Intro and Advocacy
A definition of advocacy
What is: sharing information about an issue and the importance of addressing it through policy change?
The term for making the healthiest, best, or ideal option the easiest and most accessible one
What is an optimal default?
In this final stage of the policy process, we ask ourselves if the policy is working as intended and how it could be improved
What is policy evaluation?
After a bill is passed by congress, the president can still veto it and prevent it from becoming law. This is an example of...?
What is "checks and balances"?
This branch of the government can formally declare war
What is the legislative branch?
These are some of the responsibilities of local (city or county) governments
What are zoning, public services like parks, police and fire departments (many other answers)?
The key difference between advocacy and lobbying
What is: advocacy is broader and lobbying must involve a specific "ask" for a policy maker to support or oppose a proposed policy?
The policy approach when states allow adults to purchase and use cannabis/marijuana
What is legalization?
Part of the policy process: "It is not enough for a majority of the public and policy makers to agree that an issue is important - it must be prioritized over other policy issues."
What is agenda setting?
True or False: if a "policy window" opens, the proposed policy will definitely pass/become law
What is false - a policy window is a opportunity for change, but not a guarantee
This branch cannot pass laws, but does implement them and define specific rules and regulations
What is the executive branch?
This level of government oversees things like drivers' licenses, vehicle registrations, and other things relevant to intrastate (as opposed to INTERstate) commerce
What is the state government?
The name of the model that emphasizes intervening on multiple "levels" that influence health, including via policy change
What is the Socio-Ecological Model?
This policy approach is particularly effective for changing the behavior of young people because they typically have less money to spend
What are taxes or fees?
A description of policy formulation
What is: identification of possible policy options to pursue through policy change?
An example of a focusing event for a public health issue
What is a mass shooting, administration change, environmental or weather disaster, etc. (many answers)
This branch of government has the "power of the purse" to allocate money that can be used in implementation of public health policies
What is the legislative branch?
The name of the system in the United States government that separates governing bodies into local, state, and federal levels
What is federalism?
The difference between a stakeholder and a stakeholder with power
What is: both are affected by the policy and/or have strong views on it, but a stakeholder with power has resources they can quickly organize (people and/or money) to do something about the issue or react to the policy change
This is an approach in which the government makes something cheaper to promote it to people or companies
What is a subsidy?
During this phase, we might figure out details that were not included in the adopted/passed policy and make decisions about how best to put the policy in place
What is policy implementation?
What are the three components of policy analysis used to describe the pros and cons of public health policies?
What are: expected health impact, expected economic impact, and feasibility
Government agencies like the EPA, CDC, and HHS fall under this branch of government
What is the executive branch?
The name of the legislative branch of the Maryland state government, which is made up of a State Senate and a House of Delegates
What is the Maryland General Assembly?
The difference between advocacy and activism
Advocacy operates within the system (e.g., signing up to speak at a public meeting, scheduling a meeting with a policy maker); activism involves creating pressure outside of the system (e.g., a "sit-in", a group of people sitting on the floor to block normal operations in an office)
Research grants cancelled by the National Institutes of Health in 2025 is an example of this policy approach
What is funding?
In this phase, elected officials debate and/or revise a proposed policy and then vote on it
What is policy adoption?
These are the three streams of the Policy Streams/Multiple Streams Model that have the potential to open a policy window
What are Problems, Policies, and Politics?
Vape producers sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over what they
describe as unclear and overly strict rules regarding flavored e-cigarettes. This branch of government oversees the case.
What is the judicial branch?
This level of government oversees the construction and maintenance and general overseeing of roads and highways
Trick question! This is an example of "cooperative federalism" - the three levels often work together (ex: federal funding + state/local oversight); it also depends on the road (local road vs. highway)