ABSTRACT
Public policy can be described as a public response to public problems. Governmental legislation, programs, and controls are all mechanisms that public bodies utilize in an effort to improve the public welfare. Public policy has been defined in different ways by different observers. Peters defines policy as “the sum of government activities . . . [that have] an influence on the lives of citizens.”1 Lasswell points out that public policy determines “who gets what, when, and how.”2 Contemporary policy analysts might also include “why?” In a real-world context, public policy can be understood as public responses to perceived public problems.3 Policy actors are those individuals and groups, both formal and informal, who seek to influence the creation and implementation of these public responses.
