Study
Explore the study options and programmes offered by the School of Government.
What is Public Policy and Public Management?
The study of public policy is essentially concerned with what governments do and why they do it. The term "policy" covers the intention, the activity and the result of much governmental action. The study of public policy includes all the planning, politics, processes, ideas, institutions and people involved in such action.
Public management refers to the management of government institutions. Public institutions operate in a different environment to private institutions. They experience far greater exposure to public scrutiny and there are constitutional and political considerations for managers of public agencies.