Deck 3: Understanding Public Policy Making

Question 1

The policy-making stage in which public needs are selected for consideration by a legislative body of government is ______.

A) policy implementation
B) policy evaluation
C) policy formulation
D) agenda setting

Answer 1

D

Question 2

During the ______ stage of policy making, legislators rely on policy analysts to develop and study possible policy alternatives for them to consider.

A) legitimation
B) agenda-setting
C) policy formulation
D) program evaluation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the sequence of the policy-making process presented by the Kraft/Furlong policy process model?

A) policy formulation, policy evaluation, agenda setting, policy implementation
B) agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation, policy evaluation
C) policy evaluation, policy implementation, policy formulation, agenda setting
D) policy implementation, policy formulation, policy evaluation, agenda setting

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The policy-making stage during which new issues are identified as problems for government to address is called ______.

A) policy formulation
B) policy implementation
C) policy evaluation
D) agenda setting

Question 5

Which statement describes the importance of theories in helping us to understand policy making?

A) Theories help us understand why certain policies are adopted.
B) Theories describe relationships between political actors.
C) Development of theories helps to engage citizens in policy making.
D) Theories must be developed before effective policy making can occur.

Question 6

Legitimation is the stage of policy making in which ______.

A) proposals are developed for actions that could be taken to resolve a problem
B) programs are implemented and funds expended
C) legal force is given to a policy proposal and the public accepts the policy
D) problem definitions are analyzed to determine their legitimacy

Question 7

The ______ theory of policy making draws heavily on economics to explain the actions of voters and also of elected officials as attempts to maximize self-interest.

A) elite
B) group
C) institutional
D) rational choice

Question 8

The policy-making stage during which money is spent, regulations are adopted, and the policy is carried out is called ______.

A) policy evaluation
B) agenda setting
C) policy implementation
D) policy formulation

Question 9

The ______ theory of policy making emphasizes the formal and legal parts of governmental structure.

A) elite
B) group
C) institutional
D) rational choice

Question 10

Political systems theory explains policy making as a process of ______.

A) interaction among the government institutions and the larger social, economic, and cultural context in which they operate
B) moving from the stage of agenda setting to policy formulation to implementation.
C) rational decisions made by individuals.
D) interactions among political leaders.

Question 11

Regulating is defined as ______.

A) the government levying taxes on certain goods
B) use of the budget process to encourage or discourage behavior
C) the government providing information, so citizens can make their own choices
D) the government requiring certain activities be done, and if not, assessing penalties

Question 12

The ______ theory of policy making focuses on the role of experts and leaders in formulating public policy.

A) political
B) economic
C) rational
D) elite

Question 13

______ refers to the occasion when the public is aware of and discussing an issue even though politicians may not be discussing the issue.

A) Institutional agenda
B) Systemic agenda
C) Political agenda
D) Government agenda

Question 14

Market mechanisms as tools or instruments of policy are defined as ______.

A) those that rely upon the laws of supply and demand to influence the behavior of individuals or corporations
B) regulating how transactions are conducted in the market
C) using forms of persuasion and education
D) government management of individuals or corporations

Question 15

A(n) ______ instrument of public policy collects revenues from one group and spends it on services for a different group.

A) redistributive
B) market-based incentive
C) regulatory
D) salient

Question 16

A(n) ______ instrument of public policy collects revenue from one group and spends it on services for a different group.

A) redistributive
B) market-based incentive
C) regulatory
D) salient

Question 17

Kingdon's ______ model illustrates how three independent sets of activities related to problems, policy proposals, and politics can converge and bring a public issue onto the agenda.

A) systemic force
B) policy stream
C) underlying condition
D) political system theory

Question 18

Which of the following combinations of saliency and conflict provide the greatest opportunity for an issue to be placed on the government's agenda?

A) low saliency, low conflict
B) high saliency, high conflict
C) low saliency, high conflict
D) high saliency, low conflict

Question 19

What is the president's major forum for agenda setting and stating the coming year's priorities?

A) the State of the Union Address
B) the weekly breakfast with congressional leaders
C) cabinet speeches and briefings
D) daily news briefings

Question 20

The policy instrument of ______ refers to government attempts to convey important information to citizens in order to influence their behavior.

A) analysis
B) formulation
C) education
D) privatization

Question 21

When the government encourages you to buy a home and allows you to take a deduction for the mortgage interest, it is using this form of government action ______.

A) taxing and spending
B) regulating
C) educating
D) charging fees

Question 22

Which of the policy typologies identified by Lowi refers to the situation in which government spends money to provide grants or programs without regard to where the money will come from to pay for it?

A) distributive
B) redistributive
C) buoyancy
D) regulations

Question 23

Some analysts try to predict how likely a policy issue will be placed on the agenda for action. Policy issues that have ______ have the best chances to be placed on a public agenda.

A) low conflict and high saliency
B) high conflict and high saliency
C) low conflict and high risk
D) high conflict and high reward

Question 24

An example of ______ is farmers, agricultural equipment makers, and bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Agriculture working together to promote particular policies.

A) an elite organization
B) an advocacy coalition framework
C) the policy cycle
D) an institutional agenda

Question 25

During the later years of the Obama administration, the Democratic Party controlled the presidency and Senate, while the Republican Party controlled the House of Representatives. As a result, gridlock occurred, and it was difficult for the policy-making process to enact policies to address important issues of the day such as immigration, gun control, or environmental legislation. Which policy-making theory might attribute this failure to the formal way our government is structured and the procedures for how bills become law?

A) group theory
B) elite theory
C) institutional theory
D) rational choice theory

Question 26

______ portrays public policy as the product of a continuous struggle among organized interest groups.

A) Group theory
B) Rational choice theory
C) Institutional theory
D) Elite theory

Question 27

Which of the following policy-making theories might include consideration of the role of prominent and outspoken celebrities such as U2's Bono, Bill Gates, and Oprah?

A) elite theory
B) group theory
C) executive theory
D) rational choice theory

Question 28

In the United States, the final stage of policy making, referred to as ______, often gets little attention. Rather, our governments spend much more of their efforts on the ______ stage of policy making.

A) policy evaluation; policy formulation
B) policy formulation; policy capacity
C) policy legitimation; policy evaluation
D) policy regulation; policy implementation

Question 29

The primary assumption of elite theory is that in shaping public policy, ______.

A) the public plays a central role through feedback processes
B) the values and preferences of the general public are less influential than those of a small group of experts or leaders
C) elites, such as interest groups and the public, are most influential
D) at the early states of policy making, the public plays a stronger role, while elites decide on policy

Question 30

Which of the following theories of policy development relies upon the wisdom, experience, and actions of societal and governmental leaders?

A) elite theory
B) leadership theory
C) systems theory
D) institutional theory

Question 31

______ is the policy-making theory that posits that policy making occurs in a pluralistic way through a dynamic struggle among a variety of policy actors, interest groups, government officials, and the public.

A) institutional theory
B) rational choice theory
C) group theory
D) pluralistic theory

Question 32

The authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue radio and television broadcasting licenses is an example of a ______ policy.

A) salient
B) redistributive
C) distributive
D) regulatory

Question 33

These types of policies have "winners" and "losers." In other words, some groups benefit at the expense of others.

A) salient
B) redistributive
C) distributive
D) competitive regulatory

Question 34

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration spells out the kinds of things that business and industry must do to protect workers. This is an example of what type of policy?

A) competitive regulation
B) rational choice
C) protective regulation
D) market mechanisms

Question 35

______ branch agencies implement most public policies within the United States.

A) Legislative
B) Judicial
C) Executive
D) Local

Question 36

The Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population (about 325 million in 2016) is likely to rise to nearly ______ million by 2050.

A) 100
B) 200
C) 300
D) 400

Question 37

Which statement best describes the policy issue demonstrated by Alec Baldwin's being dismissed from an American Airlines flight?

A) the failure to set a policy agenda
B) the issue of an obsolete policy based on new information
C) the full circle of the policy-making process
D) the challenges of evaluating the effectiveness of policy

Question 38

______ are tools, approaches, or methods that policy makers have available to use in order to formulate a policy.

A) Policy typologies
B) Policy evaluations
C) Policy processes
D) Policy instruments

Question 39

______ attempt to explain why and how policy-making occurs.

A) Regulations
B) The policy-making cycle/stages
C) Theories of policy making
D) Lowi's policy typologies

Question 40

Policy analysis is used most heavily during which stages of the policy-making process?

A) problem analysis, policy alternative development, and policy evaluation
B) problem analysis and capacity development
C) capacity development and legitimation
D) policy evaluation and regulation development

Question 41

______ are active contributors to policy formulation.

Question 42

How do the saliency and conflict associated with an issue affect how or if it gets on the government's agenda? Explain your answer.

Question 43

A ______, such as a crisis, usually improves an issue's chance of getting on the agenda.

Question 44

Discuss the purpose of having theories or models of policy making. How does having a theory or model help policy makers? Give an example.

Question 45

The ______ provided more flexibility into the achievement of standards and returned authority to the states.

Question 46

Once elected officials have formally proposed policies, the policy-making cycle moves on to ______, where the new policies are approved by a legislative body, signed by the executive, and accepted by the public.

Question 47

The stream refers to ______ climate or public mood.

Question 48

______ as a step in the policy process is at once both simple and complex.

Question 49

The policy-making cycle begins with ______, which includes determination that a problem or need exists and that there is a need for government action.

Question 50

The term ______ is used to make clear that the process is cyclical or continuous rather than a onetime set of actions

Question 51

The second stage of policy making, ______, involves policy analysis to determine the best options for government action to address the problem.

Question 52

Providing information to the public is also referred to as a ______ tool.

Question 53

The ______ refers to the various bits of information available on the problem, whom it affects, and in what ways.

Question 54

______ describes the attempts of elected officials to provide government programs and services that directly benefit their constituencies.

Question 55

In the rush to house victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ordered nearly ______ billion worth of trailers and mobile homes.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 56

List the six basic stages of the policy development process, in order.

Question 57

The policy-making stage of ______ is where regulations are adopted, money is spent, and the approved government actions are set in motion.

Question 58

Following a period of time in which policies are implemented by government, ideally, the policy-making cycle turns to ______, in which the policy outcomes and efficiency are assessed and the policies revised.

Question 59

One of the best known policy instruments is ______.

Question 60

Discuss how elite theory is applied to development of policy. Include in your discussion a definition of who/what are elite(s), why elites vary according to policy issue, and how elites influence policy.

Question 61

Discuss the difference between a systemic agenda and an institutional agenda and give an example of an issue that exemplifies each.

Question 62

Explain the policy process model presented by Kraft and Furlong. What does it show? Describe what takes place during each stage.

Question 63

Discuss the problem-definition and agenda-setting stages of policy making. What are the factors that shape how a problem may be defined? Discuss an example of a public problem that has been framed in varying ways by opposing groups. Second, the authors state, "the mere existence of a problem is no guarantee that it will attract government attention." What facilitates the movement of certain issues onto the agenda?

Question 64

Discuss why the problem-definition stage of the policy process is so influential on the making of public policy.

Question 65

Explain the main premise of each of the following policy-making theories and give an example that illustrates policy making from that particular theory's perspective.