Government policy is demonstrated by macroeconomic stabilization policies such as trade policy, monetary policies, taxation policies, and interest rate policies. These types of policies are put in place by the government to achieve economic goals.

Studies of public policy often employ both meanings. In order to make various actions more coherent, governments usually formulate major priorities that form the basis of general policies, eg, social, economic and foreign policy, which in turn encompass more particular sectoral policies, eg, trade, police, health care, agriculture.