BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science Public Policy and Administration 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the U.S. policy-making process, which stage involves translating a law into specific rules and operational programs?
- Policy implementation (Correct answer)
- Policy formulation
- Agenda setting
- Policy evaluation
Correct answer: Policy implementation
Policy implementation is the stage in which government agencies develop regulations, allocate resources, and build administrative systems to carry out legislation passed by Congress.
Question 2: The concept of 'bureaucratic discretion' in public administration refers to:
- The authority of street-level bureaucrats to make case-by-case decisions in applying policy (Correct answer)
- The secrecy with which government agencies conduct operations
- The president's power to appoint agency heads
- The discretion agencies have in managing their own budgets
Correct answer: The authority of street-level bureaucrats to make case-by-case decisions in applying policy
Bureaucratic discretion acknowledges that front-line government workers — teachers, police officers, welfare caseworkers — inevitably make individualized decisions in applying general rules to specific situations.
Question 3: The 'iron triangle' in U.S. federal policy-making describes the relationship between:
- Congressional subcommittees, executive agencies, and interest groups (Correct answer)
- The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court
- Federal, state, and local governments
- Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters
Correct answer: Congressional subcommittees, executive agencies, and interest groups
The iron triangle model describes the mutually reinforcing relationships among congressional committees with jurisdiction over a policy area, the government agencies that administer it, and the interest groups that benefit from it.
Question 4: In cost-benefit analysis (CBA) used in public policy, the primary purpose is to:
- Compare the total expected costs of a policy to its total expected benefits to inform decision-making (Correct answer)
- Calculate government agency administrative budgets
- Determine the political feasibility of a proposed law
- Measure public opinion about a government program
Correct answer: Compare the total expected costs of a policy to its total expected benefits to inform decision-making
Cost-benefit analysis quantifies and compares all costs and benefits of a policy option, often in monetary terms, to determine whether a program produces sufficient net benefits to justify public investment.
Question 5: The principle of 'federalism' in the United States divides governmental power between:
- The national (federal) government and state governments (Correct answer)
- The executive, legislative, and judicial branches
- Elected officials and appointed bureaucrats
- Public and private sector organizations
Correct answer: The national (federal) government and state governments
American federalism distributes sovereign authority between the federal government and the 50 state governments, with the Constitution specifying federal powers and reserving remaining powers to the states under the 10th Amendment.
Question 6: The concept of 'policy diffusion' in comparative public administration refers to:
- The spread of policy innovations from one government jurisdiction to others (Correct answer)
- The gradual weakening of policy effectiveness over time
- The distribution of policy-making authority across agencies
- Media coverage spreading awareness of government programs
Correct answer: The spread of policy innovations from one government jurisdiction to others
Policy diffusion describes the process by which policy innovations — like charter schools, welfare reform, or marijuana legalization — spread from early adopter states to others through learning, competition, and imitation.
BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science Public Policy and Administration 1
In the U.S. policy-making process, which stage involves translating a law into specific rules and operational programs?