Write a 10 pages paper on public policy within the united states. The public policy reflects culture by defining what is important and how it is handled or conducted. Rushefsky (2008) defined public policy as “a course of action made up of a series of decisions, discrete choices (including the choice not to act), over a period of time” (p. 3). Rushefsky (2008) goes on to explain that the nature of the public policy is to reflect values about “money, property, life, and health” (p. 4). Birkland (2011) offers a series of quotes about the definition of public policy which includes a rudimentary comment about how it is the struggle within the government that will provide for who will get what they want. As well, Birkland (2011) quotes Charles L Cochran and Eloise F. Malone who state that “Public policy consists of political decisions for implementing programs to achieve societal goals.

Public policy is a framework through which political decisions are made. The ideology of society provides for structures that inform the government on how to operate and what to support. There are a great number of concepts that are supported in public policy and the public defines this through their opinions on social issues. An example is that of marriage. Public policy about marriage is that it is a union between one man and one woman which is defined through legal documents that provide for legal protections for that union. Public policy is shifting, however, to include unions between same-sex partners. Law remains reflective of the conflict that exists about this issue as some states have begun to allow unions that are not configured traditionally, while others have yet to change the laws that define the issue. Public policy is not static, but a fluid and shifting set of ideas through which culture is defined in&nbsp.combination with the support of social expectations. Defining how a society chooses to treat its citizens and what rights it will support is essential in understanding the importance of public policy.