PUBPOL Quiz 2

Evaluative Criteria

"dimensions used to weigh policy options or judge policies"

Effectiveness

did the policy achieve its intended goals?

Efficiency

are the benefits worth the costs?

Equity

who benefits and who pays?

Feasibility

can it be implemented?

Regulatory Tools

require or prohibit behaviors

Economic and Market-Based Tools

use financial incentives to shift behavior

Information and Persuasion Tools

inform or persuade to change behavior

Organizational Tools

create structures to deliver services or enforce compliance

Economic Regulation

controls prices quantities or market entry/exit

Social Regulation

addresses negative externalities and information asymmetries

Informal Rulemaking

notice and comment process for creating regulations

Formal Rulemaking

trial-like hearing process for regulations

Taxation

government taxes what you earn buy and own

Tax Expenditures

tax breaks that reduce government revenue

Subsidies

government payments to influence production or prices

Vouchers

government-funded coupons for specific services

Informational Tools

non-coercive tools using communication not force or money

Inform

provide neutral facts to improve decisions

Persuade

use messaging to shift beliefs and attitudes

Nudge

change choice architecture to encourage better decisions

Direct Public Provision

government delivers services directly

Government Grants and Contracts

government pays others to deliver services

Public Private Partnerships

long-term agreements with private sector for infrastructure

Policy Analysis

identify options compare outcomes and recommend solutions

Counterfactual

what would have happened without the policy

Treatment Group

group exposed to the policy

Control Group

group not exposed to the policy

Non-Experimental Design

no control group or weak comparison group

Confounders

other differences that bias results

Experimental Design

random assignment to treatment and control

Quasi-Experimental Design

creates "as good as random" comparison group

Regression Discontinuity

compares those just above and below an eligibility cutoff

Difference-in-Differences

compares changes over time between treatment and comparison groups

Parallel Trends

assumption that groups would have followed same path without policy

Interrupted Time Series

uses pre-policy trend as control for same group

Qualitative Interviews

in-depth open-ended conversations

Focus Groups

open-ended interviews with small groups

Ethnography

studying people in their natural settings over time

Document Content Analysis

analyzing meanings in existing documents

Anecdote

informal personal story not systematically collected

Qualitative Research

systematic analysis of experiences from defined group

Transparency (Qualitative)

clear explanation of methods and data

Positionality

researcher acknowledges own biases and perspective

Cost-Benefit Analysis

compares dollar value of costs and benefits

Financial CBA

private sector analysis of dollar costs and benefits

Social/Economic CBA

public sector analysis of costs and benefits to society

Net Present Value

all future costs and benefits in today's dollars

Discount Rate

brings future money to present value

Social Discount Rate

rate used for long-term public projects

Higher Discount Rate

future benefits matter less today; good for short-term projects

Lower Discount Rate

future benefits matter more today; good for long-term investments

Benefit-Cost Ratio

benefits divided by costs (>1 means benefits outweigh costs)

Value of a Statistical Life (VSL)

willingness to pay for small risk reduction

Cost Effectiveness Analysis

cost per natural unit of benefit (lives saved)

Equality

everyone gets the same

Equity

distribution is fair even if unequal

Recipients (Equity)

who gets something?

Items (Equity)

what gets distributed?

Process (Equity)

how is distribution carried out?

Administrative Burdens

time effort and cost to access benefits or comply

Theory of Ordeal Mechanisms

burdens ration benefits by screening out those who don't need them

Learning Costs

time to learn about program and eligibility

Compliance Costs

time and money to complete requirements

Psychological Costs

stigma stress and loss of autonomy

Policy Feedback Loops

policy experiences shape future political participation and trust