Part A
Name and define the theories of motivation
Theory X - workers hate work; need to micromanage
Theory Y - workers are committed to the work; accept responsibility
What is a policy?
A deliberate, stable system of guidelines to guide decisions and solve problems or deal with a matter of concern
What is a null hypothesis (H0)?
a statement that there is no effect or no relationship between the variables being studied
What is NCGS 159?
Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act
What are the principles of management?
(POSDCoRB) Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting
What is the iron triangle?
A mutually beneficial relationship between legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups
What are the key differences in experimental and non-experimental research designs?
random assignment / no random assignment
manipulation of independent variable / no manipulation
high internal validity / low internal validity
What are the four budget systems?
(1) Line-item
(2) Performance
(3) Planned Program
(4) Zero-based
What is the politics administration dichotomy?
the concept of keeping politics out of public administration
Name and define the three policy types
(1) Distributive - Allocation of resources to a majority of the population at the expense of all taxpayers
(2) Redistributive - Allocation of resources from one group to another so that everyone can enjoy a minimal standard of living
(3) Regulatory - Policy that imposes restrictions on behaviors and actions through laws and regulations
What is the difference between a conceptual variable and an operational variable?
conceptual - what you mean (trust in the government)
operational - what you measure (on a scale from 1-5 how much do you trust the government)
What are the three types of funds?
(1) Governmental
(2) Proprietary
(3) Fiduciary/Trustee
What are Weber's Characteristics of Bureaucracy?
(1) Division of labor
(2) Hierarchy of authority
(3) Formal rules and regulations
(4) Impersonality
(5) Employment based on technical qualifications
(6) Formal written records
(0) Problem Identification + Definition
(1) Agenda Setting
(2) Formulation
(3) Adoption
(4) Implementation
(5) Evaluation + Analysis
What is measurement reliability and how do you know if a measure is reliable?
the consistency of the measurement instrument; comparing results after testing several times under the same conditions
What are the four steps of the budget cycle?
(1) Executive Preparation
(2) Legislative Consideration
(3) Execution
(4) Audit and Evaluation
Name and define the MPA values
accountability - accepting responsibility
responsiveness - responsive to needs and desires of the public
equity - equitable distribution of public services
ethics - adhering to ethical principles and values
excellence - high standards for programs
efficiency - high quality services for the lowest cost
effectiveness - programs should do what they are intended to do
What stage of the policy process is most important and why?
no wrong answer
Internal - whether or not the independent variable caused the outcome
External - whether or not the measure could be generalized beyond the study
Name the functions of the public budget.
(1) A tool for tracking expenditures and revenues
(2) An instrument of legislative control over the executive branch
(3) An opportunity to make taxing and spending decisions aimed at regulating economic demands providing strategic planning and control
(4) A technique for allocating resources among competing programs
(5) A record of past performance and a plan for future action