Question 1

According to the pluralist perspective, public ________.
A) policies reflect the unequal power relations in a society
B) servants are devoted to serving the public interest
C) decision makers try to develop policies that satisfy a wide variety of groups
D) servants act so as to enhance their own position, privileges, and power

Accepted Answer

The pluralist perspective suggests that public decision makers strive to develop policies that satisfy a wide variety of groups and interests in society. This is based on the belief that power is dispersed among many groups rather than being concentrated in the hands of a few elites. Therefore, public policies would reflect this dynamic and be more inclusive of diverse perspectives and interests. The other answer choices, A, B, and D, are not consistent with the pluralist perspective.

Question 2

Who developed the term bureaucracy?
A) Baron de Grimm
B) Baron von Gaugh
C) Max Weber
D) John Watkins

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

According to state-centered theory ________.
A) public policies reflect the unequal power relations in a society
B) politicians try to develop policies that satisfy a wide variety of groups
C) public servants act to enhance their own position, privileges, and power
D) public servants are important because of their expertise and permanence

Accepted Answer

State-centered theory emphasizes the role of public servants in implementing policies, and recognizes the importance of their expertise and permanence in government. This theory does not focus on power relations or the motives of politicians or public servants.

Question 4

Keynesianism involves government ____________.
A) keeping a balanced budget
B) reducing regulation of the economy
C) increasing spending during downturns
D) reducing inflation

Accepted Answer

Keynesianism is an economic theory that encourages government intervention in the economy, particularly during times of economic downturn, by increasing government spending and investments to stimulate demand and job creation. Keeping a balanced budget (A) is not central to Keynesian thinking, as deficit spending is often seen as necessary to boost demand. Reducing regulation (B) is not a primary focus of Keynesianism, as government intervention is seen as necessary to moderate the market's cyclical tendencies. And while reducing inflation (D) is sometimes a goal of Keynesian policies, it is not the central tenet of the theory.

Question 5

Income inequality has grown in Canada and the United States to the point that in 2012 the average CEO of the largest US corporations received earnings that were _______ times the earnings of an average employee.
A) 20
B) 104
C) 354
D) 798

Accepted Answer

According to a report by the AFL-CIO, in 2012 the average CEO of the largest US corporations received earnings that were 354 times the earnings of an average employee. This represents a significant increase in income inequality compared to previous decades.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about income inequality in recent decades is NOT correct?
A) the United States has one of the highest poverty rates among developed countries
B) The bottom two-fifths of the population in some countries have seen their real income decline
C) income inequality in Canada has decreased in the past two decades
D) African countries lose $14 billion a year in tax revenue as a result of the transfer of money to tax havens

Accepted Answer

Income inequality in Canada has actually increased over the past few decades, rather than decreased.

Question 7

In 2016, the ___________ revealed the systemic use of offshore tax havens and implicated some world leaders including the prime minister of Iceland.
A) Panama Papers
B) Subprime Loan Crisis
C) Wikileaks
D) Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

Accepted Answer

The Panama Papers were a leak of over 11 million documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca in Panama in 2016. The documents revealed how the firm helped wealthy individuals and corporations hide assets and evade taxes through the use of offshore tax havens. The release of the papers implicated some world leaders including the prime minister of Iceland.

Question 8

The Affordable Care Act, 2010 is an attempt to move toward universal access to medical care in the United States that is to be funded by _________.
A) tax-based financing
B) single-payer public system
C) two-tier healthcare
D) both public and private plans

Accepted Answer

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is designed to expand access to health insurance in the United States through a combination of mandates, subsidies, and insurance exchanges, funded by a mix of public and private plans. It does not establish a single-payer system but rather relies on both public and private funding sources to help achieve its goals.

Question 9

Which influential American economist argued that government should have a balanced budget?
A) Adam Smith
B) Milton Friedman
C) John Maynard Keynes
D) George W. Bush

Accepted Answer

Milton Friedman, a prominent American economist, advocated for limited government intervention in the economy and often argued for a balanced budget to ensure fiscal responsibility.

Question 10

What action did the US government take following the financial crisis of 2008?
A) renegotiated global trade agreements
B) raised taxes and financial fees
C) raised interest rates to control inflation
D) bailed out banks and financial institutions

Accepted Answer

Following the financial crisis of 2008, the US government implemented a series of measures to prevent further economic collapse. One of the primary actions taken was the bailing out of banks and financial institutions that were deemed "too big to fail". This involved the injection of government funds to stabilize these institutions and prevent their collapse, which otherwise could have caused a domino effect in the financial system.

Question 11

Critics of the foreign investment and protection agreement between Canada and China claim that it threatens Canadian laws concerning all of the following areas EXCEPT:
A) environmental protection and conservation
B) corporate espionage
C) labour rights
D) Aboriginal treaties

Accepted Answer

While the other areas have been identified as potentially threatened by the Canada-China foreign investment agreement, corporate espionage is not typically considered a matter of Canadian law.

Question 12

What theorist argued for a social contract in which people agreed to establish government with the purpose of protecting life, liberty, and property?
A) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Thomas Hobbes
D) John Locke

Accepted Answer

John Locke argued for a social contract in which people agreed to establish government with the purpose of protecting life, liberty, and property. This concept greatly influenced the founding fathers of the United States and is reflected in the Declaration of Independence.

Question 13

According to neo-Marxist theory, ________.
A) public policies reflect the unequal power relations in a society
B) politicians try to develop policies that satisfy a wide variety of groups
C) public servants act to enhance their own position, privileges, and power
D) public servants are important because of their expertise and permanence

Accepted Answer

Neo-Marxist theory posits that power relations and class struggle are the driving forces behind public policy. Therefore, the most accurate statement according to this theory is that public policies reflect the unequal power relations in a society. B, C, and D may also have some truth, but they are not the core tenets of neo-Marxist theory.

Question 14

According to public choice theory, public servants ________.
A) act on what they perceive to be the common good
B) are devoted to serving the public interest
C) are more dynamic and efficient that private sector employees
D) act to enhance their own position, privileges, and power

Accepted Answer

Public choice theory assumes that public servants, like all individuals, act based on their self-interest. They may seek to enhance their own position, privileges, and power rather than solely acting on what they perceive to be the common good or the public interest.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with the welfare state?
A) Education
B) Availability of reasonable levels of housing
C) Income assistance
D) Private charities

Accepted Answer

Private charities are not typically associated with the welfare state as they are not funded or implemented by the government. Other choices - education, availability of reasonable levels of housing, and income assistance - are key features of the welfare state.

Question 16

Which of the following reasons is correct in explaining why governments are slow or unwilling to create determined and effective policies combatting climate change?
A) Often costly to achieve
B) Science is not compelling on the subject
C) Technology does not exist to replace fossil fuels
D) Governments waiting for public to voluntarily reduce their environmental impact

Accepted Answer

Creating determined and effective policies to combat climate change often requires costly investments and changes to industries, which can be difficult for governments to implement.

Question 17

Which world leader argued in favour of establishing loans to governments in economic trouble to prevent currency collapse in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis?
A) Silvio Berlusconi
B) Barack Obama
C) David Cameron
D) Angela Merkel

Accepted Answer

Angela Merkel, as the Chancellor of Germany, played a significant role in advocating for financial support and loans to countries in economic distress during the European debt crisis, which followed the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

Question 18

The US government granted BP a license to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico without the environmental assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act by issuing a _________.
A) categorical exemption
B) waiver of liability
C) legislated oversight
D) grant in aid

Accepted Answer

A categorical exemption allows a project to bypass the environmental assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act if it is considered to have little to no impact on the environment. In this case, the US government granted BP a categorical exemption, which allowed them to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico without undergoing an environmental assessment.

Question 19

Who developed the idea that government could smooth out the ups and downs of the free-market economy?
A) John Maynard Keynes
B) David Riccado
C) Milton Friedman
D) Adam Smith

Accepted Answer

John Maynard Keynes developed the idea that government could smooth out the ups and downs of the free-market economy through his theory of Keynesian economics.

Question 20

In Canada, the fight for free, public medical care insurance was led by ________.
A) Pierre Trudeau
B) Jean Chretien
C) John Diefenbaker
D) Tommy Douglas

Accepted Answer

Tommy Douglas is known as the father of Canada's universal healthcare system. As the Premier of Saskatchewan in 1962, he introduced the first government-run healthcare plan in North America, which served as a model for the national system later implemented by the federal government.

Quiz 16: Public Policy and Public Administration

According to the pluralist perspective, public ________.

Who developed the term bureaucracy?

According to state-centered theory ________.

Keynesianism involves government ____________.

Income inequality has grown in Canada and the United States to the point that in 2012 the average CEO of the largest US corporations received earnings that were _______ times the earnings of an average employee.

Which of the following statements about income inequality in recent decades is NOT correct?

In 2016, the ___________ revealed the systemic use of offshore tax havens and implicated some world leaders including the prime minister of Iceland.

The Affordable Care Act, 2010 is an attempt to move toward universal access to medical care in the United States that is to be funded by _________.

Which influential American economist argued that government should have a balanced budget?

What action did the US government take following the financial crisis of 2008?

Critics of the foreign investment and protection agreement between Canada and China claim that it threatens Canadian laws concerning all of the following areas EXCEPT:

What theorist argued for a social contract in which people agreed to establish government with the purpose of protecting life, liberty, and property?

According to neo-Marxist theory, ________.

According to public choice theory, public servants ________.

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with the welfare state?

Which of the following reasons is correct in explaining why governments are slow or unwilling to create determined and effective policies combatting climate change?

Which world leader argued in favour of establishing loans to governments in economic trouble to prevent currency collapse in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis?

The US government granted BP a license to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico without the environmental assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act by issuing a _________.

Who developed the idea that government could smooth out the ups and downs of the free-market economy?

In Canada, the fight for free, public medical care insurance was led by ________.