Public Administration

Finding Public Policies

"Public policy can be generally defined as a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action, and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a government entity or its representatives." (Kilpatrick, 2010, para. 1).

Source: Kilpatrick, D. G. (2000). Definitions of public policy and the law. Retrieved from https://mainweb-v.musc.edu/vawprevention/policy/definition.shtml

This guide is meant to steer you toward sources to identify policies in your area of research. The guide is not meant to be comprehensive, rather, a starting point to identify policies and how they affect citizens.

Policy may be made at the:

• Federal or national level
• State level
• Local level (also consider company and organizational policy - search within the Human Resources area)

If you are uncertain where to begin consult one of our online reference resources for background information and a holistic overview of a topic.​

Reference Resources