MPA Master of Public Administration MCQ 5

Question 1

Which analytical framework categorizes public policies into distributive, redistributive, regulatory, and constituent types based on their political dynamics?

Accepted Answer

Lowi's policy typology

Answer

Theodore Lowi's classic typology categorizes policies by who bears costs and who receives benefits, predicting the type of political conflict each generates.

Question 2

A public manager faces an ethical dilemma where following a supervisor's order would harm a vulnerable population. According to administrative ethics, the BEST course of action is to:

Accepted Answer

Exhaust internal channels of dissent before considering whistleblowing

Answer

Administrative ethics scholars generally advise exhausting legitimate internal dissent channels—memos of record, escalation to higher authority—before resorting to external whistleblowing.

Question 3

In public financial management, 'fund accounting' serves which primary purpose?

Accepted Answer

Segregating resources to ensure legal compliance with spending restrictions

Answer

Fund accounting separates financial resources by purpose—general fund, capital projects fund, debt service fund—to demonstrate legal compliance with spending restrictions.

Question 4

Which theory explains why regulated industries often come to dominate and control the agencies created to oversee them?

Accepted Answer

Regulatory capture theory

Answer

Regulatory capture theory, advanced by economists like Stigler and Kolko, describes how regulated interests use superior resources and information to co-opt the regulators.

Question 5

A county government is considering contracting out its solid waste collection to a private firm. Which factor would MOST strongly argue AGAINST privatization?

Accepted Answer

The service involves significant information asymmetry and equity concerns

Answer

Services with high information asymmetry (where the government cannot easily monitor quality) and equity implications are poor candidates for privatization due to accountability and fairness risks.

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA Master of Public Administration MCQ 5