Public policy investigates what government does or, in other words, the outcomes of decisions made at local, regional, national, and international levels of governance - as well as the consequences they bring about. We explore three central, interrelated questions regarding the nature of governmental decision-making processes having as their aim the enactment, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. These are: 1) what frameworks, explanatory theories, and ways of knowing illuminate how and why certain types of policies get made? 2) What is the role of the policy analyst - an academically trained professional - in describing, understanding, predicting, and designing policies? And, 3) what are the consequences of different policy designs on: public welfare and well-being, other areas of social discourse and interaction, and the concept of democracy itself?
