Chapter 7 Flashcards
public policy
consists of all the authoritative public decisions that governments makes– the policy output (like laws)
policy outcome
Policies or outputs are normally chosen for a purpose—they are meant to promote end results.
political goods
politicians have incentives to pursue political goals that seek to satisfy the values and aspirations of the citizens.
system level political goods
emphasizes order, predictability, and stability. Citizens are most able to act purpose-fully when their environment is stable, transparent, and predictable.
System goods address the regularity and predictability with which political systems work, but also their ability to adapt to environmental challenges. Regularity and adaptability are typically somewhat in conflict.
Ex: System maintenance
—The political system features regular, stable, and predictable decision-making processes.
system adaptation
—-The political system is able to adapt to environmental change and challenges
process goods
—citizen participation and free po-litical competition
Democratic procedures and various rights of due process, then, are process goods. Process goods include participation, compliance, and procedural justice (trial by jury, habeas corpus, no cruel and unusual punishment, and fair and equal treatment). Procedural goods also include effectiveness and efficiency.
Ex:
participation: The political system is open and responsive to many forms of political speech and action.
compliance: Citizens fulfill their obligations (e.g., military service and tax obligations) to the system and comply with public law and policy.
procedural justice: Legal and political procedures are orderly and fair (due process), and there is equality before the law.
effectiveness and efficiency: Political processes have their intended effects and are no more cumbersome, expensive, or intrusive than necessary.
policy goods
such as economic welfare, quality of life, freedom, and personal security.
welfare
Citizens have access to health care, learning, and economic and environmental goods, which the government seeks to distribute broadly.
security
The government provides safety of person and property, public order, and national security.
fairness
Government policy is not discriminatory and recognizes individuals from different ethnic, linguistic, or religious groups; both genders are respected; vulnerable or disadvantaged citizens are protected.
liberty
Citizens enjoy freedom from excessive regulation, protection of their privacy, and respect for their autonomy.
public policies
pension systems such as social security in the United States
Types of public policy outputs
extraction, distribution, regulation, symbolic output
extraction
Extraction of resources—money, goods, persons, and services—from the domestic and international environments
example: taxation, military service, jury duty, etc.
distribution
Distribution—of money, goods, and services—to citizens, residents, and clients of the state.
regulation
Regulation of human behavior—the use of compulsion and inducement to bring about desired behavior.
symbolic output
Symbolic outputs—used to exhort citizens to en-gage in desired forms of behavior, build community, or celebrate exemplary conduct
efficiency (in terms of extraction)
means collecting the most revenue possible at the lowest cost.
direct taxes
Personal and corporate income taxes, property taxes, and taxes on capital gains are called direct taxes, since they are directly levied on persons and corporations.
indirect taxes
include sales taxes, value-added taxes, excise taxes, and customs duties. These are com-monly included in the prices of goods and services that consumers buy.
rentier states and resource curse
which derive much of their revenue from selling oil and other natural resources.
resource curse
“resource curse” impeding development and democracy when the economy is distorted by oil windfalls. One explanation suggests that windfall resource profits can make governments independent from their citizens. The lower the level of taxation, the less reason for the public to demand representation. If politicians do not feel such demands from their citizens, they may be less likely to behave accountable
gross domestic product
the total value of goods and services produced by a coun-try’s residents in a year. For the average country, about a quarter of the GDP is extracted by the government, but in some countries, the proportion is much higher.
distributive policy
Distributive policies include transfers of money, goods, services, honors, and opportunities to individuals and groups in the society. Distributive policies generally consume more government resources and employ more government officials than anything else that modern governments do.
welfare state policies
Over time, welfare state policies expanded to include broader health care programs, disability benefits, public education, housing subsidies, child and childcare benefits, pensions, and other distributive policies.