padp

Evaluative Criteria

Specific dimensions of policy objectives used to weigh policy options or judge existing policies or programs.

Effectiveness

Evaluation of whether a program achieves expected results or policy outcomes.

Efficiency

Justifying government action based on economic concepts, comparing benefits to costs.

Equity

Refers to process equity and outcomes equity in policy debates, considering fairness in decision-making and outcomes.

Ethics and Political Values

Consideration of ethical or normative dimensions in policy analysis, addressing issues beyond economics.

Economic Approaches

Methods like cost-benefit analysis, cost-effective analysis, and risk assessment used in policy analysis.

Decision Making and Impacts

Involves forecasting and impact assessment to examine likely effects of policies.

Political and Institutional Approaches

Analysis of political feasibility and interest group influence in policy actions.

Implementation Analysis and Program Evaluation

Examining the process and effects of implementing public policy and evaluating policy outcomes.

Ethical Analysis

Policy analysis based on ethical principles or norms, supplementing economic and political concerns.

Working Backwards

A decision-making method where outcomes are multiplied by probabilities in reverse until the root decision is reached.

Forecasting

Developing a range of possible outcomes based on scenarios, including best-case and worst-case comparisons.

Impact Assessments

A focused analysis of the effects a certain action may generate.

Political Feasibility Analysis

Predicting the probability of support or passage for an action.

Implementation Analysis

Examination of the responsibilities of administrative agencies in implementing decisions.

Ethical Analysis

Systematic examination of ethical issues such as racial profiling, organ donation, and impacts on future generations.

Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)

Monetized comparison of pros and cons to determine net benefits and benefit-cost ratio.

Discounting Costs or Benefits

Adjusting future values to present value using a discount rate.

Economic Growth

Increase in the production of goods and services, often measured by rising GDP.

Low Levels of Unemployment

Situation where a low number of people are unemployed, benefiting the economy and government budget.

Single-Payer Insurance

National health insurance system where the government pays for healthcare costs for all residents.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Complex U.S. healthcare law aimed at improving service delivery, reducing costs, and expanding insurance coverage.

Medicare Payroll Tax

0.9% increase for high earners to fund Medicare, a federal health insurance program.

Medicaid

U.S. federal-state program providing healthcare coverage for low-income individuals and families.

Veterans' Health Care

System providing medical care and social services to U.S. veterans.

Managed Care Organizations

Entities like HMOs that aim to control healthcare costs and improve efficiency.

Preventive Healthcare

Focus on promoting health, preventing diseases, and early detection for cost-effective care.

Medical Errors

Mistakes in healthcare delivery that can harm patients, leading to adverse outcomes.

Fiscal Policy

Government's use of taxing and spending to influence the economy.

Gini Coefficient

Measure of income inequality within a population, including poverty rates.

Gini Coefficient

A measure of income inequality within a population, with higher values indicating greater inequality

Social Security

A federal program providing income for retired workers, beneficiaries, and workers with disabilities

Means-tested programs

Social programs where eligibility is based on financial need rather than contributions

SNAP

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, providing food assistance to low-income individuals and families

Poverty Line

A specified level of annual income below which individuals or families are considered to be in poverty

EITC

Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families

Welfare Reform

Changes to social welfare programs aimed at promoting work, reducing dependency, and enforcing requirements

Culture of Poverty

Concept describing how individuals in poverty may learn to navigate welfare systems and pass on behaviors to future generations

Social Security Trust Fund

A fund where Social Security contributions are held for distribution to eligible individuals

Equity

Concerns fairness and justice in the distribution of resources and opportunities within a society

Cost of College

The increasing expenses associated with pursuing higher education, which can be a barrier for low-income students.

Morill Act

Legislation from 1862 supporting higher education and the development of land-grant colleges in the United States.

School Vouchers

Programs providing individuals with government funds to attend private schools, often aimed at assisting low-income students.

Merit Pay

A system linking teacher pay increases to performance in the classroom, sometimes based on student performance on standardized exams.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Federal education law signed in 2015, returning control of public education to states and local districts.

Affirmative Action

Policies giving admissions preferences to certain demographics in order to promote diversity in colleges and universities.

Higher Education Affordability

The issue of making college education financially accessible, especially in terms of state support for students.

Teacher Quality

Concerns about educators' abilities in the classroom, including knowledge, skills, and the impact of workload on teaching effectiveness.

School Choice

Efforts allowing parents to choose where to send their children for education, including charter schools and voucher programs.

National Assessment of Educational Progress

A test required by the No Child Left Behind Act to assess the quality of education and school standards.

Clean Air Act Benefits

In 2020, benefits from the Clean Air Act were estimated to be three times greater than its costs.

US Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Contrary to the period 1990-2019, total US greenhouse gas emissions did not decrease.

Biden Administration Climate Policies

Approximately 45% of US adults believe that the Biden administration's climate change policies are leading the US in the right direction.

National Security Council

The Speaker of the House is not a regular attendee of the National Security Council.

Foreign Policy Tools

Social regulation is the least applicable policy tool to foreign policy.

NATO Formation

NATO was formed to coordinate security interests and military defense between the US and Europe.

NATO Membership

Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

Recent NATO Member

Sweden is the most recent country to join NATO.

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization focuses on using common economic interests to maintain peace between nations.

Tariffs

Taxes imposed on imports are referred to as tariffs.

US Trade Deficit

The Trump administration's emphasis on higher tariffs did not reduce the US trade deficit.

United Nations

The UN facilitates cooperation in international law and security.

World Bank

The World Bank focuses on the economic development of poor nations.

World Bank Criticism

One common criticism of the World Bank is that it deters economic development.

US Foreign Aid

The US Agency for International Development is primarily responsible for US bilateral foreign aid.

US Foreign Aid Allocation

Most US foreign aid goes toward economic aid rather than military aid.

Top Recipient of US Foreign Aid

Ukraine received the most US foreign aid in 2022.

OECD Foreign Aid Target

The US is not one of the few OECD countries that do not meet the UN target for foreign aid of 0.7% Gross National Income.

Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security's job does not solely consist of antiterrorism efforts.

TSA Budget Allocation

80% of the TSA's budget is spent on aviation security.

SAFE Port Act

The SAFE Port Act requires 100% of U.S.-bound ocean containers to be scanned before leaving their port of origin.

Shipping Container Inspection

On average, it takes 4 hours to inspect a 20-40 foot shipping container.

FBI Terrorism Arrests

According to the FBI, domestic terrorism arrests now exceed arrests for international terrorism.