AP Gov Chap. 15 Esmeralda Ayala

Question 1

Affordable Care Act (ACT)

Answer 1

The Affordable Care Act actually refers to two separate pieces of legislation — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) — that, together expand Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income Americans and makes numerous improvements to both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program

Question 2

agenda setting

Answer 2

The process of forming the list of matters that policymakers intend to address

Question 3

inflation

Answer 3

A rise in the general price levels of an economy

Question 4

laissez-faire

Answer 4

A french term meaning “to allow to do, to leave alone.” It is hands-off governmental policy that is based on the belief that government involvement in the economy is wrong

Question 5

Board of Governors

Answer 5

In the Federal Reserve System, a seven-member board that sets members banks’ reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions

Question 6

budget deficit

Answer 6

The amount by which federal expenditure exceeds federal revenue

Question 7

charter school

Answer 7

self-governing public schools that have signed an agreement with their state government to improve students’ education; have their own curricula and teaching practices

Question 8

Common Core

Answer 8

Goals are moving national to priorities toward the public, and making government institutes

Question 9

Department of Health and Human Services

Answer 9

Originally the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Supervises programs to protect health and provide social service
(1979)

Question 10

depression

Answer 10

a period of high unemployment and business failures; a severe, long-lasting downturn in a business cycle

Question 11

discount rate

Answer 11

charge on banks to borrow gov money (currently at 0%); mode of Fed Reserve monetary policy

Question 12

distributive policies

Answer 12

A public policy such as Social Security that provides benefits to all groups in society

Question 13

entitlement programs

Answer 13

gov’t benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled to by law, regardless of need

Question 14

Federal Reserve System

Answer 14

consisting of twelve Federal Reserve districts, the Fed facilitates exchanges of cash, checks and credit; it regulates member banks; and it uses monetary policies to fight inflation and deflation

Question 15

fiscal policy

Answer 15

government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending

Question 16

governmental (institutional) agenda

Answer 16

Issues that people believe require governmental action

Question 17

gross domestic product (GDP)

Answer 17

the total output of all economic activity in the nation, including goods and services

Question 18

Keynesian economics

Answer 18

economic theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms

Question 19

means-tested programs

Answer 19

gov’t programs available only to individuals who qualify for them based on specific needs

Question 20

Medicaid

Answer 20

health care for needy, low-income families, pregnant women, and children; covers hospitalization, physician services, drugs, and long-term nursing care

Question 21

Medicare

Answer 21

old people (65+ with Social Security) social insurance trust; workers pay into their own retirement fund on payroll tax; covers of hospitalization and nursing care with optional extension of coverage for physician services, X-rays etc

Question 22

monetary policy

Answer 22

form of gov regulation in which the nation’s money supply and interest rates are controlled by the Fed Reserve

Question 23

national debt

Answer 23

the total deficit from the first presidency down to the present

Question 24

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

Answer 24

passed in 2003; holds states, schools, and school districts accountable for their standardized tests scores; labels schools unable to meet desired average as “failing” and offers such schools more resources; unfunded mandate, leads to cheating and “teaching the test”

Question 25

non-means-tested programs

Answer 25

benefits provided regardless of income or means of recipients (Social Security)

Question 26

open market operations

Answer 26

the buying and selling of government bonds and securities; mode of Fed Reserve monetary policy

Question 27

policy adoption

Answer 27

the approval of a policy by legislation, people with requisite authority

Question 28

policy evaluation

Answer 28

process of determining whether a course of action is achieving its intended goals; determines fairness and efficiency of program

Question 29

policy formulation

Answer 29

formal proposals are developed and adopted to deal with the problems on the official policy agenda

Question 30

policy implementation

Answer 30

process of carrying out public policy through governmental agencies and the courts; can also be done via lawsuits and voluntary compliance

Question 31

public policy

Answer 31

the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem

Question 32

recession

Answer 32

short-term drop in the economy caused by investment sags, failed production, and unemployment

Question 33

redistributive policies

Answer 33

A policy that provides to one group of society while taking away benefits for another through policy tools such as tax increases to pay for job training

Question 34

regulatory policies

Answer 34

A police that encourages or discourages certain behavior by imposing a legally-binding rule

Question 35

reserve requirements

Answer 35

how much of bank deposits remain within the bank to back loans; mode of Fed Reserve monetary policy

Question 36

Social Security Act

Answer 36

passed in 1935; most important part of the New Deal; provides public assistance and guaranteed retirement payments for the needy, old, and blind

Question 37

systemic agenda

Answer 37

all public issues that are viewed as requiring governmental attention; a discussion list

Question 38

vouchers

Answer 38

money that the government provides to parents to pay their children’s tuition in a public or private school of their choice