In the Dictionary of Public Policy and Administration, Shafritz (2004) defined public policy in several ways:
1. A policy made on behalf of a public by means of a public law or regulation that is put into effect by public administration.
2. Decisionmaking by government. Governments are constantly concerned about what they should or should not do. And whatever they do or do not do is public policy.
3. The implementation of a subset of a governing doctrine. The governing doctrine is necessarily an ideology, a comprehensive set of political beliefs about the nature of people and society. It is perhaps best thought of as an organzied collection of ideas and the best way for people to live and about the most appropriate institutional arrangements of their societies.
Reference: Shafritz, J. M. (2004). Dictionary of public policy and administration. Westview Press.
The graphic below represents the circular nature of Public Policy. Though the graphic is focused on Social Policy issues, the idea of circularity can apply to other kinds of public policies as well.
The image was developed by Kimberly Pendell, Portland State University Librarian for Social Work and Sociology.
The California State Legislature provides an overview of the lawmaking process.
The Chief Clerk of the California State Assembly page also provides detailed information of the legislative process, from idea to law. The Life Cycle of Legislation shows all the steps needed for a bill to become a law.
A visual guide summarization of How a Bill Becomes Law in California is below. The image is from California's Capital Museum.
A Public Sector Journey to Operational Excellence by 
Handbook of Public Administration by
Public administration as a field of study finds itself in the middle of a fluid environment. The very reach and complexity of public administration has been easy to take for granted, easy to attack, and difficult to explain, particularly in the soundbite and Twitter-snipe media environment. Not only has the context for the discipline changed, but the institutions of public administration have adapted and innovated to deliver services to the public and serve those in power while becoming increasingly complex themselves. Has public administration evolved? And what new lines of research are critical for effective policy and delivery of programs and public services while preserving foundational principles such as the rule of law and expert institutions? This Handbook of Public Administration sheds light for new researchers, doctoral students, scholars, and practitioners interested in probing modern public administration's role in solving major challenges facing nations and the world. This fourth edition recognizes that the scholarship of public administration must reflect the diverse influence of an international orientation, embracing public administration issues and practices in governance systems around the world, and illustrating just how practice can vary across jurisdictions. Every section identifies foundational principles and issues, shows variation in practice across selected jurisdictions, and identifies promising avenues for research. Each chapter revisits enduring themes and tensions, showing how they persist, along with new challenges and opportunities presented by digital technology and contemporary political realities. The Handbook of Public Administration, Fourth Edition provides a compelling introduction to and depiction of the contemporary realities of public administration, and it will inspire new avenues of inquiry for the next generation of public administration researchers.
