Models of the Policy Process

The simplest definition of the term "public policy" is "the things government chooses to do or not do." This very simple definition certainly raises more questions than it answers. How is public policy made? Who participates, inside and outside of government, to decide whether government should or should not act? Current models of the policy process seek to address these questions. Since policy studies began as a distinct endeavor in the 1960s, two major categories of policy studies have emerged.