Questions tagged [policy]
A policy is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes.
44
questions
84
votes
8
answers
11k
views
What is meant by the "left" and the "right"?
When discussing political issues and parties, I often hear mention of a party being "left", "centre-left", "right" or "extreme right". In broad terms, what do these designations mean?
74
votes
7
answers
19k
views
What are Trump's incentives for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement?
Donald Trump has been a pretty strong advocate for repealing and undoing rules & regulations aiming to cut climate change, however recently the New York Times and Axios have reported that Trump is ...
12
votes
3
answers
618
views
Are there any proposed systems of running the government like a corporation?
Has there ever been a legitimately proposed system whereby either the entire government or the executive branch of it was run the way a corporation is usually supposed to - more specifically, with set ...
41
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Have any of the "We the People" petitions ever resulted in policy changes?
I was looking at the U.S. White House's "We the People" petition website they had set up shortly after Obama took office, and noticed that most of the petitions are in the ridiculous or at least not ...
39
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What political and social factors underlie Sweden's controversial response to COVID-19?
Sweden has adopted a far less radical set of policies in reaction to COVID-19 than most other European states. Many other European states are in "lock-down", with severe restrictions on ...
25
votes
4
answers
62k
views
Why haven't any Governments banned cigarette sales when it has been proven that it's harmful?
Rather than advertising the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the box, why hasn't any government just banned the selling of cigarettes in their respective countries? Doesn't it solve the main ...
22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is imposing vaccination / immunization so hard to achieve?
This has been in my mind for a while, so I am breaking the ice on the politics site.
I am living in Romania (Eastern European country within the European Union), so this question might be too ...
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why are South Korean content laws so strict?
I am from South Korea, and in my country, graphic content laws are extremely strict - so strictly enforced that the following events had happened:
19+ filter on Google and YouTube
Government blocked ...
19
votes
7
answers
6k
views
What can/do governments do to address house prices being driven up by foreign investors?
How are governments dealing with the problem of foreign investors ratcheting up the cost of homes in countries like the USA, Canada, Japan, etc. What have/could countries done policy wise to deal with ...
14
votes
2
answers
5k
views
When is an act considered domestic terrorism in regards to US policy?
Fifty people were killed yesterday during a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. When is a mass shooting or killings considered domestic terrorism by the U.S. federal government?
13
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why does the U.S grant visas via lottery?
It is reasonable to grant a visa for education or investment but granting it by chance seems odd.
I'm not sure if any other country does the same but there should be reason(s) for this (except giving ...
12
votes
4
answers
753
views
How can police brutality be prevented through policy?
Police Brutality (defined as a civil rights violation where officers exercise undue or excessive force against a civilian) is not equally prevalent in all governments and all places, which indicates ...
9
votes
10
answers
1k
views
Why do governments encourage saving resources instead of simply raising the price on them?
Every day we hear messages from the government about the importance of saving fuel, natural gas, water, electricity, etc. Governments pass laws requiring that showers are not too powerful, cars ...
6
votes
1
answer
475
views
Who in the US actually "sends" astronauts to the Moon? The executive or the legislative branch?
The sources cited in this question and in the news mention that in a recent speech to the US space council, vice president Pence announced that NASA should land astronauts on the south pole of the ...
4
votes
1
answer
905
views
Is there any way for somebody to privately own land in China?
I was reading about land ownership in China and found an article that described how land ownership works in China. Apparently, land is owned by the Chinese Communist Party, but leases are given to ...
3
votes
3
answers
324
views
UK Chequers and Facilitated Customs Arrangement
The statement released by the UK Government from Chequers on July 6th 2018 said that a “facilitated customs arrangement” would be implemented to enable tariffs to diverge between the UK and the EU.
...
-7
votes
1
answer
211
views
What is the intent of urban irrigation restrictions in California? [closed]
I apologize for the blue box above. It is being discussed here.
California is considering restricting the days of the week on which lawns may be watered. What is the upside that could make up for ...
74
votes
7
answers
19k
views
Is the proposal to create a US Space Force being taken seriously?
It seems like there have been a number of unusual ideas in recent American politics. And that's saying something because, as a foreigner looking in, it's never seemed normal.
Is Space Force being ...
53
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Why did political parties form in the United States?
In George Washington's "Farewell Address", the first President specifically warns about the dangers of political parties. He admits that people tend to naturally align in groups, but also warns that ...
31
votes
4
answers
19k
views
Who was the last US President to oversee a reduction in debt?
As of 2012, the United States currently has ~16 trillion in debt.
The last five presidents have all added to the overall debt*.
Who is the last US president to decrease the total amount of debt ...
28
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?
In the USA, Kinder Surprise Eggs are banned by the government. What is the reason?
27
votes
6
answers
9k
views
How could the US Congress reduce the size of the US Supreme Court?
There are a number of questions regarding the motivations and effects of "packing" the supreme court in the United States of America by adding more justices of the appointer's preference. It ...
22
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Are there countries where the legislative body is not allowed to propose laws that touch upon unrelated subjects?
As a recent example, the recent $2.3 trillion stimulus bill contained not just provisions related to supporting the American people, but also a requirement to produce a report on UFOs:
Federal ...
21
votes
14
answers
8k
views
Why is the West concerned about the enforcement of certain attire on women in Afghanistan but unconcerned about similar European policy?
France, Canada and other countries have introduced hijab bans - bans on essential Islamic dress that hijab-practicing Muslim women cannot appear in public without.
Adding to this the proposed values ...
21
votes
5
answers
7k
views
What are examples of EU policies that are beneficial for one EU country, disadvantagious for another? [closed]
The EU establishes policies every of its member has to/should abide. Without doubt many of these are well intended. Without doubt the EU promotes peace, security, economical stability and a series of ...
19
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Why are face covering ban policies being proposed?
There have been plenty of instances in recent history across Europe where parties want to ban covering of the face:
Norway Proposes Ban on Face Covering in Schools, Kindergartens
Ukip pledge to ban ...
18
votes
10
answers
5k
views
Why can't gun control legislation get passed?
I'm specifically referring to things like closing the gun show loophole and limiting access of those with mental illness to guns.
It seems absurd that those representing guns, a consumer product, ...
16
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What does it mean policywise to "Implement Sharia Law"?
When a Islamic country implements a form of Sharia law, what exactly does that mean in terms of the actual policies being put in place?
I mean, I know exact definitions vary considerably, but what ...
14
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Who polices the police in the USA?
Who polices the police in the USA? Is there anyone a police officer has to answer to for committing racist acts, abusing their power, or committing other crimes unnecessarily?
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why is the US still in a state of emergency?
The US has been in a state of emergency since the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. It was declared by George W. Bush and ex-President Obama extended it.
What is the exact reason for this extension, ...
10
votes
1
answer
604
views
How do leaders cross the language barrier during phone calls?
Recently, the American president spoke on the phone with leaders from around the world. Some are from English-speaking countries, but many are not, including Vladimir Putin. For such important and ...
9
votes
4
answers
684
views
Why don't attackers in war target government buildings as much as they could?
Russia did not flatten all of the central Kiev ministries, presidential, and parliament buildings with artillery. Yet it seems their artillery range was enough to allow that.
And it is not just ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why did EU ban GM soy crops and have not used a more gradual ban policy?
According to this article European Union countries are not allowed to have genetically modified (GM) crops:
While nearly two-thirds of European Union countries have opted out of
growing GM crops, ...
6
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is the Overton window?
I have heard of the Overton Window on Wikipedia and in a question on Skeptics StackExchange.
Wikpedia says:
The Overton window is a political theory that describes as a narrow "window" the range ...
6
votes
2
answers
497
views
What alternatives have been proposed for prison sentences for violent crimes?
According to prison critics and others, prisons are schools of crime. This viewpoint holds that when someone gets a prison sentence for a small crime, they will meet bigger criminals and build a ...
6
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Does standard of living correlate with higher education? [closed]
This question aims at the correlation between a societies standard of living and standard of formal education.
For example, over the past century, America has had the fortune of being a place with a ...
5
votes
1
answer
602
views
What are the arguments for and against charities engaging in political campaigning?
In the UK, there are heavy restrictions upon the level of political campaigning which can be undertaken by charities.
Increasingly, there are calls for this restriction to be eased. However, many ...
4
votes
2
answers
341
views
What do you call it when everyone gets an equal vote on how taxes are spent?
I had an idea and was wondering if there's a term for it or if there might even be groups or research surrounding this policy.
The basic idea is that each year citizens of a country would vote for ...
4
votes
1
answer
243
views
Are there any countries with specific legislation or policy on the rights of strong AI?
Any country that has detailed the specific rights they grant strong AI and how they define that strong AI and their stance towards it?
4
votes
2
answers
190
views
What is the current US Helium recycling policy?
This rather old Nature article argues about the importance of Helium recycling due to its scarcity:
(..) scientists rely on to cool superconducting magnets inside nuclear
magnetic resonance ...
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is "lobbying" and how does it get used in Canada to change government policy?
I have heard a lot of talk about lobbying and how it is used to change laws, but when I look it up online most explanations sound like they are intended for lawyers (or are in regards to the USA and ...
2
votes
4
answers
742
views
Would taxing land be more simple than taxing income?
Why does US seem to have such a convoluted tax code?
This one says that the US have 70k code.
Most of which are loopholes for lobbyists I bet.
Most make sense.
I am a tourist that go to US for ...
2
votes
1
answer
672
views
Did US vice president Pence say anything close to "by any means necessary"?
I have not been able to find a transcript of US vice president Pence's recent (26-Mar-2019) speech to the US Space Council. This one is from last year.
The phrase By any means necessary carries a ...
0
votes
1
answer
248
views
Which policies has Trump enacted that has (possibly) influenced the GDP and economy positively?
I was talking to a Trump supporter who claimed that Trump is politically and economically competent, pointing to this article showing how Trump has caused the GDP to reach a record high level (or, at ...