STUDY GUIDE FOR PUBLIC POLICY EXAM SOLVED 2026
#5
Problem - correct answer A significant gap between current reality (the way things are)
and the desired state of affairs (the way things should be).
Policy making - correct answer The process by which authorities decide which actions
to take to address a problem or set of problems.
Policy & Why we make them? - correct answer a course of action chosen by the public
authorities to address a given problem.
To solve public problems
Step 2. Formulation of Alternatives - correct answer *️⃣Possible solutions to the problem
are devised in this, the most creative phase of the policymaking process.
*️⃣Interest groups, coalitions, and networks of experts and people interested in the issue
craft a set of possible solutions and bring them forward to policymakers, who continue
the discussion of solutions in legislative assemblies, government agencies, other
institutions, congressional hearings, town hall meetings, and even focus groups.
Step 1. Problem Definition and Agenda Setting - correct answer The problem is
DEFINED and brought to the attention of the public and policymakers.
*️⃣issues become part of the public agenda when they are considered by a legislature,
administrative agency, or court. Have the problem placed on the institutional agenda.
Step 3. Policy Adoption - correct answer *️⃣The TOOLS or instruments are selected to
achieve a given policy goal—namely, the resolution of the problem.
*️⃣The tools may consist of regulations, expenditures, partnerships, programs, or some
combination of these. These tools are wielded by federal, state, and municipal
departments and agencies that are responsible for implementing policy.
Policy agenda - correct answer *️⃣Once a problem is defined and gains attention, it is
placed on the policy agenda.
*️⃣This agenda is NOT a written document or book but a set of controversial issues that
exist within society.
*️⃣The set of problems to which policymakers give their attention
Interest groups & Networks - correct answer *A body of people acting in an organized
manner to ADVANCE SHARED political interests.
*Individuals or organizations who SHARES INFO, ideas, resources, or goals to
accomplish individual or group goals.
, What federal agencies, departments, etc) are responsible for food and nutrition policy in
the US? What are their main roles? - correct answer * the Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS)- Protect the health of Americans and provide human services
*the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)- responsible for overseeing farming,
ranching, and forestry industries, as well as regulating aspects of food quality & safety
and nutrition labeling. Administering several social welfare programs including free
school lunches, SNAP (food stamps), and WIC benefits.
Step 4. Policy implementation - correct answer *️⃣After the best solution to the problem
has been agreed upon and the tools for dealing with the problem have been chosen, the
policy is modified to fit the needs, resources, and wants of the implementing agencies
and the intended clientele. *️⃣Implementation is the process of putting a policy into action.
Step 5. Policy evaluation - correct answer *️⃣As soon as public policies move into the
agenda-setting stage, the evaluation process begins.
*️⃣The purpose of policy evaluation is to determine whether a program is achieving its
stated goals and reaching its intended audience, what the program is actually
accomplishing, and who is benefiting from it.
Step 6. Policy termination - correct answer A policy or program may be terminated for
any of several reasons:
* the public need was met, the nature of the problem changed
* government no longer had a mandate in the area
* the policy lost political support
* private agencies relieved the need
* a political system or subgovernment ceased to function
* or the policy was too costly. Determining when a policy should be terminated is
somewhat subjective.
"Who makes policy?" - correct answer The authorities who "make policy" may be
executives, administrators, or committees of an organization or company; elected
officials; officers and employees of municipal, state, or federal agencies; members of
Congress and state legislatures; and even street-level bureaucrats: welfare workers,
public health nutritionists and nurses, police officers, schoolteachers, housing authority
managers, judges, and many other people working in government agencies.
Legitimizing Policy - correct answer Legitimacy is "the belief on the part of citizens that
the current government represents a proper form of government and a willingness on
the part of those citizens to accept the decrees of that government as legal and
authoritative."
Several mechanisms exist for legitimizing policies: the legislative process; the regulatory
process; the court system; and various procedures for direct democracy, such as
referenda, which put sensitive issues directly before the people.
#5
Problem - correct answer A significant gap between current reality (the way things are)
and the desired state of affairs (the way things should be).
Policy making - correct answer The process by which authorities decide which actions
to take to address a problem or set of problems.
Policy & Why we make them? - correct answer a course of action chosen by the public
authorities to address a given problem.
To solve public problems
Step 2. Formulation of Alternatives - correct answer *️⃣Possible solutions to the problem
are devised in this, the most creative phase of the policymaking process.
*️⃣Interest groups, coalitions, and networks of experts and people interested in the issue
craft a set of possible solutions and bring them forward to policymakers, who continue
the discussion of solutions in legislative assemblies, government agencies, other
institutions, congressional hearings, town hall meetings, and even focus groups.
Step 1. Problem Definition and Agenda Setting - correct answer The problem is
DEFINED and brought to the attention of the public and policymakers.
*️⃣issues become part of the public agenda when they are considered by a legislature,
administrative agency, or court. Have the problem placed on the institutional agenda.
Step 3. Policy Adoption - correct answer *️⃣The TOOLS or instruments are selected to
achieve a given policy goal—namely, the resolution of the problem.
*️⃣The tools may consist of regulations, expenditures, partnerships, programs, or some
combination of these. These tools are wielded by federal, state, and municipal
departments and agencies that are responsible for implementing policy.
Policy agenda - correct answer *️⃣Once a problem is defined and gains attention, it is
placed on the policy agenda.
*️⃣This agenda is NOT a written document or book but a set of controversial issues that
exist within society.
*️⃣The set of problems to which policymakers give their attention
Interest groups & Networks - correct answer *A body of people acting in an organized
manner to ADVANCE SHARED political interests.
*Individuals or organizations who SHARES INFO, ideas, resources, or goals to
accomplish individual or group goals.
, What federal agencies, departments, etc) are responsible for food and nutrition policy in
the US? What are their main roles? - correct answer * the Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS)- Protect the health of Americans and provide human services
*the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)- responsible for overseeing farming,
ranching, and forestry industries, as well as regulating aspects of food quality & safety
and nutrition labeling. Administering several social welfare programs including free
school lunches, SNAP (food stamps), and WIC benefits.
Step 4. Policy implementation - correct answer *️⃣After the best solution to the problem
has been agreed upon and the tools for dealing with the problem have been chosen, the
policy is modified to fit the needs, resources, and wants of the implementing agencies
and the intended clientele. *️⃣Implementation is the process of putting a policy into action.
Step 5. Policy evaluation - correct answer *️⃣As soon as public policies move into the
agenda-setting stage, the evaluation process begins.
*️⃣The purpose of policy evaluation is to determine whether a program is achieving its
stated goals and reaching its intended audience, what the program is actually
accomplishing, and who is benefiting from it.
Step 6. Policy termination - correct answer A policy or program may be terminated for
any of several reasons:
* the public need was met, the nature of the problem changed
* government no longer had a mandate in the area
* the policy lost political support
* private agencies relieved the need
* a political system or subgovernment ceased to function
* or the policy was too costly. Determining when a policy should be terminated is
somewhat subjective.
"Who makes policy?" - correct answer The authorities who "make policy" may be
executives, administrators, or committees of an organization or company; elected
officials; officers and employees of municipal, state, or federal agencies; members of
Congress and state legislatures; and even street-level bureaucrats: welfare workers,
public health nutritionists and nurses, police officers, schoolteachers, housing authority
managers, judges, and many other people working in government agencies.
Legitimizing Policy - correct answer Legitimacy is "the belief on the part of citizens that
the current government represents a proper form of government and a willingness on
the part of those citizens to accept the decrees of that government as legal and
authoritative."
Several mechanisms exist for legitimizing policies: the legislative process; the regulatory
process; the court system; and various procedures for direct democracy, such as
referenda, which put sensitive issues directly before the people.
