Public Policy Development & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CPM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Public Policy Development & Analysis flashcards as text
A county health department evaluates its diabetes prevention program and finds the treatment group improved significantly compared to the control group. Which evaluation design provides the strongest causal inference for this finding?
Answer: Randomized controlled experiment
Randomized controlled experiments assign participants randomly to treatment and control groups, eliminating selection bias and providing the strongest evidence of causation.
In public policy, 'implementation gap' refers to the difference between:
Answer: Policy intent and actual program outcomes
The implementation gap is the discrepancy between what a policy was designed to achieve and what actually happens when it is carried out in practice.
Which of the following BEST describes a 'wicked problem' in the context of public policy?
Answer: A complex problem with no clear solution and evolving requirements
Wicked problems, as defined by Rittel and Webber, are complex policy challenges characterized by incomplete information, changing requirements, and no definitive solution.
A state agency wants to encourage solar panel adoption without mandating it. Which policy tool BEST fits this goal?
Answer: Tax credits for solar installation
Tax credits are market-based incentives that encourage voluntary behavior change without imposing mandates or penalties.
In policy analysis, 'satisficing' refers to a decision-making approach where the analyst:
Answer: Selects the first option that meets a minimum acceptable threshold
Coined by Herbert Simon, satisficing describes choosing a solution that is 'good enough' given cognitive and resource constraints, rather than optimizing.
Which federal law requires agencies to assess the economic impact of major rules on small businesses before finalizing them?
Answer: Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires federal agencies to analyze the impact of proposed rules on small businesses and consider less burdensome alternatives.
A policy analyst is asked to determine why a job training program that worked in Chicago underperformed in rural Mississippi. This investigation focuses on which concept?
Answer: Context sensitivity and transferability
Context sensitivity and transferability examine how local conditions—economic, demographic, and institutional—affect whether a policy that succeeds in one location will work in another.