Primary and secondary schools often have policies regarding tardiness, drug use, dress code and other things that affect education. High schools, for instance, may not allow any smoking on the school grounds or any clothing that advertises tobacco or alcohol products, or any behavior considered inappropriate. Religious schools have stricter policies regarding dress code and behavior.
Churches have various policies regarding the conduct of their clergy and lay ministers. Such policies are often borne out of tradition but also through adherence to moral code that either comes from tradition and/or the teachings of the holy book of that church. Christianity's several sects and denominations, for instance, all have their own set of policies. In the Roman Catholic Church, clergy are not allowed to marry. However, in the Greek Orthodox Church, clergy may marry (but are discouraged from doing so if they entered the priesthood single). Both denominations do not allow women to be ministers, but many Protestant denominations do ordain women.
Policies that are adopted by governments are perhaps the most influential in the daily lives of most people. In the 1960s and '70s, when the U.S. Congress adopted civil rights legislation directed toward African Americans, women and those with disabilities, it allowed more people to get educated, enter the workforce, make more money and, therefore, have the ability to improve their lives. This improvement allowed more people to get out of poverty, to have access to more educational and economic opportunity, and has thus greatly changed American culture.
Good policies protect and advance society. Such policies allow more opportunities for more people, discouraging discrimination based on class, ethnicity, religion and other qualities. They also serve to protect citizens. When a small community government adopts a policy of not allowing the construction of nuclear waste facilities, for example, one of the main concerns for doing so is protecting the well-being of the community.
Bad policies can have far-reaching impacts, even after they have been reversed. One example is a policy that allowed smoking in public places. Even though there has been a push all over the world to reduce smoking in public places, it still occurs. Air quality and the health of others sharing that space may be compromised as a result. In addition, the smoker has been allowed to engage in a habit that not only hurts himself but can also be extremely difficult to break.