What is agenda setting in the public policy process?

• A. The process by budgeting across departments.
• B. The process by which issues are prioritized and defined as problems requiring government action.
• C. The process of evaluating policy outcomes.
• D. The process of drafting legislation.

Answer: (B)

Agenda setting is the stage in the public policy process where issues are identified, prioritized, and framed as problems that government needs to address. It’s about getting attention for certain concerns and defining them in a way that signals government action is needed. This is what makes an issue worthy of consideration and resources, and it helps determine what will eventually be tackled through policy.

The other activities are separate steps in the policy process: budgeting across departments deals with allocating funds, evaluating policy outcomes looks at how well a policy works after implementation, and drafting legislation is about writing and proposing the laws themselves. But none of those describe how an issue first rises to prominence and is defined as needing government action—that core function is agenda setting.