Deck 17: Public Policymaking and Budgeting

Question 1

According to the text, public policy is

A) how government addresses domestic issues.
B) what government cannot do.
C) what government says it does-not what it actually does.
D) a political slogan used by both parties.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is an example of a policy that was added, banned, and then reversed and denounced by environmental activists?

A) Glacier harvesting
B) Moose hunts
C) Offshore drilling
D) Noxious weed abatement

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is an example of a policy that is not currently on the policy agenda?

A) Prohibition
B) Poverty
C) Education
D) National security

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The first step in political action is

A) giving a speech.
B) passing a law.
C) setting the agenda.
D) policy evaluation.

Question 5

Since the policy system typically emphasizes only a few priorities at any given time, inclusion on the agenda is

A) permanent.
B) illusory.
C) consensual.
D) fiercely competitive.

Question 6

According to public opinion polls in 2018, the top policy agenda was

A) immigration/illegal aliens.
B) election reform.
C) the moral decline of Congress.
D) the war in Afghanistan.

Question 7

The social media age makes policy issues

A) less relevant.
B) less likely to get widespread attention.
C) more complicated.
D) more likely to surge suddenly into our collective consciousness.

Question 8

When framing a policy issue, which factor is least likely to influence its placement on the agenda?

A) The problem is new and different and has not previously been dealt with by the political system.
B) The problem affects many people.
C) The problem is linked to important national symbols.
D) The problem is highly visible, and people have strong opinions.

Question 9

The average number of new federal regulations per year during the Obama administration was

A) 3,985.
B) 3,640.
C) 5,682.
D) 5,584.

Question 10

The number of new federal regulations introduced during Trump's first year was

A) 5,498.
B) 4,832.
C) 3,281.
D) 2,854.

Question 11

The way an issue is framed largely determines

A) the length of time the issue will stay on the agenda.
B) the amount of money that will be spent on the problem.
C) which policy responses the government will consider implementing.
D) the degree to which the media will exaggerate the severity of the problem.

Question 12

The third stage in the policy process is

A) agenda setting.
B) framing.
C) evaluation.
D) formation.

Question 13

At what stage does a policy analyst begin to apply analytic techniques in an attempt to evaluate policy choices?

A) Formation
B) Framing
C) Evaluation
D) Problem definition

Question 14

One effect we often see at the formation stage of policymaking is that

A) the issue dies.
B) many policy actors get involved (members of Congress, state and local legislators).
C) media attention to the issue declines.
D) decisions about the policy become secretive.

Question 15

A critical component of the formation stage in policymaking is

A) getting television coverage.
B) making the proposed policy tax neutral.
C) calculating the costs and benefits of the proposed policy.
D) consulting with our allies about the proposed policy.

Question 16

All of the following are benefits of an increased federal tax on gasoline except

A) reducing air pollution.
B) reducing dependence on foreign oil.
C) helping incumbents in Congress get reelected.
D) reducing traffic accidents.

Question 17

A straightforward approach to analyzing a proposed policy involves _______ studies.

A) focus group
B) exit polling
C) quantitative political science
D) cost-effectiveness

Question 18

For a quarter-century, the national gas tax has remained at _______ per gallon.

A) 18.4 cents
B) 84.4 cents
C) 64 cents
D) 6 cents

Question 19

A cost of increasing the gas tax is

A) increased pollution.
B) increased dependence on imported oil.
C) increased price of shipping goods by truck.
D) required cooperation from interest groups.

Question 20

Raising national gas taxes by twenty-five cents per gallon has a cost benefit of

A) just over a dollar.
B) over two dollars.
C) twenty cents.
D) seventy-five cents.

Question 21

Without a positive cost-benefit analysis,

A) a bill is still likely to pass.
B) it is almost impossible for a bill to pass.
C) the president will not sign the bill.
D) the bureaucracy will not implement the policy.

Question 22

A _______ occurs when the opportunity arises, often briefly, to pass a bill in Congress or a state legislature.

A) policy stream
B) punctuated equilibrium event
C) policy window
D) advocacy coalition window

Question 23

Policy implementation is generally handled by

A) the House of Representatives.
B) the Senate.
C) state legislatures.
D) executive bureaucracy.

Question 24

Which president wrote, "administrative questions are not political questions"?

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Chester Arthur
C) Ronald Reagan
D) Franklin Roosevelt

Question 25

Who usually is in charge of the delivery of a new policy?

A) Government corporations
B) Independent regulatory commissions
C) Cabinet and agency secretaries
D) Special districts

Question 26

One of the most popular things about Obamacare was

A) its requirement that individuals purchase health insurance.
B) the Supreme Court decision declaring it constitutional.
C) its nickname.
D) its extension of dependents' insurance benefits to age twenty-six.

Question 27

Each aspect of a new law requires

A) a press release.
B) a new administrative rule.
C) another vote in Congress.
D) presidential approval.

Question 28

What is the usual time frame for a policy window?

A) Several months
B) A year or longer
C) A very short time
D) As long as necessary

Question 29

Trump's gas tax plan was quietly abandoned because

A) midterm elections were coming up.
B) the party requested it.
C) Congress was out of session.
D) Trump changed his mind.

Question 30

The world of policymaking is

A) predictable and straightforward.
B) burdened with multiple actors, ambiguous goals, and competing interests.
C) hierarchically organized.
D) devious and corrupt.

Question 31

Bottom-up service delivery starts with

A) cabinet secretaries.
B) the president.
C) street-level bureaucrats.
D) citizens.

Question 32

Street-level bureaucrats

A) work directly with the public.
B) work directly with interest groups.
C) work directly with policy makers.
D) work directly with Congress.

Question 33

Street-level decision making is characterized by

A) clientele service.
B) discretion.
C) hierarchical obedience.
D) rent seeking.

Question 34

The policymaking process

A) ends after a policy is implemented.
B) ends after the evaluation stage.
C) never really ends.
D) ends upon achieving all of its goals.

Question 35

After implementing a public policy, it is essential to

A) terminate it.
B) pay for it.
C) vote on it.
D) evaluate it.

Question 36

Which is the basic question in policy evaluation?

A) Does the policy work?
B) Is the policy cost-effective?
C) Is the policy politically responsive?
D) Does the policy serve citizens?

Question 37

Evaluating a public policy entails

A) soliciting citizen input.
B) looking at the original goals.
C) crafting new policies.
D) taking advantage of sunset legislation.

Question 38

The tendency of policymakers to follow established routines is called

A) trailblazing.
B) moral hazard.
C) path dependence.
D) status quo policymaking.

Question 39

A classic example of a large social policy with feedback effects is

A) environmental regulation.
B) midnight basketball.
C) the Affordable Care Act.
D) Social Security.

Question 40

Policies that deal with an individual's health and well-being are

A) social policies.
B) fiscal policies.
C) foreign policies.
D) entitlement policies.

Question 41

The presidential package that spawned Social Security was

A) the Fair Deal.
B) the New Deal.
C) the New Frontier.
D) the War on Poverty.

Question 42

One of the major reasons why large-scale social policies are so slowly formulated in America is(are)

A) we cannot afford them.
B) voters are unwilling to help disadvantaged members of our society.
C) individualism and resistance to big government.
D) our standard of living has declined.

Question 43

Social policy is generally advanced after

A) peaceful years.
B) major disasters.
C) two-term presidents.
D) war.

Question 44

The first old-age pensions in America were provided to

A) Union Army Civil War veterans.
B) retired members of Congress.
C) Revolutionary War veterans.
D) World War II veterans.

Question 45

An event that led to many new federal social policies was

A) the Civil War.
B) the Great Depression.
C) World War II.
D) the energy crisis.

Question 46

One of the first state-level social service agencies was in

A) Delaware.
B) Massachusetts.
C) New York.
D) Pennsylvania.

Question 47

The program passed in 1944 to reward veterans of World War II with a heavily subsidized college education was

A) the War Powers Act.
B) the Financial Aid to Student Workers Act.
C) the GI Bill.
D) the Stafford Loan Act.

Question 48

The GI Bill had the unintended consequence of creating

A) mortgage debt.
B) interest groups that lobbied for veterans' benefits.
C) a housing shortage.
D) unusually civic-minded Americans.

Question 49

To be eligible for Social Security benefits, you must be _______ years of age.

A) sixty-five
B) sixty-eight
C) seventy
D) seventy-two

Question 50

In 2020, Social Security paid out _______ in benefits to _______ workers.

A) $2 billion, 5 million
B) $5 billion, 20 million
C) $1.1 trillion, 64 million
D) $2 trillion, 315 million

Question 51

The largest single government program in America is

A) the military.
B) the Pell Grant program.
C) Medicare.
D) Social Security.

Question 52

Social Security comprises _______ of the gross domestic product of the United States.

A) nearly 5 percent
B) over 45 percent
C) 23 percent
D) 12 percent

Question 53

The program often labeled the "third rail" of American politics because of its sacrosanct status is

A) public broadcasting.
B) Social Security.
C) Medicaid.
D) the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question 54

During the Great Depression, unemployment in Toledo, Ohio, topped out at

A) 23 percent.
B) 35 percent.
C) 80 percent.
D) 92 percent.

Question 55

COVID-19 led to the unemployment of how many people?

A) 10 million
B) 20 million
C) 30 million
D) 40 million

Question 56

In order to reduce Social Security costs, Congress has discussed

A) reducing benefits.
B) eliminating the program.
C) raising the age to receive benefits.
D) paying only those under the poverty level.

Question 57

Known as a "means-tested" program, Medicaid

A) provides benefits to people living below the median income level.
B) returns control of social programs to state governments.
C) provides benefits to people over sixty-five.
D) provides benefits to people living below poverty level.

Question 58

More than _______ Americans receive some Medicaid coverage.

A) 72 million
B) 30 million
C) 10 million
D) 1 million

Question 59

Combined, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid total about what percentage of the federal budget?

A) 45 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 54 percent
D) 37 percent

Question 60

People acting rationally will choose to

A) do what is best for the community.
B) use critical-reasoning skills to evaluate public policies.
C) maximize their own self-interest.
D) use cost-benefit analysis when evaluating public policies.

Question 61

Turning over to private firms the management of services or benefits that were formerly provided by public officials is known as

A) defunding.
B) defrauding.
C) monetization.
D) privatization.

Question 62

Privatization

A) shifts public services to the private sector.
B) charges private citizens for public services.
C) shifts responsibility from private firms to the government.
D) shifts the cost of private services to the public sector.

Question 63

The gap between how much the federal government spends and how much it takes in is the

A) total debt.
B) federal budget deficit.
C) trade imbalance.
D) trade deficit.

Question 64

More than half the federal budget is spent on

A) defense.
B) crime control.
C) Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
D) welfare.

Question 65

The cabinet office in charge of compiling the spending estimates of all federal agencies is

A) the General Accounting Office.
B) the Department of the Treasury.
C) the Office of Economic Development.
D) the Office of Management and Budget.

Question 66

Congress _______ the president's yearly budget proposal.

A) can ignore
B) must accept
C) almost always rejects
D) almost always accepts

Question 67

How many times over the last forty years has Congress passed a budget on time, by April 15 each year?

A) Zero
B) Six
C) Two
D) Ten

Question 68

Because of their central role in spending decisions, members of the Appropriations Committee are known as _______ on Capitol Hill.

A) vicars
B) lords
C) cardinals
D) bishops

Question 69

There are _______ subcommittees that deal with appropriations, organized by jurisdiction.

A) six
B) nine
C) twelve
D) thirteen

Question 70

Two-thirds of the federal budget, nearly $2 trillion, is

A) mandatory spending untouchable by the Appropriations Committee.
B) discretionary spending.
C) spent on defense-related matters.
D) given to state governments.

Question 71

Non-entitlement spending programs are known as _______ programs.

A) malleable
B) discretionary
C) wasteful
D) infrastructure

Question 72

Omnibus spending bills tend to be cobbled together

A) in early January.
B) over the course of many months.
C) within days, or even hours, of the September 30 deadline.
D) perpetually.

Question 73

When Congress is unable to pass omnibus spending bills, the president requests a

A) new budget.
B) forced congressional session.
C) tax increase.
D) continuing resolution.

Question 74

Continuing resolutions extend spending at current levels, usually for how long?

A) Two weeks or a month
B) One year
C) Until Congress is back in session
D) Until the next meeting of the Appropriations Committee

Question 75

If Congress refuses to approve a presidential request for a continuing resolution,

A) the old budget goes into effect.
B) the government shuts down.
C) a mandatory tax increase kicks in.
D) Congress must write, and vote on, a whole new budget.

Question 76

Bill Clinton managed to persuade Congress to give him line-item veto power, and the Supreme Court

A) upheld it.
B) declined to rule on it.
C) struck it down.
D) remanded it to the lower courts.

Question 77

Who gets what, when, and how is largely determined by

A) which party controls Congress.
B) which party controls the presidency.
C) the interest group universe.
D) the budget process.

Question 78

The nation with the largest budget deficit in the world is

A) the United States.
B) Zimbabwe.
C) Mexico.
D) Greece.

Question 79

In many areas of policymaking, separated powers tend to

A) streamline the process.
B) slow the process by encouraging bargaining, battling, and compromise.
C) breed bipartisanship.
D) infuriate the media.

Question 80

In practice, the U.S. budget process

A) works pretty well.
B) doesn't work at all.
C) rarely runs on time.
D) almost always runs on time.