AARP’s Public Policy Development Process
The development of AARP’s public policy positions is central to the organization’s mission. AARP’s public policy development process is designed to keep the organization at the vanguard of issues that shape the lives of Americans as they live and age, now and in the future.
The process for developing policy is overseen by AARP’s Board of Directors to ensure commitment to the organization’s mission and purpose. The Board includes members from a variety of professional and geographic backgrounds to obtain a range of viewpoints and perspectives, and to reflect the diversity of AARP’s membership.
The process of developing policy recommendations is facilitated by the Office of Policy Development and Integration, under the direction of the Chief Public Policy Officer. This includes extensive input and analysis of the views of AARP members and other people age 50 and older throughout the nation, as well as studying policy options to develop innovative and thoughtful solutions that address the needs of this population. AARP staff and volunteers, as well as internal and external policy experts from across the country, contribute to the formulation of AARP’s policy.
Listening to Americans 50 and older
The policy development process capitalizes on AARP’s innovations as a “listening” organization in touch with our diverse membership through many different channels.
Over the last several years, AARP has significantly increased our focus on listening to the voices of people 50 and older, our members, and our volunteers across the country. AARP has offices in all 50 states, D.C. and the territories which are highly active in communities nation-wide. AARP has also enhanced its research capacity and regularly surveys our members and people 50 and older on key issues. In addition, AARP has expanded its presence and engagement on social media platforms as well as our real-time response capabilities allowing the organization to receive ongoing input and feedback from members.
AARP volunteers from around the country also are a critical component of our policy development process. They provide feedback during the process and share their knowledge and experience on policy topics.
Staying in close touch with the interests and concerns of people 50 and older allows us to quickly gather the views of a diverse cross-section of volunteers, members, and the public to inform our policy analysis and recommendations.
The AARP Public Policy Book and Policy Fundamentals
Every two years, AARP publishes its Policy Book to inform people where we stand. In addition we also publish a shorter companion piece, AARP Policy Fundamentals, which provides a high-level overview of AARP’s policy approach to Better Health, Financial Security, Livable Communities, Consumer Rights and Protections, COVID-19, and cross-cutting issues of eliminating disparities and promoting government integrity.