public policy

American  

[puhb-lik pol-uh-see] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈpɒl ə si /

noun

1. 1. the body of laws and other measures that affect the general public.

      These officeholders are creating public policy on important issues including affordable housing and the environment.

   2. the underlying principles, values, or objectives that inform these laws and other measures: In a secular state, no religion can become the basis of public policy.

      The Institute participates in shaping public debate and public policy through inquiry and dialogue.

      In a secular state, no religion can become the basis of public policy.

2. Law. the principle that injury to the public good or public order constitutes a basis for declaring an act or transaction illegal or invalid.

   The principle of public policy requires that we judge the tendency of the contract at the time when it was entered into.

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Etymology

Origin of public policy

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

“The main reason that bills are going up is that all the taxing jurisdictions keep raising their levies,” said Christopher Berry, a University of Chicago professor of public policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Richard Land, a longtime president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention who says he has known Huckabee since the late 1970s, has similar concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal

“For the recovery of oil production, particularly in the first two years, there is no company poised to help more than Chevron,” said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America energy program at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Christopher Bosso, a professor of public policy and political science at Northeastern University in Boston who has studied SNAP, said the program is so large it’s bound to have some level of malfeasance, similar to other large government entities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Steven Durlauf, a leading professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, accused Harvard of “shameful misconduct.”

From Salon