politics / policy
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politics
All actions, measures, and efforts aimed at shaping and governing public life in a state or community.
Die Regierung diskutiert über die aktuelle Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik.
The government is discussing current economic and social policy.
The word family of 'Politik' (politics/policy) includes the adjective 'politisch' (political) and the personal nouns 'der Politiker' (the male politician) and 'die Politikerin' (the female politician).
Das ist eine wichtige politische Entscheidung.
That is an important political decision.
When referring to political affairs in general, 'Politik' (politics) is almost always used in the singular. The plural 'Politiken' (policies) is rare and usually refers to different concrete strategies or programs.
Er interessiert sich sehr für die aktuelle Politik in Europa.
He is very interested in current politics in Europe.
In the context of the state and government, there are fixed expressions such as 'Politik machen' (to engage in politics), 'in die Politik gehen' (to go into politics), or 'sich aus der Politik zurückziehen' (to withdraw from politics).
Sie möchte nach dem Studium in die Politik gehen.
She would like to go into politics after her studies.
You can recognize the meaning 'Strategie' (strategy) or 'Vorgehensweise' (approach) from the context. It is often made more precise by another word, as in 'Firmenpolitik' (company policy), 'Geschäftspolitik' (business policy), or 'Informationspolitik' (information policy).
Unsere Firmenpolitik erlaubt das Arbeiten von zu Hause.
Our company policy allows working from home.
government
'die Politik' and 'die Regierung' both belong to the public life of a state. But they are not the same thing. 'die Politik' refers to the whole area of decisions, discussions, goals, and measures for society. 'die Regierung' is the group of people who politically lead a country and implement decisions. They can be confused because a government makes policy. In practical terms: politics or policy is the area or content; the government is the people acting at the top.
Viele Menschen sprechen über die Politik, weil die neuen Regeln ihren Alltag betreffen.
Many people are talking about politics because the new rules affect their everyday lives.
Die Regierung stellt morgen ihren Plan für den Haushalt vor.
The government will present its budget plan tomorrow.