American Government - Chapter 16 - Review Questions

Which of the following is not an example of a public policy outcome?

none of the above; all are public policy outcomes

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 the 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

Of the types of goods introduced in this section, which do you feel is the most important to the public generally and why? Which public policies are most important and why?

When lawmakers pass legislation protecting workers, instituting wage-and-hour laws and providing enforcement for wage-and-hour laws, this is a public policy decision. The policy is to protect the rights of workers within the society.

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 a minimal standard of living for those in dire straits and to provide opportunities to improve their fate in life. In the short term, they allow mere survival, while in the 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

In the implementation phase of the policy process, is it better to use a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach on Federal policies? Why?

Bottom up; more local, smaller scale

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. Supply-side economists would advocate cutting taxes to get more money flowing in the economy.