Deck 2: Contexts of Public Policy

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an important contextual factor in the development of American public policy in the past 10 years?

A)economic uncertainty
B)immigration
C)the increase in Marxist attitudes in the public
D)the increase in conservative attitudes

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which federal funding mechanism has resulted in states going to court to fight the federal government?

A)General revenue sharing
B)Categorical grants
C)Unfunded mandates
D)Block grants

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In the United States,responsibility for national defense lies primarily with

A)the individual states.
B)the federal government
C)local governments
D)international governmental organizations (IGOs)

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to the text,which of the following is the main actor in intergovernmental relations?

A)executive
B)courts
C)congress
D)Federal Reserve Board
E)recipients of services

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an example of intergovernmental relations?

A)state and tribal gaming compacts
B)NAFTA
C)Education Commission of the States
D)Colorado River Authority

Question 6

Factors that have contributed to the decline of the American public's trust of government institutions are

A)budget deficits.
B)Watergate and Vietnam.
C)corruption scandals.
D)all of the above.

Question 7

The sale of marijuana is legal in a number of states,but only California and Colorado allow recreational use.

Question 8

Which form of funding gives money to state or local units for general purposes instead of for a specific project?

A)general revenue sharing
B)block grants
C)unfunded mandates
D)private funding

Question 9

Federal funding to state or local governments with little or no restriction on its use is known as

A)Unfunded Mandates
B)Block Grants
C)General Revenue Sharing
D)Categorical Grants

Question 10

_____________ role in intergovernmental relations has changed since the 1960's involving school desegregation,school funding and management of corrections.

A)The President's
B)The Courts'
C)Mayors and governors
D)Concerned Administrators

Question 11

Public anger is because of _______ has not checked the spread of government trust.

A)the financial bailout of Wall Street
B)Response to Hurricane Sandy
C)The 2012 attack on the US compound in Benghazi
D)All of the above

Question 12

The distrust of American political and social institutions is NOT related to the ______________

A)Vietnam War
B)political scandals in recent decades
C)9/11 Terrorist Attacks
D)doubts about the performance of large national government

Question 13

The New York and New Jersey Party Port Authority is an example of

A)Horizontal intergovernment relation
B)Deals with issue that cross state lines
C)Is an Interstate compact
D)All of the above

Question 14

The U.S.Constitution recognized the need for interaction among governmental units the need for flexibility and tension within the interactions.

Question 15

Opponents of shifting responsibility from the federal government to the states argue that

A)States will be equally sensitive to issues such as equity, fairness and civil rights
B)States are not likely to have the resources to fund the programs
C)States may not always be inclined to continue programs
D)B & C only
E)All of the above

Question 16

With respect to the institutional context of American policy,it can be said:

A)the federal system affects formulation of policies
B)the presence of the federal government has expanded in many areas of life
C)public distrust of American institutions has grown
D)all of the above

Question 17

Prior to 1930,poverty was not seen as a problem,but was viewed as an inevitable social condition.

Question 18

Federalism is

A)a unitary system of government
B)a confederate form of government
C)both A and B

Question 19

Lack of confidence in government is attributed to

A)the troubled roll-out of the Affordable Care Act in 2013
B)the inept response to Hurricane Katrina
C)Gridlock within Congress
D)All of the above

Question 20

Which is NOT a more or less constant contemporary "policy context" in the United States?

A)government structures
B)environmental issues
C)economy
D)cultural changes

Question 21

"Intergovernmental Interaction" includes which of the following?

A)regulations
B)partial preemption
C)cross-cutting requirements
D)all of the above
E)(a) and (c) only

Question 22

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 Medicaid expansion mandate was ruled unconstitutional by

A)The Supremacy Clause
B)Article VI of the Constitution
C)President Ronald Reagan
D)The Supreme Court

Question 23

Which one of the following is NOT one of the four types of regulations that are a part of intergovernmental relations?

A)direct cuts
B)direct orders
C)cross-cutting requirements
D)crossover sanctions
E)partial preemption

Question 24

Conservatism today includes which of the following:

A)Neo-conservatives
B)the Tea Party
C)New Right
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 25

Preemption has become a concern of state and local officials because of their efforts to enforce strict laws against undocumented immigrants and is an example of an attempt to override

A)Direct orders
B)Crossover Sanction
C)Partial preemption
D)Preemption

Question 26

Although Hispanics share many of the same problems experienced by African-Americans,they also must deal with ________________________.

A)Poverty
B)Racial discrimination
C)Language and culture
D)Anti-immigration sentiments

Question 27

Today ideological groups,such as liberals and conservatives,are more internally fragmented than in the past.T/F

Question 28

During the 1990s,federal government transfers of money to the states

A)grew rapidly
B)declined rapidly
C)remained the same
D)grew slowly
E)the federal government does not transfer money to the states.

Question 29

The average American is becoming:

A)younger
B)older
C)more liberal
D)more traditional
E)submissive to authority

Question 30

Which of the following demographic characteristics have resulted in changes in public policy?

A)The increase in the Hispanic proportion of the population
B)The children born during the "baby boom"
C)The high-rate of single-parent families, mostly-female head homes
D)All of the above
E)none of the above

Question 31

The New Right is mostly concerned with

A)Same-sex marriage
B)Income distribution
C)Government economic action
D)None of the above
E)All of the above

Question 32

The population that will be sixty-five and older is increasing at twice the national population and will reach ______________ percent by 2030.

A)12
B)50
C)25
D)20

Question 33

In the ideological context of public policy which is true of conservatives?

A)They tend to have a deeper commitment to equality than do liberals.
B)They tend to value civil and personal freedoms more than liberals.
C)They are more ready to limit economic freedom.
D)They are committed to tradition and authority.

Question 34

Which state is NOT one where the 60% of new immigrants have settled?

A)California
B)Florida
C)Illinois
D)New Jersey

Question 35

Which is NOT true of the legislative trends due to the changing population trends?

A)The South & West gained 40 seats in Congress between 1980 and 2000
B)The large urban centers of New York, Baltimore, Chicago & Cleveland have experienced declining population
C)The North & Northeast have gained congressional seats
D)Voting patterns reflect demographic changes

Question 36

Among the alleged problems in American federalism are:

A)red tape
B)unfunded mandates
C)distortion of state/local priorities
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 37

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is an example of

A)Intergovernmental transfer of funds
B)Categorical grant
C)Cutting domestic spending
D)Devolving responsibilities to the State

Question 38

Families living through the Great Recession of 2007 saw

A)Their homes lose values
B)The collapse of financial institutions
C)High productivity
D)All of the above
E)A and B only

Question 39

Economically challenging times exacerbated racial tension and affect the controversy over affirmative action and immigration

Question 40

The threat from the federal government to withhold federal funding from states for failure to comply with certain conditions on a federally funded program is called ___________.

A)Partial preemption
B)Cross-cutting requirements
C)Crossover sanctions
D)Direct Order

Question 41

The ideological movement known as "Libertarians" is committed to which of the following?

A)oppose restrictions on sexually explicit speech
B)conservative economic agenda
C)liberal social agenda
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 42

•Compare and contrast the ideological and cultural contexts of public policy.Demonstrate their influence in two different policy areas.
•Which of the populations changes discussed within the demographic context is likely to exert the most influence over the next ten to 15 years? Why?
•Pick a policy area that has particular importance to you and discuss how you see intuitionalism playing a role in policy making that area
•How has Federalism changed over time and what directions is it currently moving in? Do you think this good or bad? Why?
•Given that National Guard are under the jurisdiction of the state government,under what authority can the President send the National Guard unit to Iraq and Afghanistan? Why did the President need to call up the guard? Are the governors pleased that their guard units are not available to handle local emergencies?
•Was the Occupy movement successful in influencing change in U.S.economic policies?
•How are the changing demographics of the U.S.going to impact healthcare and social security policy?
•How has the rise of the Tea Party impacted the public policy positions of the Republican Party?