Policy Pathways
Learn about policy identification, formulation, and implementation. Discover which path is right for you in the policy process.
Find your pathway
| Branches of Federal Government | Branches of State Government | |
|---|---|---|
 Legislative Branch | The legislative branch is Congress, which is made up of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Its main job is to make our nation’s laws. Congress writes, debates, and passes bills. Bills passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president become law. | The legislative branch is the state legislature, which is populated by elected representatives, which are usually organized in a bicameral structure consisting of two separate legislative chambers or houses. Its main job is to make the state’s laws. The state legislature writes, debates, and passes bills. Bills passed by the legislature and signed by the governor become law. |
 Executive Branch | The executive branch, led by the president, enforces federal laws. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch. The President gets help from the Vice President, department heads (called Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies. | The executive branch, led by the Governor, enforces state laws. The Governor is the head of the executive branch. The Governor gets help from the lieutenant governor, department heads (called Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies. |
 Judicial Branch | The judicial branch is the federal court system, and its main job is to evaluate the nation’s laws. It is headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation. Supreme Court decisions can only be changed by a later Supreme Court decision or by changing or amending the Constitution. | The judicial branch is the state court system, which consists of the appellate, superior court, and district court. Its main function is to interpret the laws and the state constitution and make decisions about the laws and those who break them. The State Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. There is no further appeal from its decisions on matters of state law. The State Supreme Court considers whether error occurred at trial or in judicial interpretation of the law. |
Stages of the Policy Process
Background
The public policy making process plays a central role in the lives of every citizen. It involves actions taken by public officials, public and private institutions, and individuals to tackle real-world issues that affect the citizenry. Typically, officials create public policy in response to a social or economic need. To do so, they determine what the government will do to address the issue. Those individuals who are interested in contributing to the policy process can intervene at three main stages of the policy process: 1) identify policy, 2) formulate policy, and/or 3) implement policy.
1. Identify policy
Initially, a need for government action is identified through a variety of pathways, such as a crisis, newly emergent information from research or program evaluations, reprioritization of values and beliefs, collective action of interest groups, media coverage of an issue, and/or political changes. Policy actors, both inside and outside of the government, help set the agenda through advocacy and political engagement. Scientists and engineers can help set the agenda by providing useful research results, advising policy actors, engaging the public, or through direct advocacy.
2. Formulate policy
Once the policy agenda has been established, government leaders, usually the legislative branch, must decide on courses of action. Policy solutions are proposed by interested parties both inside and outside of the government. Ideally, the solutions would best address the problems for the most members of the public. Policy actors help shape the decisions of government leaders. Scientists and engineers can inform the decisions by providing useful research results, advising policy actors, engaging the public, or through direct advocacy.
3. Implement policy
Governments, usually through the executive branch, put the chosen policy options into effect. Interested parties both within and without the government monitor the impact of the policy and determine if it is achieving the intended goal. Policy actors can assist with the implementation or track and report on the impact of the policies. Scientists and engineers can assist with implementation by providing useful research results, advising the government or policy actors, engaging the public, or through direct implementation.
In reality, the policy making process is not typically so linear. However, these steps provide a framework to better understand how policy is developed, implemented, and assessed.
Choose your pathway