POL214Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Whistleblower, Treasury Board Secretariat
Document Summary
Until about 100 years ago, the role of government in society was very limited, and we often refer to the period prior to 1900 as that of the negative state". Public policy can be defined as a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given problem or interrelated set of problems". The actual policymaking process can be divided into six phases: initiation, priority-setting, policy formulation, legitimation, implementation, and interpretation. The policymaking process is set in motion when the prime minister and cabinet, frequently termed the government, have been impressed with the articulation of a demand and decide to look into the matter further. The second phase of the policymaking process involves the government again, this time in their priority- setting capacity. The pm and cabinet must decide whether or not to take action on the issue and if they decide to act, they must determine the general lines of the new initiative.
