Question 1

Which of the following statements about the growth of government is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The statement that the federal budget and workforce decreased during Republican administrations is false. In fact, both have increased during some Republican administrations as well as during Democratic administrations.

Question 2

The number of public employees is a simple way to gauge the size of government, but it has which of the following limitations?

Accepted Answer

While the number of public employees can give an indication of the size of government, it does not fully reflect the extent of government's influence on society. Other factors, such as government regulations and spending, also play a role in determining the size of government's impact. However, choices A and C are incorrect as they make false statements.

Question 3

Which of the following is TRUE about trends in government employment?

Accepted Answer

All the statements provided are true regarding trends in government employment. On-budget employment at the federal level has been relatively stable since World War II, the significant growth in public sector employment has indeed occurred at the state and local levels, and the federal government often plays a more indirect role in service provision compared to state governments, which are more directly involved in providing services to citizens.

Question 4

Which of the following is TRUE of trends in government expenditures?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is TRUE of...

Question 5

Which of the following statements about trends in government regulation is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

The complexity and variability of regulatory impacts make it challenging to calculate the exact costs of regulation accurately. This difficulty arises because regulations can have wide-ranging effects on different sectors, and their costs can be direct or indirect, immediate or long-term.

Question 6

Which of the following is not an explanation for the growth of government?

Accepted Answer

All of the above are explanations for the growth of government.

Question 7

Market failure can take the following forms:

Accepted Answer

The four forms of market failure are externalities (costs or benefits of a transaction that are not reflected in the market price), public goods (goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous in consumption), incomplete information (when buyers or sellers do not have access to all relevant information about a product or service), and monopoly (when a single seller has control over the price and supply of a good or service).

Question 8

As the economy becomes more complex

Accepted Answer

As the economy becomes more complex, the interdependencies and externalities increase, leading to a higher need for government intervention to ensure stable and fair economic outcomes. B and D are incorrect as they fail to acknowledge the need for government action. A and E are incorrect as they do not reflect the trend towards increasing government intervention in complex economies.

Question 9

Which of the following is a mechanism to counter the tendency of the political process to lead to big government?

Accepted Answer

Federalism is a mechanism to counter the tendency of the political process to lead to big government by distributing power between national and subnational governments, thus limiting the concentration of power at the national level.

Question 10

Which of the following is TRUE about public goods?

Accepted Answer

Public goods, by definition, have non-excludability and non-rivalry, meaning that it is difficult to exclude people from enjoying their benefits and their use by one person does not diminish their availability to others. As a result, private markets may not provide enough of these goods because individuals may not be willing to pay for them if they believe they can enjoy their benefits for free. Therefore, government intervention is necessary to ensure the provision of public goods. Option A is incorrect because people are not willing to pay for public services if they believe they can obtain them for free. Option C is incorrect because government can force people to pay for public goods through taxes. Option D is incorrect because option B is true. Option E is incorrect because only option B is true.

Question 11

Public choice theory puts a large part of the blame for big government on the voters themselves.

Accepted Answer

Public choice theory argues that voters often support policies that benefit them in the short term, even if they are not in the long-term interest of society as a whole. This leads to politicians and government officials implementing policies that cater to the desires of the majority of voters, rather than the overall welfare of society. Therefore, voters are seen as playing a significant role in the growth of big government.

Question 12

Citizens take for granted many of the services government provides because they do not have to pay for them.

Accepted Answer

Government services such as public libraries, parks, and emergency services are funded through taxes and not directly paid for by individuals for each use, so citizens may not always fully appreciate the cost and effort that goes into providing these services.

Question 13

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a decrease in military spending that continues to this day.

Accepted Answer

The collapse of the Soviet Union initially led to a decrease in military spending in the 1990s, but in recent years, Russia (the Soviet Union's successor state) has significantly increased its military spending.

Question 14

Interest group influence led to the creation of client agencies designed to respond to the needs of specific groups of people.

Accepted Answer

Interest groups have significant influence on policy making and can use their power to push for the creation of agencies that cater to their specific needs. These agencies are commonly referred to as client agencies.

Question 15

President Andrew Jackson had a key role in professionalizing the national workforce by proposing civil service legislation.

Accepted Answer

President Andrew Jackson is known for his opposition to civil service reform and for advocating for the spoils system, where government jobs were given to loyal party supporters. He did not propose civil service legislation.

Question 16

Early administrators were highly representative of American society.

Accepted Answer

Early administrators in the United States were predominantly white, male, and from relatively privileged backgrounds, not fully representing the diversity of American society.

Question 17

Checks and balances, separation of powers, and federalism reflect the founders' distrust of centralized power.

Accepted Answer

The founders of the United States of America were distrustful of centralized power and sought to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful. They did so by establishing a system of checks and balances, separating powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and implementing federalism, where power is divided between the national and state governments.

Question 18

The creation of new government programs and the expansion of existing ones can be explained in part as a natural outcome of the democratic process and pluralism.

Accepted Answer

In a democratic society, the government is expected to respond to the needs and desires of its citizens, which can include creating new programs or expanding existing ones. Pluralism, which refers to the existence of diverse viewpoints and interests, can also lead to the creation or expansion of government programs as different groups advocate for their priorities.

Question 19

If left alone, the free market will provide sufficient information to potential consumers about goods and services.

Accepted Answer

In many cases, the free market may not provide sufficient information to potential consumers about goods and services due to information asymmetry, where sellers have more information about the product than buyers, and public goods, where information is non-excludable and non-rivalrous, leading to underproduction of information.

Question 20

Monopolies result in an overuse of resources and a rise in total income.

Accepted Answer

Monopolies tend to restrict output and charge higher prices, leading to a decrease in total consumption and income. Additionally, monopolies can limit innovation and impede the development of new technologies and products. Therefore, they do not result in an overuse of resources and a rise in total income.

Quiz 2: The Growth of Government and Administration