AP Gov Ch.15 Raquel Acosta

Question 1

affordable care act (ACA)

Answer 1

attempts to reform the healthcare system by providing more Americans with Affordable Quality Health Insurance and by curbing the growth in healthcare spending in the U.S. Reforms include new benefits, rights and protections, rules for Insurance Companies, taxes, tax breaks, funding, spending, the creation of committees, education, new job creation and more

Question 2

agenda setting

Answer 2

theory describes the “ability [of the news media] to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda

Question 3

board of governs

Answer 3

several-member group that oversees or manages the running of an institution

Question 4

budget deficit

Answer 4

an individual, business or government budgets more spending than there is revenue available to pay for the spending, over a specific period of time. Debt is the aggregate value of deficits accumulated over time

Question 5

charter school

Answer 5

a publicly funded independent school established by teachers, parents, or community groups under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority

Question 6

common core

Answer 6

a set of educational standards for teaching and testing English and mathematics between kindergarten and 12th grade

Question 7

department of health and human services

Answer 7

The United States government’s principal agency for “protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves

Question 8

depression

Answer 8

a long and severe recession in an economy or market

Question 9

discount rate

Answer 9

the minimum interest rate set by the Federal Reserve for lending to other banks

Question 10

distributive policies

Answer 10

extend goods and services to members of an organization, as well as distributing the costs of the goods/services amongst the members of the organization

Question 11

entitlement programs

Answer 11

a government program that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population

Question 12

federal reserve system

Answer 12

the central bank of the United States. It was created by the Congress to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system

Question 13

fiscal policy

Answer 13

the use of government revenue collection and expenditure to influence the economy. According to Keynesian economics, when the government changes the levels of taxation and government spending, it influences aggregate demand and the level of economic activity

Question 14

governmental (institutional) agenda

Answer 14

a list of subjects or problems to which government officials as well as individuals outside the government are paying serious attention at any given time

Question 15

gross domestic product (GDP)

Answer 15

a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a period of time, often annually or quarterly. Nominal GDP estimates are commonly used to determine the economic performance of a whole country or region, and to make international comparisons

Question 16

inflation

Answer 16

a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money

Question 17

keynesian economics

Answer 17

the various macroeconomic theories about how in the short run – and especially during recessions – economic output is strongly influenced by aggregate demand

Question 18

laissez-faire

Answer 18

a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering

Question 19

means tested programs

Answer 19

a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help

Question 20

medicaid

Answer 20

A joint federal and state program that helps low-income individuals/families pay for the costs associated with long-term medical and custodial care, assuming they qualify

Question 21

medicare

Answer 21

The federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with ESRD

Question 22

monetary policy

Answer 22

the process by which the monetary authority of a country, typically the central bank or currency board, controls either the cost of very short-term borrowing or the monetary base, often targeting an inflation rate or interest rate to ensure price stability and general trust in the currency

Question 23

national debt

Answer 23

the total amount of money that a country’s government has borrowed, by various means

Question 24

no child left behind act (NCLB)

Answer 24

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students

Question 25

non-means-tested programs

Answer 25

program that is not based on income or means of the recipient. For example, social security is a non means based program because it is given to anyone, regardless of their income, once they hit age for it and made the minimum contribution defined by the law

Question 26

open market operations

Answer 26

an activity by a central bank to give liquidity in its currency to a bank or a group of banks

Question 27

policy adoption

Answer 27

the third phase of the policy process in which policies are adopted by government bodies for future implementation.

Question 28

policy evaluation

Answer 28

principles and methods to examine the content, implementation or impact of a policy. Evaluation is the activity through which we develop an understanding of the merit, worth, and utility of a policy

Question 29

policy formulation

Answer 29

the development of effective and acceptable courses of action for addressing what has been placed on the policy agenda

Question 30

policy implementation

Answer 30

third stage of policy cycle its means the stage of the policy process immediately after the passage of a law, or the action that will be taken to put the law into effect or that the problem will be solved

Question 31

public policy

Answer 31

the principled guide to action taken by the administrative executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues, in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs

Question 32

recession

Answer 32

period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters

Question 33

redistributive policies

Answer 33

A policy requirement whereby the government reallocates the wealth from one group in society to another group. It involves the direct provision of benefits to citizens through social programs such as welfare

Question 34

regulatory policies

Answer 34

limit the discretion of individuals and agencies, or otherwise compel certain types of behavior. These policies are generally thought to be best applied when good behavior can be easily defined and bad behavior can be easily regulated and punished through fines or sanctions

Question 35

reserve requirements

Answer 35

The reserve requirement is a central bank regulation employed by most, but not all, of the world’s central banks, that sets the minimum amount of reserves that must be held by a commercial bank

Question 36

social security act

Answer 36

created a basic right to a pension in old age, and insurance against unemployment

Question 37

system agenda

Answer 37

This paper describes a wide range of definitions of the policy agenda, which enables one to have a wider view over the concept of the policy agenda and its contexts. On the one hand, policy agenda-setting is a process that is rather open for participation; on the other hand, it is a complex mechanism of influence

Question 38

vouchers

Answer 38

a small printed piece of paper that entitles the holder to a discount or that may be exchanged for goods or services