Reference no: EM133242465

Topic: Governments, Citizens, and Public Policy: An Introduction

"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

--John F. Kennedy

Public policy is how government, at the federal, state, and local levels address public concerns. Public policy can be understood through the following characteristics:

• Public policy responds to a perceived concern. The following concerns could be political, social, economic, environmental, etc.
• Public policy solutions are mostly addressed through legislation or regulation.
• Public policy is made at the behest of the people.
• Public policy is typically an ongoing process.

Public policy has been and continues to be strongly influenced by citizens - either as individuals and/or as groups. Citizens can affect public policy through many outlets:

• Citizens can vote for individuals who advocate a particular public policy concern.
• Citizens can mobilize, petition, attend town halls, and request attention from their representatives via phone calls, emails, social media, and visits to local, state, and federal assemblies.
• Citizens can also join or fund interest groups who advocate a particular policy concern.

One historical example of a government response to a public policy concern was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. On March 25th, 1911, New York experienced the deadliest, workplace disaster it had suffered to that point. On the upper floors of a high-rise building, unreachable by the fire department, a garment factory caught on fire. With only one, badly built fire escape, and the employees locked inside the building because the owners wanted to protect against theft, 146 people, mostly immigrant women, died while trying to flee the conflagration. The public outcry over what was a senseless tragedy reignited labor and immigrant movements, resulted in the formation of the Bureau of Fire Protection, and would eventually lead to federal workplace safety and injury compensation laws (Von Drehle, 2004).

More information about the lessons learned from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire can be found from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.

Directions: Using academic readings, and supplemental academic research, please address the following while adhering to the Discussion Board Rubric:

-Select a specific example of public policy for Economic policy:

Economic policy

An example of economic policy is U.S. budget deficit spending.

Explain this, specific public policy.

-Is this specific public policy a federal, state, or local public policy?

-Why does this public policy interest you?

-Why is this public policy important to you?

-How did voter engagement affect this public policy?

-How effective is this public policy?

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