Policy changes may come from above in the form of official government policies translated into laws or regulations, or from below in policy networks and organizations such as unions and workplaces and social groups. Regardless of where they originate, policy changes can be one path to permanent social change.
Many of the most common policy issues that people seek to change address critical areas that directly impact their health and wellbeing, such as access to affordable healthcare, reliable public transportation to visit doctors, parks for exercise and fresh food options in grocery stores, and retirement income. When these services are negatively impacted, it can have a ripple effect on individuals’ ability to participate in society.
The policy change process often includes a debate about values and priorities, which can have significant implications for the broader community. It’s important for communities to have conversations about the values and goals that they want to support, and what they’re willing to sacrifice in order to achieve these goals. Changing policies can help start these discussions.
It is well established that the route from citizen opinion to policy change tends to be biased toward the opinions of more advantaged citizens. But we don’t know if that’s because the opinions of less-advantaged citizens are not being effectively represented by their political representatives or if other factors are at play. It’s possible that the political system simply cannot deliver the policies that disadvantaged citizens demand.