y choices--the decisions made by governmental authorities and directed toward using public power to affect the daily lives of citizens. Elected officials, administrators, special interest groups, among others, participate in making policy choices. At the second level are policy outputs--policy choices being implemented. At this level, government activity realizes the policy choice by promulgating legislation and rules, hiring staff and spending money to enforce the policy choices. At the third level are policy impacts--the effects that policy choices and policy outputs have on society. These impacts will affect different classes of people differently, but they reflect the degree of success or failure associated with the policy outputs.
In formulating public policy, the first hurdle for any issue is to reach the nation's political agenda (p. 41). Agenda setting is crucial, for if an issue is not placed on the political agenda, it will not be debated or considered and nothing will happen. Issues come and go from the nation's political agenda. One example of an issue finally reaching the political ag
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