Government policy is the laws, regulations, and other actions that govern the way people interact with the world around them. Governments implement policy to influence and regulate social, economic, and environmental issues that arise in society. Policymakers often use research to identify these issues and determine how best to address them. Effective policymakers also weigh the impact of these decisions on impacted individuals, groups and organizations in order to develop policies that are as inclusive and fair as possible.
Policy debate is a great tool for learning how to critically examine the laws and other regulatory measures that impact societies. By requiring students to alternate affirming and negating the resolution, it is hoped that students will learn that there are reasonable arguments for and against most policy proposals. The affirmative team generally attempts to identify possible problems with the status quo and explain how their plan would provide advantages that outweigh the disadvantages. The negative team, on the other hand, will often challenge the alleged harms of the current status quo, call into question the veracity of the claims being made by the affirmative side, and offer alternatives to their proposal.
The genesis of most policy is in response to an emerging issue or crisis. For example, when the financial crisis and recession hit, many government officials were forced to improvise tools in order to mitigate its effects and avoid economic disaster. This swift and creative action ultimately helped to reduce the severity of the crisis and prevent a longer, more severe recession.