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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

  1. Which analytical technique creates a visual map of cause-and-effect relationships to identify the root causes of a public problem?

    Answer: Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

    The fishbone diagram organizes potential causes into categories branching from a central problem, helping analysts trace issues to their root causes.

  2. A public manager applies the 'Overton Window' concept when developing a proposal. What does this concept describe?

    Answer: The range of policies currently politically acceptable to the public

    The Overton Window is the range of policy ideas the public currently considers acceptable or mainstream, which shapes what politicians can feasibly propose.

  3. When a government program continues to receive funding despite failing to meet its objectives, this is an example of:

    Answer: Program zombification

    Program zombification occurs when failing programs persist due to entrenched political support, institutional inertia, or diffuse costs, making termination politically difficult.

  4. Which principle of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requires agencies to establish measurable goals linked to strategic objectives?

    Answer: Performance measurement and accountability

    GPRA requires federal agencies to set strategic goals, measure performance against them, and report results to Congress and the public.

  5. A policy analyst uses a 'counterfactual' approach to evaluate a job subsidy program. What question does this approach answer?

    Answer: What would have happened to participants without the program?

    Counterfactual analysis estimates what would have occurred in the absence of the intervention, enabling analysts to attribute observed changes to the program itself.

  6. In Lasswell's classic definition, public policy is fundamentally concerned with:

    Answer: Who gets what, when, and how

    Harold Lasswell defined politics—and by extension public policy—as the study of 'who gets what, when, and how,' emphasizing the allocative nature of government decisions.

  7. A city adopts a plastic bag fee after observing its success in neighboring jurisdictions. This is an example of:

    Answer: Policy diffusion

    Policy diffusion occurs when policy innovations spread from one jurisdiction to others through learning, imitation, or competitive pressure.