Discuss the link between agenda setting and the development of legislation.

Week 5 assignment: formulating health policies

In the process of developing legislation, agenda setting is important. The importance of an issue increases when it becomes the subject of a lot more discussion. This leads to it being placed at the top on the list for those in charge. The process starts with the media using its influence to raise awareness of certain issues. Public discourse and opinions are then formed. As public awareness grows, elected officials are often compelled to take action lest they be seen as not representing their constituents’ interests.

This in turn can lead to legislative reform in order to address a certain problem or set of problems – whether directly through new laws or indirectly via increased funding for a given area of concern. As an example, when enough people are talking about the climate crisis, then representatives will feel more pressured to take action in order to protect our environment. This could include enacting stricter standards for emissions or allocating resources towards research and development of renewable energies. This way agenda-setting helps to shape policy decisions by shaping which specific issues are most important at a given moment.