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

Though ostensibly a member party of the ruling coalition, Gaviria claims that his party has not had any meaningful role in policymaking or governance and that it has been excluded from high-level decision-making. —Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Jan. 2025

External pressures, including demands from political leadership like Trump’s, have historically played a role in the Fed’s policymaking. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2025

And with the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority, the stage is set for a big spree of conservative policymaking. —Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

Despite his scant experience in environmental policymaking, he's seen as likely to be confirmed. —Daniel Moore, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above