policymaking

noun

pol·​i·​cy·​mak·​ing ˈpä-lə-sē-ˌmā-kiŋ 

variants or policy-making

: the act or practice of establishing policy

… Bloomberg described a world where cities, rather than nations, are the major players in both global competition and innovative policymaking …

—Rob Fischer

… leaked word … that all Iraq policymaking was being centralized at the White House …

—Michael Duffy et al.

—sometimes used before another noun

the policymaking process

The Fed's policymaking committee sets rates that serve as the benchmark for the interest rates charged on mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and certificates of deposit.

—Kevin G. Hall

The controller manages a state office of more than 1,400 workers and ensures tax dollars are efficiently and effectively spent. With a few exceptions, it is not a policymaking position.

—The East Bay Times (California)

Examples of policymaking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is long overdue: In recent years, fiscal negligence has become so embedded in federal policymaking that past methods for reducing the deficit have been rendered ineffective. —Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

This capability gives quantitative research a lot of power, especially in policymaking and marketing. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

In recent years, as gridlock in Congress has often slowed federal policymaking and the U.S. Supreme Court continues to rein in the power of the executive branch, states have become even more important policy actors. —Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

Biden’s administration has made strides in working with some tribes on managing public lands and incorporating more Indigenous knowledge into planning and policymaking. —Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above