Key Characteristics of Public Policy

A policy is made to respond to a specific issue or problem that needs attention such as lack of sanitation, lack of employment, etc.
A policy can be a law, a regulation, or a collection of rules and regulations that control a certain subject or problem.
As a remedy to the problem, the policy focuses on the intended goal or scenario.
Whether the views come from foreign nations or through government and public relations, the policy is ultimately established by the government.
Because judgments regarding who will profit from the process and who will face any responsibility for that policy are continually evaluated, policy-making is an ongoing process with no apparent beginning or finish.

The most common approach has been to portray public policymaking as a technical function of government, with a top-down approach and logical decision-making based on accessible data and information.
However, it is increasingly being viewed as an issue of power and politics, requiring contestation, debate, bargaining, and accommodation among many interests and players. Public policymaking is a dynamic and involved process. It entails a wide range of actions and inactions by many different parties, all with different interests, at various phases of a network, through which decisions are made, policy agendas are defined, policies are moulded, and programmes are formulated, implemented, and assessed.
Despite the fact that not all actors and interests have equal strength or a chance to influence decisions, the process remains fluid, with its ups and downs. Notably, the formulation of public policy does not solely involve government, public officials, and bodies, but also involves a variety of non-officials, groups, and private players.