The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to public affairs: Public affairs – catch-all term that includes public policy as well as public administration, both of which are closely related to and draw upon the fields of political science and economics. Essence of public affairs Public – in public relations and communication science, the contexts of "public" are: Publics – groups of individuals The public (a.k.a."the general public") – the totality of such groups. Affairs – professional, personal, or public business matters. Branches of public affairs Public policy – principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. Public policy is commonly embodied "in constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions." Public administration – implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. General public affairs concepts State (polity), Sovereign state, government Democracy Monarchy Republic Security Crime, Criminal justice Civil defense, Emergency preparedness, Community emergency response teams Military Regulation, Deregulation Industrial policy, Investment policy, Tax, tariff and trade Public health, Pollution, Emissions trading Budget Socialism Taxation Technocracy Management Public policy degrees References External links About the industry Public Affairs Links, an independent overview of the industry in the US and Europe The Museum of Public Relations, a look at some of the industry's historical figures Using market research for Public Relations, white paper from ICR A History of Public Relations, from The Institute for Public Relations Industry publications PR Week , a PR trade weekly with both a US and UK edition O'Dwyer's PR Daily, another trade publication, occasionally featuring critical essays and investigative journalism about the industry PR News, online and offline publication that also issues PR awards, webinars and guidebooks Industry associations and institutes The Canadian Public Relations Society, Inc., The CPRS works to advance the professional stature of public relations and regulates its practice for the benefit and protection of the public interest. Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the UK's leading public relations industry professional body and the largest public relations institute in Europe Council of Public Relations Firms U.S. trade association for public relations firms The Global Alliance, an international peak organisation with a mission to enhance the public relations profession and its practitioners throughout the world. The Institute for