Linkage Institutions In Public Policy

Public Policy is the action and sometimes inactions that the government makes. If the government decides to pass a law, it makes a decision to do so. The law then becomes Public Policy as in the case of the recent nationwide legalization of gay marriages. Public policy is the complete body of goals, plans, directives, and procedures, both domestic and foreign, through which the general, interest of the United States is advanced. The formal enactment of the public policy takes place at all levels of government, and it is the duty of elected or appointed officials serving within a constitutional structure. Public Policy rests on certain broad principles, distinctly those expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The Legislation usually organizes public policies; however policies can also be created by a bureaucratic regulation,
When the people express their problems and are voicing their concerns, they present the government with ideas on how to tackle the issue. Once the government receives the ideas, the process then moves on to the linkage phase. Linkage institutions are the political channels through which citizens concerns become political issues on the public agenda. Some examples of linkage institutions are; political news and entertainment, interest groups, elections, and political parties. After the Linkage phase, the policy is then placed o the agenda. Policy making agendas are issues that attract the serious attention of public officials, and not all policies on the agenda are considered. The government's agenda policy changes regularly and often it is not a permanent solution. Public Policies are made by the policymaking institutions branches of government These institutions consist of the Legislature, Executive, Courts, and the Bureaucracies. Once the policymaking institution acts upon the policy, the agenda comes into place or becomes