The Dynamics of Public Policy in America

Public policy is a goal-oriented course of action that the government follows in dealing with a problem or issue in the country. Public policies are based on law, but many people other than legislators set them. Individuals, groups, and even government agencies all play a part in the policy-making process, and they can bring about some positive, some negative, and often unintended impacts and outcomes.

Write a 3–4 page paper in which you do the following:

Select a topic from the following categories (for example, obesity from the health category):
- Health: Obesity, opioid abuse, alcohol abuse, cigarette taxes.
- Criminal Justice: death penalty, drug policy, and gun control.
- Culture and Society: abortion, arts, and civil rights.
- Economic Affairs: budget and taxes.
- Education: school safety.
- Environment: air quality and global warming.
Some of the outside influencers on public policy include public opinion, economic conditions, scientific findings, interest groups, political ideology, etc. How would each of these influencers impact your chosen topic? Use specific examples.
Give one example of how a public policy in your chosen topic might have unexpected outcomes or unintended consequences.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.
A minimum of three professional references (Wikipedia is not accepted in this class).

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

Evaluate the influencers, positive and negative, and the impacts, intended and unintended, of a public policy.