PUP 3002 FALL 12 STUDY GUIDE EXAM 1 IMPORTANT TERMS Market failure 1 prices de coupled from supply demand 2 common pool resource problems 3 Negative externalities 4 monopolies cartels 5 non excludability class notes Public goods Has 2 criteria the ability to exclude someone from getting the good and the ability to jointly consume the good Also known as collective goods Refers to goods such as national defense that could in principle be private but instead are provided by the gov t because private markets cannot do so 19 Common pool resources Resources shared by a society and available to all to consume such as oceans lakes rivers and public lands Also represents a type of market failure in which a good is defined by its ability not to be jointly consumed and for which exclusion is not feasible A problem with common pool resources tragedy of commons people overly use a common pool resource so the gov t gets involved 19 Externalities The decisions and actions of those involved in the market exchange that affect others Two types Positive 3rd party doesn t have to pay for gain and Negative 3rd party not compensated for harm class notes 17 Communitarianism Everyone in a community society should look out for each other class notes Liberalism a la Locke The individual is responsible for achieving what they want to achieve in society basically states that a society will be better off if everyone just looks out for their own selves class notes Why study policy Tells us who gets what To help solve problems To understand issues Tells us about politics class notes Studying public policy may help citizens sharpen their analytic skills decide what political positions and policies to support and how best to evaluate democratic gov t 20 Why policy analysis Key is for citizens to be informed class notes Analysis means deconstructing an object of study breaking it down to its basic elements to better understand it Policy analysis is the examination of components of public policy the policy process or both It is the study of the causes and consequences of policy decisions It encourages deliberate critical thinking about the causes of public problems the various gov t and or private sector might act on them and which policy choices make the most sense 9 Criteria for choosing policies 1 Effectiveness are goals achieved 2 Efficiency benefit to cost ratio 3 Equity is it fair Are costs disbursed fairly 4 Political Feasibility is it doable Class Notes Efficiency v equity 1 Efficiency Analytical criterion that refers to what a policy or policy proposal costs in relation to its expected benefits to society or a desire to realize the greatest possible benefit out of the dollars that the gov t spends 2 Equity An analytical criterion that refers to the consideration of what constitutes a fair or equitable policy choice how a program s costs and benefits are distributed among citizens or it is a way to think about who is allowed to participate in the policy making process So efficiency has to do with figuring out how much a policy will cost and how much benefit it will provide a society with and equity has to do with how the costs and benefits are circulated among citizens are they equally circulated 454 class notes Types of public policy 1 Active speed limit enforcement with traffic stops radar and the like 2 Passive discretion officers may exert when they decide to ticket or not ticket Contexts of Public Policy Social societal changes Economic state of the economy Political political ideologies issues Governing structure of the gov t Cultural Context values beliefs Case studies v comparisons Case Study A process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular matter over a period of time Comparison Separation of powers the separation of powers mandated by the constitution requires that any policy developed at the national level be acceptable to a majority of Congress and to the drivers president Policymakers in both institutions must therefore find common ground 13 reflects founders concerns of government tyranny adds complexity to governing adds to challenge of building consensus especially between the legislative and executive branches class notes Federalism Federalism underlies a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority the national gov t and constituent political units like state gov t class notes Pluralism Supporters of Group Theory who tend to believe that the power in the US political system is widely shared among interests groups each of which seeks access to the policy making process So power is pluralistic rather than concentrated in a few elites Group Theory sees public policy as the product of a continuous struggle among organized interest groups 68 Elitism There are a few people at the top who control have power and people at the bottom who don t have much if any power class notes The Elite Theory is a policy making theory that emphasizes how the values and preferences of governing elites which differ from those of the public at large affect the public policy department glossary Satisficing Sometimes we do what we can rather than what we d most like compromise is needed to get results class notes Rational decisions Rational Decision making is an approach to decision making that attempts to follow a series of logical or rational steps defining a problem identifying goals and objectives to be sought evaluating their solutions and recommending one that best achieves the goals glossary Types of policy analysis Policy Analysis falls into three categories scientific professional and political 1 Scientific Seeks the truth about scientific methods regardless of whether or not the knowledge is relevant 2 Professional professional reasons for conducting research such as conducting policy analysis for gov t agencies think tanks or interest groups 3 Political committed to specific policy values goals and sometimes to ideological partisan agendas They try to emphasize the studies and findings that help to advance those goals Those who work for political parties or analysts who work for interest groups are likely to have this orientation Page 109 111 Factors affecting growth of government 1 population growth 2 increasing complexity 3 business regulation 4 protection of social welfare 5 international role 6 citizen demands Effect of public opinion on public policy important to democracy voiced
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