PSC Public Policy Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which model of policy-making describes decisions as small, incremental modifications to existing policies rather than wholesale change?
- Rational comprehensive model
- Incrementalism (Correct answer)
- Punctuated equilibrium
- Elite theory model
Correct answer: Incrementalism
Incrementalism, developed by Charles Lindblom, argues that policymakers make modest adjustments to existing policies rather than comprehensive rational redesigns, due to limited information and political constraints.
Question 2: A 'policy window' in Kingdon's multiple streams model opens when:
- A new president takes office only
- A problem stream, policy stream, and political stream converge (Correct answer)
- Congress passes a budget authorization
- An interest group achieves majority public support
Correct answer: A problem stream, policy stream, and political stream converge
Kingdon's multiple streams model says major policy change requires three streams — a recognized problem, a viable solution, and political will — to align simultaneously, opening a policy window.
Question 3: Regulatory capture occurs when:
- A regulatory agency is abolished by Congress
- A regulator enforces overly harsh penalties
- A regulatory agency begins serving the interests of the industry it regulates rather than the public (Correct answer)
- State agencies override federal regulations
Correct answer: A regulatory agency begins serving the interests of the industry it regulates rather than the public
Regulatory capture happens when a regulatory agency prioritizes the interests of the industry it oversees — due to revolving door employment, lobbying, or informational dependence — over the public interest.
Question 4: Which term describes the process by which policy innovations spread from one state or jurisdiction to others?
- Policy evaluation
- Policy diffusion (Correct answer)
- Federalization
- Regulatory preemption
Correct answer: Policy diffusion
Policy diffusion refers to the process by which policy ideas, designs, or innovations spread across governments — often from pioneering states to others — through learning, competition, or imitation.
Question 5: An 'externality' in public policy refers to:
- Costs imposed on foreign nations by domestic policy
- Effects of an economic activity borne by parties not directly involved in the transaction (Correct answer)
- Revenue collected from external tariffs
- Policy effects that emerge unexpectedly after implementation
Correct answer: Effects of an economic activity borne by parties not directly involved in the transaction
Externalities are costs or benefits that spill over to third parties outside a transaction, such as pollution from a factory harming nearby residents who are not party to the production decision.
Question 6: The concept of 'policy evaluation' primarily involves:
- Designing new legislative proposals
- Assessing whether a policy has achieved its intended goals (Correct answer)
- Lobbying for policy changes
- Estimating future budget costs
Correct answer: Assessing whether a policy has achieved its intended goals
Policy evaluation systematically assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of a policy after implementation to determine whether it achieved its objectives and at what cost.
PSC Public Policy Analysis 2
Which model of policy-making describes decisions as small, incremental modifications to existing policies rather than wholesale change?