PUP 3002 Exam 1 Questions and
Answers
Technical complexity - ANSWER-The level of knowledge needed to understand a
policy area
Hearing room politics - ANSWER-high salience and low complexity
Operating room politics - ANSWER-Both high salience and complexity
Board Room politics - ANSWER-low salience & high complexity
Street-level politics - ANSWER-both low salience and low complexity
Whose ideas are considered for alternative formulation? - ANSWER-Policy
advocated and private organizations subsidize with information
Electoral tactic - ANSWER-focuses on advocating for or against specific candidates
Legislative tactic (more common) - ANSWER-focuses on rhetoric and analysis to
convince legislators of a group's position
Cost Benefit Analysis - ANSWER-Identify, list all benefits and costs in a common
numeric, apply discount rate(how it diminishes over time), find the sum, and chose
policy with highest gains
Policy Implementation - ANSWER-Any activity related to carrying out the duly
passed policy.
How does the bureaucracy do policy implementation? - ANSWER-The bureaucracy
engages in rule making (preliminary, then enforces the rules/regulations, provides
services to clientele. Relies on non elected government officials
Policy evaluation - ANSWER-The systematic investigation of the effects of a policy
on its intended social target prior to action. (How much of the original problem was
solved)
No, Solutions can come first - ANSWER-Do policy problems always precede policy
solutions?
Agenda Setting, Advocacy coalition( Groups of people that have certain set of ideas,
and they work to keep something on/off the agenda), Policy setting - ANSWER-How
do political interests place items on the policy agenda for consideration?
, Policy Window - ANSWER-When an opportunity arises to merge policy solution with
policy problems, sparking an actual policy change
A model of public policy is a simplified representation of the casual relationships that
link any number of policy inputs with a policy output of interest. - ANSWER-What are
the critical features of a theoretical model of public policy?
Causal Relationships - ANSWER-A relationship between an input variable(IND) and
an output variable(dependent), where an outcome variable has changed due to an
exposure to an input variable. The dependent variable is what is being explained and
the independent is causing the change
Necessary - ANSWER-A condition that is necessary for something else to occur
Sufficient - ANSWER-A condition that in the presence of which something else will
always occur
Necessary & Sufficient - ANSWER-A condition in whose absence the event will not
occur and in whose presence the event must occur
Conditionally Causal - ANSWER-Exists when the effect of one variable X on Y is
moderated by the effected of another variable Z
Deterministic Causality - ANSWER-IF x then always Y
Probabilistic Causality - ANSWER-If X then Y is likely
What Makes a good model? - ANSWER-Multivariate, Probabilistic, Parsimonious,
generalizable, falsifiable, clear and logically constant, ideologically neutral
Multivariate - ANSWER-Has more than 1 variable/causes
Probabilistic - ANSWER-Factors are likely to impact our outputs of interests
Parsimonious - ANSWER-They seek to explain much with very few moving parts
Generalizable - ANSWER-They can apply to a larger population
Falsifiable - ANSWER-They can be tested by other people to further strengthen the
conclusions
Clear and logically consistent - ANSWER-there will be a clear question and logically
consistent.
Ideologically nuetral - ANSWER-no bias
Actors - ANSWER-everyone involved in the decision making process. Formal- those
with established roles in the policy process & informal
Answers
Technical complexity - ANSWER-The level of knowledge needed to understand a
policy area
Hearing room politics - ANSWER-high salience and low complexity
Operating room politics - ANSWER-Both high salience and complexity
Board Room politics - ANSWER-low salience & high complexity
Street-level politics - ANSWER-both low salience and low complexity
Whose ideas are considered for alternative formulation? - ANSWER-Policy
advocated and private organizations subsidize with information
Electoral tactic - ANSWER-focuses on advocating for or against specific candidates
Legislative tactic (more common) - ANSWER-focuses on rhetoric and analysis to
convince legislators of a group's position
Cost Benefit Analysis - ANSWER-Identify, list all benefits and costs in a common
numeric, apply discount rate(how it diminishes over time), find the sum, and chose
policy with highest gains
Policy Implementation - ANSWER-Any activity related to carrying out the duly
passed policy.
How does the bureaucracy do policy implementation? - ANSWER-The bureaucracy
engages in rule making (preliminary, then enforces the rules/regulations, provides
services to clientele. Relies on non elected government officials
Policy evaluation - ANSWER-The systematic investigation of the effects of a policy
on its intended social target prior to action. (How much of the original problem was
solved)
No, Solutions can come first - ANSWER-Do policy problems always precede policy
solutions?
Agenda Setting, Advocacy coalition( Groups of people that have certain set of ideas,
and they work to keep something on/off the agenda), Policy setting - ANSWER-How
do political interests place items on the policy agenda for consideration?
, Policy Window - ANSWER-When an opportunity arises to merge policy solution with
policy problems, sparking an actual policy change
A model of public policy is a simplified representation of the casual relationships that
link any number of policy inputs with a policy output of interest. - ANSWER-What are
the critical features of a theoretical model of public policy?
Causal Relationships - ANSWER-A relationship between an input variable(IND) and
an output variable(dependent), where an outcome variable has changed due to an
exposure to an input variable. The dependent variable is what is being explained and
the independent is causing the change
Necessary - ANSWER-A condition that is necessary for something else to occur
Sufficient - ANSWER-A condition that in the presence of which something else will
always occur
Necessary & Sufficient - ANSWER-A condition in whose absence the event will not
occur and in whose presence the event must occur
Conditionally Causal - ANSWER-Exists when the effect of one variable X on Y is
moderated by the effected of another variable Z
Deterministic Causality - ANSWER-IF x then always Y
Probabilistic Causality - ANSWER-If X then Y is likely
What Makes a good model? - ANSWER-Multivariate, Probabilistic, Parsimonious,
generalizable, falsifiable, clear and logically constant, ideologically neutral
Multivariate - ANSWER-Has more than 1 variable/causes
Probabilistic - ANSWER-Factors are likely to impact our outputs of interests
Parsimonious - ANSWER-They seek to explain much with very few moving parts
Generalizable - ANSWER-They can apply to a larger population
Falsifiable - ANSWER-They can be tested by other people to further strengthen the
conclusions
Clear and logically consistent - ANSWER-there will be a clear question and logically
consistent.
Ideologically nuetral - ANSWER-no bias
Actors - ANSWER-everyone involved in the decision making process. Formal- those
with established roles in the policy process & informal
