Chapter 16 Flashcards
According to the text, which of these industries receives one of the largest portions of governmental aid?
Agriculture
This unique type of policy implementation allows local areas flexibility to meet specific challenges and needs. Oftentimes, this relates to healthcare or housing
Bottom-up implementation
This is the situation in which individuals exhaust a common resources by acting in their own immediate self-interest. For example, if everyone fishes in a lake every day, there will eventually be no fish in that lake.
Tragedy of the Commons
Mandatory spending accommodates approximately what percentage of all federal expenditures?
60
Congress has tried to reduce policy analysis bias in the Legislative Branch by creating this nonpartisan organization
Congressional Budget Office
While distributive policy has diffuse costs and concentrated benefits, this policy features concentrated costs and diffuse benefits. For example, large corporations paying taxes for their carbon emissions equals greater air quality for all individuals.
Regulatory policy
The overwhelming portion of the government’s education money is spent on which of the following?
a. Student loans
b. Grants
c. Work-study programs
d. All of the above***
Public policy deals with issues of concern to some ___________________, as opposed to matters of interest only to a _____________________.
Large segment of society; small segment of society
The goal of a policy analyst isn’t to encourage the implementation of policy, but rather to what?
Make sure that decision-makers are fully informed about the decisions they make
This is one of the oldest and largest pieces of social welfare policy in American history. In 2014, it costed the United States about $845 billion alone
Social Security
Which of these is a benefit of Medicare?
a. Prescription drug benefits
b. A guaranteed insurance benefit that helps cover major hospitalization
c. Fee-based supplemental coverage to lower costs for doctor visits and other health expenses
d. All of the above***
This is the broad strategy government uses to do its job. More formally, it is the relatively stable set of purposive governmental actions that address matters of concern to some part of society
Public policy
Most citizens have opinions on how they feel about certain policies. However, there are those who actively work to propose or maintain public policy. Typically, these can revolve around social issues like gay rights, abortion, gun control, or other contentious issues. These few individuals are known as what?
Policy advocates
These individuals tend to feel very comfortable with the idea of the government shepherding progressive social and economic reforms, believing that these will lead to outcomes more equitable and fair for all members of society
Modern liberals
Under this market system, supply and demand are influenced by the people without any government involvement.
Free-market economics
Which of these is not a specific stage of the policy process?
Testing
Social welfare policy has created a __________, which helps members of society who are suffering economic hardship through no fault of their own
Safety net
These individuals believe that government almost always operates less efficiently than the private sector and that government actions should be kept to a minimum
Libertarians
This is the amount by which expenditures are greater than revenues when it comes to the federal budget
Deficit
This entitlement policy requires beneficiaries to fall within a particular income category and provides to them a comprehensive set of health benefits
Medicaid
a strategy in which the federal government allows local areas some
flexibility to meet their specific challenges and needs in implementing policy
bottom-up implementation
the congressional office that scores the spending or revenue impact of all
proposed legislation to assess its net effect on the budget
Congressional Budget Office
the total amount the government owes across all years
debt
the annual amount by which expenditures are greater than revenues
deficit
government spending that Congress must pass legislation to authorize each year
discretionary spending
a policy that collect payments or resources broadly but concentrates direct benefits
on relatively few
distributive policy
a program that guarantees benefits to members of a specific group or segment of the
population
entitlement
taxes applied to specific goods or services as a source of revenue
excise taxes
a school of thought that believes the forces of supply and demand, working
without any government intervention, are the most effective way for markets to operate
free-market economics
an economic policy based on the idea that economic growth is closely tied to the
ability of individuals to consume goods
Keynesian economics
an economic policy that assumes the key to economic growth and development is for the
government to allow private markets to operate efficiently without interference
laissez-faire
people who believe that government almost always operates less efficiently than the private
sector and that its actions should be kept to a minimum
libertarians
government spending earmarked for entitlement programs guaranteeing support
to those who meet certain qualifications
mandatory spending
a health insurance program for low-income citizens
Medicaid
an entitlement health insurance program for older people and retirees who no longer get
health insurance through their work
Medicare
people who actively work to propose or maintain public policy
policy advocates
people who identify all possible choices available to a decision maker and assess the
potential impact of each
policy analysts
a tax that tends to increase the effective tax rate as the wealth or income of the tax-payer
increases
progressive tax
the broad strategy government uses to do its job; the relatively stable set of purposive
governmental behaviors that address matters of concern to some part of society
public policy
a temporary contraction of the economy in which there is no economic growth for two
consecutive quarters
recession
a policy in which costs are born by a relatively small number of groups or individuals, but benefits are expected to be enjoyed by a different group in society
redistributive policy
a tax applied at a lower overall rate as individuals’ income rises
regressive tax
a policy that regulates companies and organizations in a way that protects the public
regulatory policy
a way to provide for members of society experiencing economic hardship
safety net
a social welfare policy for people who no longer receive an income from employment
Social Security
an economic policy that assumes economic growth is largely a function of a
country’s productive capacity
supply-side economics
a strategy in which the federal government dictates the specifics of public
policy and each state implements it the same exact way
top-down implementation
Public policy ________.
requires multiple actors and branches to
carry out
What are some of the challenges to getting a
new public policy considered and passed as law?
Approval of a new policy requires government to recognize that a problem needs solving, and the approval
of the elected branches of government. This process can take a long time.
Toll goods differ from public goods in that
________.
they require the payment of a fee up front
Which type of policy directly benefits the most
citizens?
regulatory policy
Social Security and Medicare are notable for
their assistance to which group?
the elderly
Setting aside Social Security and Medicare,
other entitlement programs in the U.S.
government ________.
constitute well under one-quarter of the
budget
What societal ills are social welfare programs
designed to address?
Need-based programs exist to provide at least minimal living standards for the poor and to provide opportunities to improve their life.
allow mere survival, long term they can help the individual and society
Which stage of the public policy process
includes identification of problems in need of
fixing?
agenda setting
Policy analysts seek ________.
evidence
A deficit is ________.
the annual budget shortfall between
revenues and expenditures
Entitlement (or mandatory) spending is
________
formula-based spending that goes to
individual citizens
When times are tough economically, what can
the government do to get the economy moving
again?
A Keynesian approach would recommend deficit spending to stimulate the economy. Supplyside
economists would advocate cutting taxes to get more money flowing in the economy
