Deck 9: Policy Outcomes

Question 1

Critics typically argue that the solution to the vicious cycle created by policies with ironic consequences is

A)expanding the program that seeks to solve the social problem.
B)ending attempts to correct the problem.
C)formulating an entirely new approach to the problem.
D)conducting research on the policies to find out how to fix them.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Policy outcomes are

A)the extent to which new policies reduce the problem.
B)people's reactions to what happens once a policy is implemented.
C)the unintended impact of social policies.
D)the number of people employed as a result of a new policy.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The claims of original activists or experts are likely to be accepted because

A)they have connections to other successful activists.
B)the media are already accustomed to listening to them and will give them good coverage.
C)both social problems workers and subjects tend to agree with them.
D)policymakers respect them.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Typifying examples are examples that

A)detail the most common way a given situation occurs.
B)offer a compelling account of the situation.
C)offer multiple perspectives on an issue.
D)represent the official or most commonly agreed on account of the situation.

Question 5

When social problems workers critique social policy,they are particularly likely to use __________ as part of their claims.

A)evidence of organizational activity
B)critiques of academic research
C)anecdotal evidence
D)emotional pleas based on the hardships faced by workers

Question 6

When subjects critique policies,the response is often

A)skepticism because subjects may have a bias in favor of social problems workers.
B)acceptance because subjects have direct experience with the policy outcomes.
C)skepticism because subjects are often poor or uneducated and are seen as unreliable sources.
D)acceptance because subjects have an interest in seeing the programs operate efficiently.

Question 7

The use of a term such as social issues instead of the term social problems would

A)make the condition seem less serious.
B)draw attention away from the causes of the condition.
C)highlight the fact that there is debate surrounding the condition.
D)imply that there is a solution.

Question 8

Most social policies are seen as

A)fairly successful once they have been implemented.
B)having both successful and unsuccessful elements.
C)being unsuccessful in the short term but having promise for the long term.
D)unsatisfactory and revised or replaced quickly.

Question 9

The social problems process tends to be

A)slow and characterized by constant construction and reconstruction.
B)slow and characterized by fairly stable constructions.
C)fast and characterized by constant construction and reconstruction.
D)fast and characterized by fairly stable constructions.

Question 10

__________ tend to make claims that certain policies have ironic consequences.

A)Liberals
B)Conservatives
C)Independents
D)all of the above

Question 11

It is argued in your text that when there are many long-standing debates and predictable critiques surrounding a policy,

A)critics are seen as lacking objectivity.
B)it is simply too confusing to sort out all the arguments.
C)the policy is often abandoned because it is seen as too controversial.
D)fast progress is made toward a solution because of the desire to resolve the debate.

Question 12

Shifts in the number of clients served by an agency are considered

A)alarming if the number goes up because this indicates that the agency is not reducing instances of the problem.
B)positive if the number goes up because this means that the services provided are valuable and needed by the community.
C)alarming if the number goes down because this means that there is no longer a need for services.
D)all of the above

Question 13

Critiques that focus on the implementation of a policy typically are about

A)how social problems workers do their jobs.
B)the match between the theory underlying the policy and how the policy is put into practice.
C)those parts of the program that the public sees in contrast to what actually goes on.
D)all of the above

Question 14

When subjects critique social policy,they are particularly likely to use __________ as part of their claims.

A)evidence of organizational activity
B)critiques of academic research
C)anecdotal evidence
D)comparisons to other troubling conditions

Question 15

Evaluation research typically involves

A)outside observers.
B)experiments.
C)efforts to establish objective measures.
D)all of the above

Question 16

Liberals tend to construct the problem of teen sexuality as a need to encourage safe practices that avoid disease and unplanned pregnancy,while conservatives offer the counterclaim that

A)teens will have sex no matter what adults say.
B)efforts to teach safe sex can actually encourage sexual activity.
C)the real problem is drugs and alcohol.
D)only parents should teach teens about sex.

Question 17

The complete success of any one social policy is unlikely because

A)policies are not typically left in place long enough to work.
B)human errors make even the best plans imperfect.
C)there are too many aspects of any one problem for all of them to be addressed by one policy.
D)people are unlikely to agree on what constitutes success.

Question 18

Rival activists and experts are particularly likely to argue that a policy is

A)insufficient.
B)excessive.
C)moral.
D)mismanaged.

Question 19

Those who critique a policy's outcomes on the basis that the original construction of the problem was wrong typically argue that the policy is

A)excessive.
B)insufficient.
C)misguided.
D)elaborate.

Question 20

Most evaluation research involves

A)simple experiments.
B)complex experiments.
C)comparative research.
D)participant observation.

Question 21

Why is treating social problems as emergencies potentially problematic from a policy perspective?

Question 22

Why is evaluation research not typically used as the final word in determining the effectiveness of programs?

Question 23

The impact of commission findings and recommendations has typically been to attract

A)little notice outside the political world but to create large changes in policy.
B)little notice outside the political world and to fail to create policy change.
C)wide media attention and to create large changes in policy.
D)wide media attention but to fail to create policy change.

Question 24

Compare the costs and benefits of evaluation research using experiments to research using comparative methods.

Question 25

The term ideology can be used to refer to beliefs or values linked to

A)a political party.
B)religious affiliations.
C)professional affiliations.
D)all of the above

Question 26

How might critiques of policy outcomes based on insufficiency be part of a larger strategy for claimsmakers?

Question 27

Commissions are groups of

A)researchers who work together to develop objective outcome measures.
B)high-status individuals,presumed to represent a wide variety of interests,who are brought together to evaluate policies.
C)legislators who are brought together to debate the merits of a policy.
D)activists who are brought together to debate an issue and to try to reach a compromise.

Question 28

The role of appellate courts in the social problems process is

A)large because courts can reject or modify policies that are well supported in other ways.
B)large because courts create the policies.
C)moderate because courts can rule on policies but are unlikely to strike down a popular policy.
D)small because courts hear relatively few cases related to social problems.

Question 29

What does your text mean when it says that critics of social policies often bring together critiques based on practical concerns with those based on values? Why might this be a problem?

Question 30

Choose a policy designed to address a social problem.Briefly describe the policy and at least three categories of critiques applied to the policy.Be sure to state which of the categories of critiques in your text applies to each example.

Question 31

Which of the groups that typically evaluate social policy do you see as the most reliable and which do you see as the least reliable? Why?

Question 32

It is argued in your text that the prospect of __________ has made welfare especially controversial.

A)the availability of services encouraging divorce
B)long-term,intergenerational dependency
C)people with disabilities having problems accessing services
D)too much of the national budget being devoted to serving the poor