Public Policy Midterm

What are the four principles of American constitutionalism?

Republicanism, separation of powers, federalism, and strong protections for the individual.

What are the main concepts of government power?

Power and coercion, which includes the legal ability to incarcerate people.

What are the primary functions of government?

Order, economic provision of public goods, and promoting equality.

What distinguishes public from private coercion?

Public coercion is accepted as legitimate and based on law, while private coercion lacks such authority.

What is the horizontal separation of powers?

The division of power among the three coequal branches of the federal government.

What is the vertical separation of powers?

The division of power among national, state, and local levels of government.

What does political systems theory emphasize?

It views politics as a dynamic system with inputs (demands) and outputs (actions) that receive feedback.

What are the five stages of the policy process?

Agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

What is agenda-setting in the policy process?

The process of identifying issues that need addressing and gaining recognition among policymakers and the public.

What is Kingdon's model of agenda-setting?

It includes three streams: problem stream (issues needing attention), policy stream (proposed solutions), and political stream (the political environment).

What are Lowi's policy typologies?

Constituent, distributive, regulatory, and redistributive policies.

What characterizes constituent policy?

It is created for forming government structure and involves reorganization at the agency level.

What is distributive policy?

It allocates benefits and services at no charge to target populations, often diffusing costs across the population.

What defines regulatory policy?

It imposes restrictions or limitations on the behavior of individuals or groups, often leading to conflict between policy groups.

What is redistributive policy?

It involves government actions to shift wealth, income, or rights to disadvantaged groups, aiming for increased equality.

What is the difference between material and symbolic policy?

Material policy involves tangible outcomes, while symbolic policy consists of intangible value statements.

What is the role of official policymakers?

They have legal authority to engage in public policy formation, with primary policymakers having direct constitutional authority.

What is the significance of the Iron Triangle in policymaking?

It illustrates the relationship between interest groups, congressional committees, and agencies, which can resist outside influences.

What are the two types of agendas in the agenda-setting process?

Systemic agenda and institutional agenda.

What is the issue-attention cycle?

It describes how issues fall off the agenda after initial attention, often moving through various stages of public interest.

What factors influence political culture?

Widely held values, beliefs, and attitudes about government operations and citizen relationships.

What are the three types of political culture according to Elazar?

Individualist, moralist, and traditionalist.

What is the significance of socioeconomic conditions in public policy?

They often influence political activity and arise from conflicts between groups, especially in regulatory and redistributive policies.

What is the role of policy entrepreneurs in agenda-setting?

They advocate for specific issues to gain attention and push them onto the political agenda.

What is the purpose of monitoring and evaluation in the policy process?

To assess outputs and outcomes, determining the effectiveness and consequences of policies.

What challenges arise during the implementation stage of policy?

It involves interpretation and enforcement, which can be complicated by vague laws and directives.