Deck 2: Government Institutions and Policy Actors

Question 1

The trend of decentralization of government in the United States transfers policy authority from ______ to ______.

A) federal; local
B) federal; state
C) state; federal
D) local; federal

Answer 1

B

Question 2

______ is usually expressed as the aggregate sum of individual attitudes and opinions of the adult population.

A) Research reports
B) Public opinion
C) Informal actors
D) Agenda setting

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Interest groups often attempt to influence policy makers and public policy through ______.

A) pluralism
B) access
C) lobbying
D) soft money

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Federal cabinet departments and major agencies such as the FAA and FDA are found in which branch of government?

A) executive
B) legislative
C) judicial
D) state and local

Question 5

Since the U.S. Congress is ______, the House of Representatives and the Senate must agree on policy actions before these policies can go forward.

A) complex
B) divided
C) duplicative
D) bicameral

Question 6

______ is our system of government, in which the federal government shares authority with states and local governments in areas of public policy.

A) Federalism
B) Executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government
C) Policy output
D) Market failure

Question 7

Courts utilize ______ to help make a current decision.

A) precedent
B) decentralization
C) issue networks
D) initial briefs

Question 8

Federal ______ grants are transfer of federal dollars to the states where the states have substantial discretion in how to spend the money to meet the needs of their citizens.

A) categorical
B) regulatory
C) block
D) stimulus

Question 9

When the U.S. government was formed, which three cabinet-level departments existed?

A) Foreign Affairs, Health, and Commerce
B) Treasury, Foreign Affairs, and Disease
C) War, Defense, and Foreign policy
D) War, Treasury, and Foreign Affairs

Question 10

Formerly called iron triangles, ______ are comprised of interest groups, congressional subcommittees, and an executive agency that are less likely to be influenced by public opinion, since they typically work closely together out of the public eye.

A) independent regulatory commissions
B) issue networks
C) advocacy coalitions
D) filibusters

Question 11

______ refers to the checks and balances that our Constitution sets up among the three branches of government.

A) Federalism
B) Separation of powers
C) Policy capacity
D) Cooperative federalism

Question 12

Agencies that fall under the domain of the executive branch of government include ______.

A) cabinet-level departments, independent regulatory commissions, and independent executive agencies
B) domestic agencies and foreign-affairs agencies
C) courts of appeals and federal district courts
D) legislative and budgetary committees

Question 13

The Senate allows its members more freedom to debate policy issues than the House. In some cases, Senators talk for hours in hopes of delaying, modifying, or defeating its passage. This is called a ______.

A) filibuster
B) precedent
C) debate
D) veto

Question 14

Which reason explains the growth in the size and complexity of government over the past hundred years?

A) The nation's social problems have become highly complex.
B) The government has taken on an expanded role in regulating many areas of our lives.
C) The government's provision of social welfare programs has grown.
D) All of these.

Question 15

______ of the federal government are headed by a secretary appointed by the president and have many subsidiary agencies.

A) Policy programs
B) Independent regulatory agencies
C) The three branches
D) Cabinet-level departments

Question 16

______ are federal requirements placed upon state governments without any financial support for implementation.

A) Economic public policies
B) Statutes with limitations
C) Unfunded policy outputs
D) Unfunded mandates

Question 17

In the past, the policy-making relationship between states and the federal government was called ______, since there was clear separation of policy responsibility between the two levels.

A) cooperative federalism
B) dual federalism
C) policy federalism
D) bounded federalism

Question 18

In the United States, both the national and state governments have authority to enact laws and policies. This system is known as ______.

A) communism
B) capitalism
C) decentralization
D) federalism

Question 19

The Constitution gives each branch of government a different role in policy making in the United States. This sharing of responsibility by our government is known as ______.

A) federalism
B) executive, judicial, and state-level branches
C) separation of powers
D) public policies

Question 20

The ______ consists of White House staff and other offices such as the Office of Management and Budget that assist the president in implementing public policy.

A) Department of the Treasury
B) Independent Regulatory Commission
C) National Security Council
D) Executive Office of the President

Question 21

What is policy capacity?

Question 22

The founders of the United States established a government structure with numerous checks and balances due to which of the following motives?

A) A desire to prevent too much power being assumed by slave-holding Southern states.
B) To ensure that the new government could not tyrannize the population.
C) The desire to build a strong, deliberative process that would lead to slow implementation of policy and incremental change.
D) A desire to maintain the greatest amount of power in the legislative branch, or Congress, since that branch remains closest to the will of the people.

Question 23

One of the biggest differences between a cabinet-level department (agency) and an independent regulatory commission is that ______.

A) the president may not remove a commissioner of an independent regulatory commission because of policy disagreements
B) independent regulatory commissions are part of the judicial branch
C) an independent regulatory commission does not make policy
D) only cabinet department heads are confirmed by the Senate

Question 24

Which statement accurately reflects the activity of lobbying by interest groups?

A) Lobbying refers to putting illegal pressure on legislators.
B) Lobbying refers to making contributions to legislators to influence their votes.
C) Lobbying refers to testifying before Congress.
D) Lobbying refers to supplying information on policy positions to legislators.

Question 25

______, or supplying information supporting their policy positions to legislators, is/are a visible role played by interest groups.

A) Incremental policy making
B) Lobbying
C) Issue networks
D) Conducting campaign advertising

Question 26

Compared to the past, the public is more accepting of business regulation such as the regulation of market failures. This acceptance has led to ______.

A) growth in the size and power of government
B) increasing polarization of political views
C) changes in the structure of Congress
D) changes in the Constitution

Question 27

Conflict between states and the federal government can be caused by ______, in which the federal government emplaces new rules about government services that must be provided by states, but does not provide funds to cover the new costs that might be incurred.

A) unfunded mandates
B) decentralization
C) block grants
D) financial mandates

Question 28

Because of greater decentralization of policy making to the states, it has become more important that states have strong ______ or the ability to make effective and efficient policies.

A) mandates
B) policy capacities
C) division of authority
D) policy instruments

Question 29

The case of health-care reform exemplifies ______.

A) that the constitutional structure of the U.S. government often makes policy making difficult
B) the complexity caused by categorical grants and unfunded mandates
C) the power of the presidency to overcome incremental reform
D) the use of sanctions and diplomatic maneuvers by government bureaucrats

Question 30

Which statement captures the theme of Chapter 2 when it comes to the U.S. government?

A) The federal form of government has begun to assume too much power, leading to a situation of dual federalism and gridlock.
B) The federal form of government distributes power and involves many actors, yet leads to less-efficient policy solutions and an inability to address complex issues.
C) The growing globalization has made the federal form of government less relevant, while the current political trends have led to gridlock, a new and challenging situation.
D) New and different threats, such as climate change and terrorism, have led to a situation, in which more federal authority is needed, and states must be willing to yield their historical power.

Question 31

What is federalism and how does it affect policymaking?

Question 32

______ refers to the ability to identify, assess, and respond to public problems.

A) Policy analysis
B) Policy capacity
C) Incremental policy development
D) Decentralization

Question 33

Explain incremental policymaking.

Question 34

The federal court system plays a vital role in policy making by ______.

A) interpreting the policy decisions made by other agencies of government
B) enforcing the policy decisions made by others
C) developing new laws that fine-tune the policy decisions made by others
D) implementing the policies made by others

Question 35

Growth in the size of government has led to ______.

A) an emergence of a large employment sector and a time-consuming policy-making processes
B) a decline in the gross domestic product and increase in poverty rates
C) an increase in reliance on welfare programs
D) a better quality of life for citizens

Question 36

Provide an example of an informal policy actor.

Question 37

Which statement summarizes the structure of the federal judiciary? It is made up of ______.

A) the Supreme Court, Circuit and Federal District Courts, and various specialty courts
B) the Supreme Court, state courts, and local courts
C) the Supreme Court, the federal district courts, and court authorities that handle simpler, more routine cases
D) the Supreme Court, courts of commerce, and courts of the interior

Question 38

The United States has made many small, targeted changes to environmental policy, economic policy, and health-care policy over time. This is called ______ policy making.

A) reluctant
B) incremental
C) complex
D) legitimized

Question 39

In U.S. clean air and water programs, the federal government establishes quality standards and provides funds, while the states are responsible for implementation. This is an example of ______ federalism.

A) divided
B) dual
C) cooperative
D) decentralized

Question 40

Understanding the system of government is important for students of public policy because ______.

A) it enables us to see the constraints of our form of government on policy making
B) it enables us to assess constraints on policy development and the opportunities that exist within the system to develop solutions through policy
C) it enables us to see how the system of government is completely unrelated to policy
D) it enables us to see how flawed the system actually is

Question 41

What are unfunded mandates?

Question 42

How do informal policy actors participate in policy making?

Question 43

Discuss the role of each branch of government in policy making.

Question 44

Characterize the ways that organized interest groups influence policy. What trends are occurring relative to interest groups and their impact on U.S. policy?

Question 45

Summarize the effects of government growth.

Question 46

Define decentralization of policy making. In what ways might decentralization of policy making have negative impact?

Question 47

How can policy capacity be improved?

Question 48

What is the difference between a block grant and a categorical grant?

Question 49

What is the benefit of citizen participation in government processes, and how might it be increased?

Question 50

How is the role of the judiciary in the making of public policy different from that of the executive and legislative branches?

Question 51

Review the ways that members of the public can influence policy making.

Question 52

Examine the reasons that the U.S. government has grown to its current size.

Question 53

Provide examples of activities that interest groups partake in in order to influence policy.

Question 54

Provide an example of a cabinet-level department.

Question 55

Discuss the Constitutional structure of the U.S. government and the advantages and disadvantages of this structure in terms of policy making.

Question 56

How do vetoes impact policy making?

Question 57

Restate the meaning of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution in your own words and explain the policy-making tension that it has created between states and the federal government.

Question 58

Present several arguments for and against decentralization of policy authority to states.

Question 59

Lay out the components of the executive branch of the federal government.

Question 60

Define cooperative federalism and policy capacity. Then discuss how cooperative federalism has led to a growing need for policy capacity at the state level.

Question 61

Discuss how the U.S. (a) size and (b) structure of government can make it difficult to enact policies.