PLCY 101 Flashcard Set
Below is a cleaned‐up version of the material arranged as a set of flashcards. Each flashcard features a “front” (the question or prompt) and a “back” (the answer or explanation). You can use these flashcards to review the key concepts and lessons from your midterm policy material.
Flashcard 1: Confirmation Bias
• Front: What is confirmation bias?
• Back: It’s our tendency to favor information that aligns with what we already believe while dismissing or ignoring information that contradicts those beliefs.
Flashcard 2: Halo Effect
• Front: What is the halo effect?
• Back: It occurs when our positive impressions of people, brands, or products in one area lead us to have positive feelings in another, often causing us to judge without a clear reason.
Flashcard 3: Engrossment
• Front: What does engrossment mean in the context of policy and storytelling?
• Back: Engrossment refers to how deeply people become absorbed in a story—when we’re captivated, we temporarily accept its premises, which can influence what we believe to be true.
Flashcard 4: Fact
• Front: How is a fact defined in public policy?
• Back: A fact is generally something considered true or real, but what counts as “true” can depend on context, measurement methods, and subjective interpretation.
Flashcard 5: Meaningless Words
• Front: What are “meaningless words” in policy discourse?
• Back: Some terms (e.g., “democracy,” “freedom”) become so vague and overused that they lose clear meaning and may be used to manipulate opinions without real understanding.
Flashcard 6: Active vs. Passive Voice
• Front: What is the difference between active and passive voice?
• Back: Active voice assigns clear responsibility (e.g., “The government reduced taxes”), whereas passive voice can obscure who is responsible (e.g., “Taxes were reduced”), making statements vaguer or evasive.
Flashcard 7: Focusing Events
• Front: What are focusing events?
• Back: These are sudden, high-impact events that draw attention to particular problems, creating opportunities for policy change—though their effect depends on whether advocacy groups are ready to act.
Flashcard 8: Public Policy & Framing (Lesson 1)
• Front: What is public policy and why is framing important?
• Back: Public policy is the set of decisions and actions taken by governments to address issues. Framing is crucial because it shapes how problems are perceived, influencing which aspects are highlighted and what solutions are considered.
Flashcard 9: Framing for Persuasion vs. Deliberation (Lesson 2)
• Front: What distinguishes framing for persuasion from framing for deliberation?
• Back: Framing for persuasion is aimed at convincing an audience (often using emotional appeals), while framing for deliberation clarifies different perspectives to help citizens make informed decisions.
Flashcard 10: Honest vs. Dishonest Framing
• Front: How do honest and dishonest framing differ?
• Back: Honest framing presents views clearly and respectfully—even when persuading—whereas dishonest framing manipulates facts or uses fear tactics, undermining trust in the process.
Flashcard 11: Incrementalism (Lesson 3)
• Front: What is incrementalism in policy making?
• Back: Incrementalism is the process of making small, gradual changes to existing policies instead of overhauling them completely, often because time, resources, or political will are limited.
Flashcard 12: Punctuations (Lesson 3)
• Front: What are punctuations in the policy process?
• Back: Punctuations are sudden, dramatic shifts in policy triggered by crises, political shifts, or public pressure that interrupt long periods of stability.
Flashcard 13: Drift (Lesson 3)
• Front: What does “drift” mean in public policy?
• Back: Drift occurs when there’s a gap between the intended goals of a policy and its real-world outcomes, often because policies aren’t updated to reflect changing conditions.
Flashcard 14: Policy Diffusion (Lesson 3)
• Front: What is policy diffusion?
• Back: It’s the process by which policies spread from one region or institution to another, often influenced by early adopters and subsequent imitation by others.
Flashcard 15: Defining Public Policy Problems (Lesson 4)
• Front: How are public policy problems defined and redefined?
• Back: They involve complex issues that must be clearly defined to effectively address them—distinguishing what is a public policy issue (involving government action) from everyday personal choices.
Flashcard 16: Who is a Policymaker? (Lesson 4)
• Front: Who is considered a policymaker?
• Back: A policymaker is anyone with the authority to influence, create, or implement public policy—this includes elected officials, bureaucrats, judges, and interest groups.
Flashcard 17: Structured vs. Unstructured Problems (Lesson 4)
• Front: What is the difference between structured and unstructured (wicked) problems?
• Back: Structured problems have clear causes and solutions, whereas unstructured or wicked problems are complex, with multiple causes and no single solution, making consensus difficult.
Flashcard 18: Collective Action Problems (Lesson 4)
• Front: What are collective action problems?
• Back: These occur when individuals or groups would benefit from working together but fail to do so because of competing interests, even when cooperation would be advantageous.
Flashcard 19: Challenges of Evidence-based Policymaking (Lesson 5)
• Front: What challenges does evidence-based policymaking face?
• Back: Although evidence can guide decisions, a strict reliance on scientific data may oversimplify complex policy processes that require input from multiple perspectives and bottom-up collaboration.
Flashcard 20: Inductive Reasoning & Policy Misperceptions (Lesson 6)
• Front: How can inductive reasoning lead to policy misperceptions?
• Back: Relying on limited information to make broader inferences can cause people to fill in gaps with assumptions, leading to misperceptions—especially when information is fragmented.
Flashcard 21: Fragmented Information Ecosystems (Lesson 6)
• Front: How has social media impacted public policy information?
• Back: Social media often creates filter bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs by repeatedly exposing users to similar content, which can fragment the overall information ecosystem.
Flashcard 22: System 1 vs. System 2 Thinking (Lesson 7)
• Front: What are System 1 and System 2 thinking, and why are they important in policymaking?
• Back: System 1 is fast, intuitive, and automatic; System 2 is slow, deliberate, and analytical. Their interplay affects how individuals form opinions and make decisions about public policy.
Flashcard 23: Key Psychological Heuristics (Lesson 7)
• Front: What psychological heuristics influence policy perceptions?
• Back: These include confirmation bias, WYSIATI (“what you see is all there is”), the halo effect, and availability cascades, all of which affect how we process information and form judgments.
Flashcard 24: Role of Stories in Public Policy (Lesson 8)
• Front: How do stories shape public policy?
• Back: Stories help us understand complex issues by engaging emotions and moral values. They provide a narrative framework that makes abstract policy issues relatable and persuasive.
Flashcard 25: Anecdotal Evidence (Lesson 8)
• Front: What is the role of anecdotal evidence in policymaking?
• Back: Anecdotal evidence uses personal stories to illustrate broader issues, making policy problems more tangible even though it is less rigorous than statistical data.
Flashcard 26: Types of Facts (Lesson 9)
• Front: What is the difference between objective facts, derivative facts, and postmodern facts?
• Back: Objective facts are indisputable truths; derivative facts are interpretations based on objective data; postmodern facts are accepted as “true” within a particular context despite lacking absolute objectivity.
Flashcard 27: Reverse Outlining & Clear Writing (Lesson 10)
• Front: What is reverse outlining, and why is clear writing important in policy memos?
• Back: Reverse outlining involves creating an outline from an existing essay to assess its structure. Clear, simple language is vital to ensure arguments are logically and persuasively presented.
Flashcard 28: Focusing Events & Agenda Setting (Lesson 11)
• Front: What are focusing events and how do they influence agenda setting?
• Back: Focusing events are sudden, impactful incidents that draw attention to specific issues. They can create opportunities for policy change if advocacy groups mobilize in response.
Flashcard 29: Informal vs. Formal Agendas (Lesson 11)
• Front: How do informal (systemic) agendas differ from formal (institutional) agendas?
• Back: Informal agendas emerge from public discourse and societal trends, while formal agendas are established through institutional processes and official decision-making bodies.
Flashcard 30: Institutions & Policy Design (Lesson 12)
• Front: How do institutions affect policy design?
• Back: Institutions—both formal (laws, constitutions) and informal (social norms)—create the rules of the game, shaping policy choices, influencing path dependence, and often leading to incremental change.
Flashcard 31: Rational-Actor Model in Elections (Lesson 13)
• Front: What is the rational-actor model in the context of elections and policymaking?
• Back: It’s the idea that policymakers act in their self-interest by carefully weighing options to maximize benefits (especially regarding re-election), making decisions based on available information.
Flashcard 32: Veto Points (Lesson 14)
• Front: What are veto points and why do they matter in policy legitimation?
• Back: Veto points are stages in the policy process where proposals can be blocked. More veto points (as seen in systems like the US Senate) make it harder to pass new policies.
Flashcard 33: Policymaker Motivations (Lesson 14)
• Front: What are the primary motivations behind policymaker behavior?
• Back: Policymakers may pursue good policy, claim credit for successes, or focus on blame avoidance—each influencing how they approach decision-making.
Flashcard 34: Perceived vs. Real Costs and Benefits (Lesson 15)
• Front: What is the difference between perceived and real material costs and benefits in policymaking?
• Back: Perceived costs and benefits are the subjective impressions held by individuals, which can differ from the measurable, material costs and benefits that guide formal cost–benefit analyses.
Flashcard 35: Waterfalls in Policy Implementation (Lesson 16)
• Front: What does the term “waterfalls” refer to in policy implementation?
• Back: It describes a linear, one-way process where once a step is completed, it cannot be revisited—unlike a loop-model that allows for iterative adjustments.
Flashcard 36: Bureaucratic Anxiety & Discretion (Lesson 16)
• Front: What are the bureaucratic anxiety cycle and discretion in policy implementation?
• Back: The bureaucratic anxiety cycle refers to the stress and uncertainty experienced by officials during implementation, while discretion is the ability of bureaucrats to make judgment calls in applying laws and policies.
Flashcard 37: Drift & Capture (Lesson 16)
• Front: What do “drift” and “capture” mean in policy implementation?
• Back: Drift is when the effects of a policy change over time due to evolving conditions, and capture occurs when regulatory agencies become dominated by the interests they’re meant to regulate.
Flashcard 38: Policy Feedback (Lesson 17)
• Front: What is policy feedback?
• Back: Policy feedback is the idea that policies not only shape society but are also reshaped by it. Successful policies can reinforce themselves, while failures may lead to rapid reversals.
Flashcard 39: Fog of Enactment (Lesson 17)
• Front: What does the “fog of enactment” refer to in public policy?
• Back: It describes the uncertainty and unforeseen consequences that emerge after a policy is implemented, making it difficult to predict its full impact until it unfolds in practice.
Flashcard 40: Cross-Sector Collaboration (Lesson 18)
• Front: How do the public, private, and nonprofit sectors differ in their roles in policymaking?
• Back: The public sector consists of government bodies, the private sector includes for-profit businesses, and the nonprofit sector is made up of organizations that operate without profit motives. Each plays a distinct role in forming and implementing policy.
Flashcard 41: Approaches to Policy Evaluation (Lesson 19)
• Front: What are key approaches to evaluating public policy?
• Back: Evaluations can be conducted ex ante (predictively) or ex post (retrospectively) using various methodologies—including randomized controlled trials (often considered the “gold standard”)—to assess causation and overall effectiveness.
Flashcard 42: Postmodern Fact
• Front: What is a postmodern fact?
• Back: It is an idea or claim accepted as “true” within a particular social or cultural context, even if it lacks an absolute, objective basis.
Flashcard 43: George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”
• Front: What is the main point of George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant”?
• Back: Orwell criticizes the use of complex language and passive voice to obscure truth and evade responsibility, arguing that clear, simple language is key to exposing manipulation.
Flashcard 44: Politics of Blame Avoidance
• Front: What is the politics of blame avoidance?
• Back: It describes strategies by which policymakers prioritize avoiding blame for unpopular decisions—often by shifting responsibility or downplaying problems—over pursuing policies solely for public benefit.