Intro Policy
What is public policy?
A system of laws regulations and actions governments use to address problems and issues?
What is a normative question?
Does the federal government or state governments fund and manage Medicare?
Federal government.
The US has (high/low) levels of metropolitan fragmentation and (high/low) levels of fiscal equalization.
High; low
What policy target group do low-income mothers fall into?
Dependents.
If the government intervenes to correct a market failure, is that intervention based on equity or efficiency reasoning?
Efficiency
What is an example of asymmetric information in health care?
Doctor/patient relationship; patient, insurer relationship.
What percentage of GDP does the US spend on healthcare? Is this higher or lower than peer countries?
17.6% (2023); higher
What is municipal receivership?
When a city’s operations are managed by another body of government, such as a court, control board, or county or state government.
What are the two theories of democratic responsiveness?
Folk theory of democracy; political economy perspective
This type of externality occurs when a beekeeper's bees pollinate neighboring crops, benefiting farmers without compensation.
Positive externality.
What theory of justice does not include a rationale for differential treatment by government?
Libertarianism, Nozick's Justice as Entitlement
How did the 2012 Supreme Court case on the ACA impact the implementation of Medicaid?
It made Medicaid expansion voluntary for states.
True or false: Spatial segregation can only be observed within a city.
False. Spatial segregation can be observed within a municipality and between municipalities.
What three conditions need to be met for a policy to make it to the policy decision agenda?
Problem definition; defined policy options; political will
What are the two indirect, monetary policy levers?
Tax, subsidize.
What is an example of institutional inequality?
Housing, incarceration, policing, education, employment, etc.
Prior to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (2010), how many people were uninsured?
Roughly 16%
What are the three main types of meta politics?
Institution shaping; venue shopping, agenda setting
What are two benefits of employer-sponsored health insurance?
risk pooling; tax exemption
What is a benefit of the government subsidizing college education?
Subsidies provide students with the choice to pursue the education that best meets their needs.
What share of income does the top 1 percent of American's take home?
20.9%
Name one policy included in the ACA that led to an increase in insurance coverage?
Name one research study that discussed the extent of democratic responsiveness in the US.
Hall and Wyman; Rhodes and Schaffner; Brockman and Skrovon; Hertel-Fernandez, Mildenberger and Stokes; Michener
Share two different frames for gun policy debates.
Individual sovereignty; crime control and self-defense; public health crisis; etc