Policy is what a government (or anyone in authority) decides to do, or not do, about some sort of problem. There are a broad range of policies, from school policy, to environmental policy, to immigration policy. Some policies are direct government action, like imposing taxes and subsidizing alternatives to encourage certain behaviours (Make). Others are indirect government action that uses money to influence people’s behaviour, such as a minimum wage policy encouraging the buying of goods from companies that pay their employees a living wage (Borrow).

Policymaking is a time-consuming process. Many different actors – individuals, corporations, non-profit organizations and interest groups – compete to get policymakers to act in their favour. In addition, politicians themselves have their own goals which may be conflicting or complementary with those of other stakeholders.

Ultimately, the decisions a government makes about public policy will have a profound impact on society. Some of these impacts will be long-term, whereas others may have immediate effects. For example, population policies can have a dramatic impact on demographic change by directly influencing birth rates and migration patterns.

Policy debate is a form of public speaking that involves arguing for and against a particular policy resolution. It follows a structured debate format where one team affirms the resolution and the other negates it. Both teams present two constructives and two rebuttals, using formal evidence with full citation. A judge then votes for which team did the best debating.