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

"These results have major implications for future research as well as clinical care and public policy."

From Science Daily

Still, the yearning for a vanished past is never a good guide to public policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Michael Lens, professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA, said the “writing has certainly been on the wall” for California’s housing market to be considered the most expensive in the world.

From Los Angeles Times

California is home to nearly half a million Salvadoran immigrants, making it the second-largest Latin American immigrant community in the state after Mexican immigrants, according to recent data from the Public Policy Institute of California.

From Los Angeles Times

However Ben Wilmott, head of public policy at the human resources professionals' association CIPD, thinks it is wrong to believe that long hours lead to better performance.

From BBC