The process of initiatives’ implementation at the state level is a complicated task for the present-day activists. It implies the participation of numerous actors as well as following the pre-defined procedure complying with legislative frameworks. Therefore, to demonstrate this aspect of societal impact, this paper aims to consider the stages of the policy life cycle to reveal the way new measures are approved and adopted by the government.
The beginning of promoting a program intended to solve a critical issue is known as agenda-setting. It is characterized by developing a problem statement and defining the scope of activities performed by individuals and interest groups (“The Public Policy Development Cycle”). This stage is followed by the elaboration of methods to resolve the identified issue by lobbyists referred to as policy formulation and implies receiving the reaction of opponents and federal bureaucracies (“The Public Policy Development Cycle”). The consequent adoption of the proposed initiative as the third task is conditional upon Congress’s ultimate decision. Subsequently, it is supported or rejected by the president and the Supreme Court in the fourth step known as policy implementation (“The Public Policy Development Cycle”). The fifth phase is the evaluation of the used measures’ effectiveness by all the involved actors, which is conducted regularly (“The Public Policy Development Cycle”). In this way, they coordinate their actions to ensure the suitability of elaborated plans to actual needs.
To summarize, the stages of the policy life cycle include agenda setting, policy development, adoption, implementation, and continuous assessments. They are addressed by various actors from individual and interest groups to lobbyists, Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court. Thus, it can be concluded that a balanced system presented by the specified steps and participants involved in the process contributes to efficient and appropriate policy-making.
Reference
“The Public Policy Development Cycle.” U.S. Fire Administration, 2017. Web.