Professionals wanting to recharge their careers would do good to consider working for the public good as their next career choice. Governmental law and public administration are two options for government service.

Law

Legal governance is one of the prime functions of our society’s structure. The country depends on a solid foundation to uphold law and order. Federal regulatory commissions such as the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and Law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) utilize lawyers to build, analyze, and prosecute cases brought to trial. In courts throughout the United States, government lawyers try cases against individuals and businesses and preside over them as judges. This infographic link will help you learn more about white collar crime’s cost to society.

Public Administration

What does public administration do? Public administration functions in the areas of regulation, governance, national security, taxation and revenue, and management at the local, state, and federal levels of administration.

The administration of governmental entities is not like the administration of a business, and it needs specialized professionals with public administration skills such as resource management and public advocacy. There are a variety of careers that form the backbone of local, state, and the federal government in public administration. Professionals can be found in such positions as a budget analyst, county planner, fiscal management, and human resources management.

Policy

Governmental policy issues and planning are at the core of many public administration positions.
Government policy is enacted to combat problems in society through a sanctioned course of action in order to benefit the public interest. Once a policy is decided upon, the government applies the decision to deal with criminal activity, generate government revenue, or to provide increased equality. The three types of public policy are regulatory, distributive, and redistributive policy.

Regulatory Public Policy

Regulatory policy is concerned with keeping citizens safe by outlawing behaviors that endanger them. Whether it is a law against a drug or a law against insider trading, regulations are made to protect all who live in the United States. Regulatory policies exist in all spheres of government and mandate safe and orderly behavior at home, on the roads, in the workplace, and in the environment.

Distributive Public Policy
This form of policy lays out the groundwork for benefit distributions to designated citizens, corporations, or other groups. These can be in the form of tax deductions for homeowners as well as subsidies to certain industries. The distributive policy is at play when the government promotes revenue generating commodities such as United States savings bonds.

Redistributive Public Policy

USC Online notes that one of the largest policy problems today is increasing income equality. The goal of the redistributive policy is to be an advocate for societal equality. This can come in the form of progressive taxation, which increases tax rates as income levels increase. Social programs such as welfare are another example of a redistributive policy.

The government is facing many challenges today in terms of enforcing laws and crafting policies that truly benefit everyone in the country. Professionals that are willing to prepare for public service can be rewarded with a career that stands as an advocate for the public good.