What is a policy?
Learn what a policy is and how it is different from a law or an opinion.
Part 1
A policy is a plan
A policy is a country's official plan for handling something, like recycling, school, or health care. It answers the question: what are we going to do about this?
Part 2
Policy vs. law
A law is a rule you must follow, and breaking it has consequences. A policy is the bigger plan behind the laws. Governments often write laws to carry out a policy.
Part 3
Who makes policies?
Usually elected leaders and their advisors, with help from experts, teachers, doctors, scientists and sometimes ordinary people who write letters or protest.
Part 4
Why policies differ
Countries have different money, weather, history and beliefs. Kenya banned plastic bags because litter clogged its rivers. Norway pushes electric cars because it has lots of cheap hydro electricity.
Quick check β
Which one is a policy?
What is the difference between a law and a policy?
Who usually writes a country's policies?
Why did Kenya ban plastic bags?
Why do two countries handle the same problem differently?
Which of these is a goal you could actually check later?
What happens if someone breaks a law?
A city decides all new buses must be electric by 2035. This isβ¦
How can ordinary people help shape a policy?
Why do scientists and doctors get invited to policy meetings?