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1. Why are markets themselves not able to respond effectively to environmental issues? Is public policy a more useful concept to understand how the commons is managed in our society? Why or why not?

Markets are not able to respond effectively to environmental issues because they cannot determine the value of the environment and its elements. It is not a part of the exchange or transaction and market systems were not designed to factor in environmental costs. Public policy is definitely a useful concept in understanding how the commons are managed in our society. It allows citizens to effectively understand the many different rules and regulations that exist in order to protect as well as conserve the environment. It places value upon what markets cannot determine.

2. Which definition of public policy makes the most sense to you personally? What essential elements are there to your definition? How does public policy differ from business policy?

Personally, the definition of public policy that makes the most sense is that “…public policy is a specific course of action taken collectively by society or by a legitimate representative of society addressing a specific problem of public concern that reflects the interests of society or particular segments of society.” The essential element to this definition that rings most true to me is the last portion; that public policy is a representation of the interests of society as either a partial or a whole. Public policy differs from business policy in that it is essentially a representation of citizens’ interest to improve upon a specific issue rather than individual interest or gain for profit.

3. What values can be expressed through the public policy process that cannot be expressed through markets? Is there a difference between the way people act as consumers and the way they act as citizens?

Values that can be

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