Scope of Public Policy:

On the issue of scope, it is hard to imagine any restriction on the boundaries of public policy. Do health laws and regulations affect people's life? So does the environment. Foreign policy can trigger a war? War can affect economy of the nation or health of a soldier? Any action or non-action of government, which effect public in general or a segment of a society can be under the jurisdiction of public policy. Let us take a soft angle; a humanistic and philosophical approach to envision public policy. It is a process to transform public whishes and needs into reality. In practical terms, it represents a process to prioritize the allocation of scare resources, according to the need of people. The term policy by itself refers to a purpose course of action, in a cohesive manner. The policy is used as a tool to find a solution to a problem of public interest or change the undesired and unacceptable conditions perceived by the public. It might be through the intervention of governmental action or non-action; still it is a "public policy". Policymakers have an edge to "pick and choose" among the conflicting and competing values and, force of law to impose and decide which values should be prevailed. Public policy often has to deal with competing values of a society and at a same time conflicting views on fundamental human values. Any policy enforcement can change the social fabric of the society. Therefore, it is critical to acquire the skills to understand the policymaking process and expertise to analyze the possible alternates, course of actions and finally the way government implements its policy decisions. The implementation phase which reflects the execution and steering to achieve an outcome of a specific policy, might expands the definition of public policy from "who gets what and why" to "how", an ongoing mechanism to deliver services, in addition to oversight and evaluation of government's actions. Public demand of government's intervention can be at any level; local, state or federal, depending on the nature of social issues. Whatever the level of government's action is, it might affect all the members of a society or partial segment of the society or might alter the individual's behavior.

Some laws governs personal conduct, i.e. from where to cross the busy traffic road, or walk on sidewalk. In addition, some of the laws impact the nations across the world, Movement for restoration of democracy in Pakistan or Hajj policy or war on terror. From speed limit on public roads to how much water is needed to flush a toilet, financial allocation to educate a community, budget to defend the country, how carbon footprint reduction is required to save the environment; are all under the domain of public policy.