Deck 1: Public Policy: an Introduction

Question 1

Public policy is an intentional course of action followed by a government institution or official that includes, but is not limited to making laws and is defined in terms of

A) negative spillover effects
B) civil issues
C) problems of government
D) a common goal or purpose

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The growth of public policy is primarily

A) due to politics
B) because of increased prosperity
C) a consequence of modernization
D) All of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The three pre-policy stages are

A) (1) public protests, (2) congressional inquiry, and (3) committee report
B) (1) problem definition, (2) policy demands, and (3) agenda formation
C) (1) policy evaluation, (2) goal setting, and (3) cost-benefit analysis
D) (1) policy demands, (2) agenda formation, and (3) problem definition

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Public policy is defined by three necessary qualifications. Which of the following is NOT a necessary qualification?

A) that official actions be sanctioned by law or accepted custom
B) Laws or official regulation should not be mistaken for the whole realm of policy
C) policy always meets intended goals
D) intentional course of action includes decisions made not to take a certain action

Question 5

The reason(s) for studying public policy is (are):

A) Theoretical
B) Practical
C) Political
D) All above

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the processes involved in changing and terminating policies?

A) executive order
B) agenda setting
C) problem definition
D) evaluation
E) adoption

Question 7

Which is NOT a reason for the frequent failure of policies to achieve their intended impact is due to

A) no plausible scenario on which the parties can agree
B) no socially acceptable solution exists
C) policies and laws only permit strict interpretations
D) disagreement about what constitute a social or political problem that must be addressed by the policy makers

Question 8

Public policy is rooted in law and in the authority and coercion associated with law.

Question 9

Which model of the policy process stresses that many groups and individuals have an influence in the American democratic system?

A) institutional
B) elite
C) rational-comprehensive
D) public choice
E) pluralist

Question 10

Observable and measurable results of policy implementation are known as

A) spillover effects
B) policy outputs
C) policy impacts
D) policy outcomes

Question 11

Three reasons for studying public policy are:

A) policy adoption, implementation, analysis
B) policy advocacy, analysis, implementation
C) theoretical, practical, political
D) theoretical, analytical, political

Question 12

Which one of the following is NOT a stage in the prepolicy process?

A) problem definition
B) policy demands
C) policy adoption
D) agenda formation

Question 13

Policy advocacy is concerned with

A) how and why policy is proposed, adopted, and implemented
B) assessing the success and failure of policy
C) examining policy issues and alternatives in order to determine the best course of action
D) discovering the attitudes, beliefs and values of a particular group in society

Question 14

Policy analysis is concerned mainly with

A) describing all details of government programs.
B) discovery and recommendation of the best course of action.
C) describing and explaining policies and their impact.
D) problem definition or issue formation.

Question 15

Evaluation of public policy must include _____________.

A) normative dimensions
B) empirical dimensions
C) both normative and empirical dimensions
D) no normative or empirical dimensions

Question 16

Which is NOT a distinct stage of the policy process?

A) direct cost
B) agenda formation
C) policy adoption
D) policy implementation

Question 17

Policy demands refers to how

A) some issues are placed on the policy agenda.
B) direct costs are measured.
C) policy is implemented
D) none of the above
E) all of the above

Question 18

An intentional course of action followed by a government institution or official for resolving an issue of public concern is called

A) Public policy
B) Policy analysis
C) Policy advocacy
D) All of the above

Question 19

The consequences of policy, both intended and unintended, on the policy's target population are its

A) direct impact
B) direct cost
C) short-term effect
D) indirect impact

Question 20

_____________ are the stated goals of a given policy.

A) Unintended impacts
B) Externalities
C) Intended impacts
D) Spillover effects
E) Benefits

Question 21

Policy evaluation is used to

A) make changes to improve policies
B) grade the responsible agency
C) report back to the president
D) create jobs for policy analysts

Question 22

Program evaluation can involve which of the following?

A) sunset laws
B) performance management
C) cost-benefit analysis
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 23

The public choice model thinks of those active in policymaking as actors attempting to choose option to maximize their self-interest.

Question 24

Which of the following is/are employed by policy analysts to analyze the effectiveness of public policy?

A) agenda setting
B) cost-benefit
C) policy demands
D) policy adoption

Question 25

A policy's effect on its intended population is ___________.

A) unintended consequences
B) normative dimension
C) direct impact
D) short-term impact

Question 26

In a zero-sum society, the allocation of values to members of one underrepresented group requires that members of other groups will not have to pay the costs.

Question 27

____________ involves collecting and analyzing information about the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of policies.

A) Policy evaluation
B) Policy impact
C) Policy implementation
D) Policy development

Question 28

Policy analysts must make choices and tradeoffs in the decision making process. Those choices include

A) time
B) public support
C) staffing
D) A and B

Question 29

Redistribution and distribution policies are example of private goods; some goods can be divided and given to some people, but not to others. An example of private goods does NOT include:

A) Food Stamps
B) State University admission
C) Clean air
D) Public health care

Question 30

Policy analyst explore for policy proposals which least fulfills important public values.

Question 31

Who is NOT responsible for developing and implementing public policy at the federal level?

A) Congress
B) The President
C) Appointed bureaucrats
D) Political Action Committee

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT part of cost-benefit analysis?

A) direct costs
B) indirect benefits
C) externalities
D) intended impacts
E) problem definition

Question 33

The Institutional model addresses the structure of America's constitutional. This structure includes

A) Bureaucracy
B) Legislatures
C) Executives
D) Judiciary
E) All of the above

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a model of the public policy process?

A) elite
B) institutional
C) pluralist
D) irrationalist

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an example of public policy?

A) Environmental regulation
B) National defense
C) The Beer summit
D) Stimulus package

Question 36

Policy Advocacy begin with a commitment to economic interest or principle such as _______________.

A) Liberalism
B) Conservatism
C) Environmentalism
D) All of the above

Question 37

Passage of various government regulations from the Food & Drug Administration illustrated the federal government's commitment to

A) environmental conservation
B) workers' rights
C) business competition
D) consumer protection

Question 38

Process evaluation or formative evaluation assesses the activities and structures of policy implementation. Processes may include

A) program procedures
B) Amount of staffing
C) Staffing duties
D) All of the above

Question 39

Process of assessing the impacts/outcomes of a policy.

A) policy evaluation
B) policy implementation
C) direct cost
D) intended consequences

Question 40

Direct costs and benefits relate to the specific allocation of resources and its impact on the intended population.