Public Policy Ex Questions

Describe the following public policy models/theories (pick 6 and omit the others) (12 points):

Process – 

• Policy Evaluation. The evaluation of policies by government agencies themselves, outside consultants, the media, and the general public.

• Agenda Setting. Focusing the attention of the mass media and public officials on specific public problems to decide what will be decided.

Policy Formulation. The development of policy proposals by interest groups, White House staff, congressional committees, and think tanks.

Policy Legitimation. The selection and enactment of policies through actions by Congress, the president, and the courts.

Policy Implementation. The implementation of policies through government bureaucracies, public expenditures, regulations,


6 step process that explains how policy gets made, explains how the policy process works on a step by step basis.


Institutional -  Political activities generally center around particular government institutions—Congress, the presidency, courts, bureaucracies, states, municipalities, and so on. Public policy is authoritatively determined, implemented, and enforced by these institutions. Federalism recognizes that both state and federal governments have authority and their own role; The way how institutions are functions and how they relate to how policies are implemented and made 





Rational – A rational policy is one that achieves “maximum social gain”; that is, governments should choose policies resulting in gains to society that exceed costs by the greatest amount, and governments their relative weights, (2) know all the policy alternatives available, (3) know all the consequences of each policy alternative, (4) calculate the ratio of benefits to costs for each policy alternative, and (5) select the most efficient policy alternative. Rational policymaking also re quires information about alternative policies, the predictive capacity to foresee accurately the consequences of alternate policies, and the intelligence to calculate correctly the ratio of costs to benefits. Finally, rational policymaking requires a decision-making system that facilitates rationality in policy formation.; Cost benefit analysis, as much societal game with as little cost, maximize social gain for as many people as possible, w minimum cost 





Incremental - Incrementalism views public policy as a continuation of past government activities with only incremental modifications. Incrementalism is conservative in that exist- ing programs, policies, and expenditures are con- sidered as a base, and attention is concentrated on new programs and policies and on increases, decreases, or modifications of current programs. Moreover, incrementalism is politically expedient. Agreement comes easier in policymaking when the items in dispute are only increases or decreases in budgets or modifications of existing programs ; Starting with increments of polices w first to get to the larger goal 




Group – Group theory begins with the proposition that in- teraction among groups is the central fact of pol- itics.2 Individuals with common interests band together formally or informally to press their demands on government. Some groups have more influence than others, equilibrium, politicians tr to make as many people happy as possible




Elite – The elite people/wealthy control policy while average working people do not

Public policy may also be viewed as the prefer- ences and values of a governing elite.5 Although it is often asserted that public policy reflects the demands of “the people,” this may express the myth rather than the reality of American democ- racy. Elite theory suggests that the people are apathetic and ill-informed about public policy, that elites actually shape mass opinion on policy questions more than masses shape elite opinion. Thus, public policy really turns out to be the pref- erences of elites. 




Public Choice – Public choice is the economic study of public policymaking. But public choice theory challenges the no- tion that individuals act differently in politics from the way they do in the marketplace. This theory assumes that all political actors—voters, taxpayers, candidates, legislators, bureaucrats, interest groups, parties, and governments—seek to maximize their personal benefits in politics as well as in the marketplace. Public choice theory recognizes that govern- ment must perform certain functions that the marketplace is unable to handle; that is, it must remedy certain “market failures.” People work with their feet,, ex, ny has better education so people may move there because of that 




Game – Almost a game of chicken or tug of war, both threaten politician and take views and see who wins/succeeds; Game theory is the study of decisions in situa- tions in which two or more rational participants have choices to make and the outcome depends on the choices made by each. 

The idea of “game” is that rational deci- sion makers are involved in choices that are interdependent. “Players” must adjust their con- duct to reflect not only their own desires and abil- ities but also their expectations about what others will do. An important component of game theory is the notion of deterrence. Deterrence is the effort to prevent an opponent from undertaking an action by inspiring fear of the consequences of the action. 





Black Box - The more money and more effort u put into something/fighting for an issue, the more likelihood of success ur going to get 



List and describe each step in the Policy Making Process - include Activity and Participants as well as use an issue to illustrate your knowledge of it (9 points)

  1. Problem Identification. The identification of policy problems through demand from individuals and groups for government
    action.

  2. Policy Evaluation. The evaluation of policies by government agencies themselves, outside consultants, the media, and the general public

  3. Agenda Setting. Focusing the attention of the mass media and public officials on specific public problems to decide what will be decided. 

  4. Policy Formulation. The development of policy proposals by interest groups, White House staff, congressional committees, and think tanks.



  1. Policy Legitimation. The selection and enactment of policies through actions by Congress, the president, and the courts.



  1. Policy Implementation. The implementation of policies through government bureaucracies, public expenditures, regulations,



Which model/theory do you think best describes how public policy is developed and why (2 points)? 


I think elite theory best describes how public policy is developed and why, especially nowadays. A lot of the public policies made nowadays are made with the opinions of the elite and are made to benefit only the elite. There are a lot of factors that the public disagree with



List and describe two ways you can determine if a model is helping you analyze public policy (2 points)? 


Order and simplify reality: Certainly the utility of a model lies in its ability to order and simplify political life so that we can think about it more clearly and understand the relationships we find in the real world. 

Identify what is Significant: A model should also identify the really sig- nificant aspects of public policy. It should di- rect attention away from irrelevant variables or circumstances and focus on the real causes and significant consequences of public policy. 

Be Congruent with Reality: Generally, a model should be congruent with reality—that is, it ought to have real empirical referents. We would expect to have difficulty with a concept that identifies a process that does not really occur or symbolizes phenomena that do not exist in the real world. 



Describe the following and give an example (6 points):

Monetary Policy – Involves interest rates and money supply. Controlled by the Federal Reserve. Independent policy that is appointed by the President, determines how much oney needs to be printed and interest rate amounts. Overall, when interest rates are raised, it slows down the economy, it makes a big difference in the economy. 

 Ex: 


Fiscal Policy – taxes and spending and the budget, it is the president and congress that set fiscal policy, when a politician is dealing with the budget 


Ex: 


Regulatory Policy - Rules and regulations enforced by the government. Ex: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Covid Restrictions. 


Ex: 



Describe in some detail the following systems (6 points):

Unitary – form of government where all powers and authority are concentrated in a single central government. The central government has the supreme power and can create or dissolve local governments as it sees fit. In this system, local governments (if they exist) only have powers that the central government delegates to them, and their authority can be revoked at any time.


Confederation – A confederation is a loose alliance of independent and sovereign states that come together for a common purpose, such as defense, trade, or foreign relations, while retaining their individual sovereignty. In a confederation, the central government has very limited power and can only do what the member states allow it to do. The power lies mainly with the states, and the central government relies on their cooperation to function. An example of a confederation was the United States under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789), where each state had its own power, and the national government was very weak. Confederations often face challenges in unity and decision-making since states may disagree or refuse to comply with the central government.


Federalism – Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided and shared between a central (national) government and regional (state or provincial) governments. Both levels of government have their own areas of jurisdiction and can make and enforce laws independently of each other. The Constitution typically outlines the division of powersbetween the central and state governments. In a federal system, the national government handles larger issues like defense, foreign policy, and currency, while state or local governments handle local issues like education, transportation, and public safety.


List and describe 2 reasons to have Federalism (4 points):

  1. Divides the power between state and federal governments. Prevents one government from becoming too powerful 


  1. Allows for local governments to focus on local  and smaller issues and the federal government to focus on larger ones. 


1)    Policy Diversity 

Today, federalism continues to permit policy di- versity. The entire nation is not straitjacketed with a uniform policy to which every state and com- munity must conform. State and local govern- ments may be better suited to deal with specific state and local problems. Washington bureaucrats do not always know best about what to do in Commerce, Texas, for example. 

 

 

2)    Federalism disperses power. The widespread distribution of power is generally regarded as an added protection against tyranny. To the extent that pluralism thrives in the United States, state and local governments have contributed to its success. They also provide a political base for the survival of the opposition party when it has lost national elections. 

 

 

3) Federalism helps manage policy conflict. Permit- ting states and communities to pursue their own policies reduces the pressures that would build up in Washington if the national government had to decide everything. Federalism permits citizens to decide many things at the state and local levels of government and avoid battling over single na- tional policies to be applied uniformly through- out the land. 



Economic Theories - Describe each and give an example of a policy that falls within the theory (6 points): 

Classical Theory – Hoover - self correct.  Business cycle, Govt action can do more harm than good

based on the belief that free markets regulate themselves without the need for government intervention. It assumes that supply creates its own demand, meaning that if businesses produce goods and services, people will naturally demand them.




Keynesian Theory –   FDR - New Deal  Biden - Build back better, lbj, Govt programs to create jobs

rgues that government intervention is necessary to help stabilize the economy during periods of recession or inflation. Keynesians believe that demand drives the economy, so when demand is low, the government should increase spending or cut taxes to boost consumer demand and create jobs.



Supply-Side Economics –  republican, Lower taxes and lower regulations on Business help create jobs.  It unleashes the private sector


focuses on increasing the production (supply) of goods and services as the key to economic growth. It argues that by reducing taxes, decreasing regulation, and providing incentives to businesses, the economy will grow because businesses will invest more, create more jobs, and increase production. 



List and describe two think tanks (2 points): 

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on promoting free-market policies, limited government, individual freedom, strong national defense, and traditional American values. It conducts research and advocates for lower taxes, reduced government spending, and a strong military. The Heritage Foundation has influenced conservative policies such as tax cuts, deregulation, and military spending increases.


a nonprofit research and policy organization that focuses on advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally. The organization conducts research, policy analysis, and public education on issues such as family planning, contraception, abortion, maternal health, and sex education. 


List two proposals to reduce the deficit that was part of the President’s Deficit Reduction Commission and what was the response of the President and Congress to the Commission recommendations (3 points)?


)Raising the Retirement Age for Social Security:

  • The Deficit Reduction Commission proposed gradually raising the retirement age for Social Security benefits from 67 to 69 over several decades. The idea was to reduce the amount of money the government spends on Social Security by encouraging people to work longer before collecting benefits. This would cut long-term costsand help reduce the federal deficit.

2) Reducing Tax Breaks and Lowering Tax Rates:

  • The Commission recommended eliminating or reducing certain tax breaks (such as the mortgage interest deduction) while lowering overall tax rates for individuals and businesses. The goal was to broaden the tax base, increase government revenue, and reduce the deficit without dramatically increasing tax rates.

Response of the President and Congress:

  • President's Response: The President (Barack Obama) praised the Commission's work but did not fully endorse all the recommendations. He supported some aspects, like reducing wasteful spending and closing tax loopholes, but he did not support raising the retirement age or cutting Social Security benefits.

  • Congress' Response: Congress had a divided response. Some members, especially Republicans, supported the idea of cutting spending and reducing tax breaks, while Democrats opposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Ultimately, Congress did not implement the full set of recommendations, and no major legislation was passed directly based on the Commission's report. However, some ideas, like reducing wasteful spending and tax reform, were later discussed in budget negotiations.