A government action to address a problem is called what?

• A. Public policy
• B. Policy agenda
• C. Republic
• D. Separation of powers

Answer: (A)

Public policy is the set of actions a government takes to address a problem. It includes laws, regulations, programs, and other official decisions designed to respond to public issues, from implementing a new transportation safety rule to launching a job-training program. This term encompasses both recognizing a problem and taking concrete steps to solve it, not just ideas about what should be done.

A policy agenda, by contrast, refers to the list of issues a government is paying attention to or prioritizing, rather than the actual actions taken to address them. A republic is a form of government where people elect representatives to govern, and separation of powers describes how government authority is divided among different branches. So the action-oriented concept that best fits “a government action to address a problem” is public policy.