Public Policy 2: what links the folks who do the work?

(nanoscape) Public Policy 2

What is public policy?  It has been defined as an attempt by government to institute law, regulations, decisions or actions pertinent to a problem at hand.

Policy work is done outside of government, too. Employees of non-profits and NGOs work just as hard as government employees on policy  issues. Huge swaths of corporations now have in-house corporate social responsibility positions.

What are its parts? Every public policy question presents (1) a collection of critical and subsidiary issues as interpreted by political and non-political leaders coupled with (2) multiple approaches to devising solutions from experts in a variety of technical disciplines. Will many of the offices and organizations have conflicting agendas and wildly conflicting goals? Of course.

Each policy question is viewed through its history as seen through many lenses, the emotion of today's news, and a necessarily hazy vision of the future. Every approach to solving a 21st century policy question suffers from an insufficient budget-from-hell.

Who does the work? The people who work on public policy issues are connected to one another across local, state, and national boundaries because of their strong (perhaps obsessive) commitment to solving a problem. They bring energy and enthusiasm, technical skills and experience, good faith, visions with a variety of clarity, and their absolute determination to make a difference.

Their collective commitment Although the participants and factions often disagree enthusiastically, what links the strengths of each participant is the collective commitment to identify and solve the problem.

The silver bar at the center of Public Policy 2 represents the commitment that connects all of the actors in this important part of public life..

Public Policy 2 is an original 5x3 inch watercolor and it is not for sale.