include, and how to start a political essay-with a step-by-step guide for writing one.

  6. How COVID-19 has changed public policy

    Public Leadership & Management. How COVID-19 has changed public policy. June 24, 2020. For months, the coronavirus has crawled across the globe. One person at a time, it has passed through millions, reaching every corner of the earth. And it has not only infected people, but every aspect of our human cultures. Policymakers and the public sector ...

  7. Policy Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

    A well-written essay on policy will not only demonstrate your understanding of the topic but also your ability to critically engage with complex political and social issues. Free essay examples about Policy ️ Proficient writing team ️ High-quality of every essay ️ Largest database of free samples on PapersOwl.

  8. Essay on Politics: Topics, Tips, and Examples

    The essay about politics may examine a wide range of topics such as government systems, political ideologies, social justice, public policies, international relations, etc. After selecting a specific research topic, a writer should conduct extensive research, gather relevant information, and prepare a logical and well-supported argument.

  9. Essays About Policy ️ Free Examples & Essay Topic Ideas

    Essays on Policy Free essays on policy are informative pieces of writing that offer insights and analysis on various policy issues. These essays analyze policy topics such as healthcare, immigration, education, and other societal issues. The essays cover a range of topics with a focus on public policies and their impact on the general population.

  10. Policy Paper

    What is a policy paper? Policy papers are different from the standard research papers in several respects: They are usually addressed at a non-academic audience, such as a particular official, agency, or organization They often focus on prescriptive questions. They may begin by diagnosing a particular issue or situation, and typically argue for a solution…

  11. Contemporary Public Policy Issues, Essay Example

    Essays.io ️ Contemporary Public Policy Issues, Essay Example from students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, and other elite schools

  12. LibGuides: POL 101: American Government: Public Policy Essay

    In a 3-4 page essay, you will analyze a political issue that the federal government addresses through public policy. Your essay should cover the following themes: Issue Identification and Explanation: Identify and explain an important political issue that the federal government administers through public policy. Why is the issue controversial?

  13. Trending Policy Topics: Institute for Policy Research

    Trending Policy Topics IPR Trending Policy Topics offer key evidence-based insights into timely policy issues. Browse our faculty's research roundups.

  14. Public Policy Essay Topics

    The topic of public policy can lead to a wide range of essays as your students discuss not only the policy process but also specific policies that...

  15. The Most Pressing

    Foreign Policy Issues President-Elect Joe Biden will face a suite of challenges on the global stage, from nuclear tensions with North Korea to coordinating a response to the ongoing pandemic.

  16. PDF Policy Challenges 2019-2024

    Policy Challenges B @ A I 4 Centre for Policy Research 5 opportunities in an expanded international role. They also draw attention to the challenge of China's rise, its increased resource deployment in the South Asian region and its implications for our 'Neighbourhood First' policy. One essay argues for the importance of

  17. Health Policy Topics

    Featured Health Policy Topics Topics in Health Affairs journal, Forefront, briefs and other content cover a wide swath of health policy matters and health services research.

  18. Topics on International Relations & Foreign Policy

    The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) examines research topics surrounding global studies, international relations, & foreign policy issues.

  19. Policy Issues

    Policy Issues. Anti-Corruption and Transparency. We prioritize anti-corruption and seek to make it even harder for criminality and terrorism to take root and spread, to promote governments that are more stable and accountable, and to level the playing field for U.S. businesses to compete in every region. Arms Control and Nonproliferation.

  20. Current Public Policy Papers

    ACP public policy papers summarize and dissect published research and discussion on current issues involving clinical practice, medical education, bioethics, and health care financing and delivery, and make specific recommendations for internal medicine physicians, patients, and policy makers. Read about ACP's public policy development process.

  21. 88 Healthcare Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Looking for a good essay, research or speech topic on Healthcare Policy? Check our list of 88 interesting Healthcare Policy title ideas to write about!

  22. PDF Microsoft Word

    Policy papers may also take the form of a briefing paper, which typically provides a decision maker with an overview of an issue or problem, targeted analysis, and, often, actionable recommendations. Briefing books and white papers often accompany an oral briefing that targets key findings or recommendations.

  23. Policy Issue Paper

    Pal (p. 353) draws on William Dunn's book: "Dunn also makes a useful distinction between policy issue papers, policy memoranda, and executive summaries. Other terms are sometimes used for the same products - for example, policy paper instead of policy issue paper - but the logic of the distinctions is virtually universal.

  24. Harris explains in exclusive CNN interview why she's shifted her

    Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday offered her most expansive explanation to date on why she's changed some of her positions on fracking and immigration, telling CNN's Dana Bash her ...

  25. IMF Working Papers

    This paper investigates the impact of natural disasters on exchange rate movements in different country groups with different exchange rate regimes. Using a panel local projection model with a high-frequency monthly dataset of 177 countries during 1970M1-2019M12, we find that exchange rate movements are more sensitive to natural disasters in emerging markets and developing countries (EMDEs ...