Study Guide: Policy Making
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Date Due |
Assignments
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Thurs.,
Fri. 19 Fri., Mar. 20 |
Reminder: Extra
Credit countdown for turning your Supreme Court paper begins today – 10
pts. for turning it in today even if you don’t have
me until Friday. J |
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Mon.,
Mar. 23 |
1. Read p. 459 – 467 to “The Fed” (skip the green
box) AND 468 – 471 to “Levying Taxes” 2. Answer questions 1 – 9 3. Fill out budget worksheet with your
predictions |
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Tues.,
Mar. 24 |
1. Read p. 471 to 477
2. Read the handout on
Economic Policy 3. Answer questions 10 - 13
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Weds.,
Mar. 25 |
Work on your paper. |
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Thurs.,
Mar. 26 |
Supreme
Court Case paper due today |
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Fri.,
Mar. 27 |
1. Read the green box on p. 467 and “The Fed” p.
467-468 2. Read the handout on passing a budget and make
sure you understand all the steps 3. Answer question 14 |
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Mon.,
Mar. 30 |
1. Read Chapter 17; p. 479 – 493 2. Answer questions 1 – 6 for Chapter 17 |
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Tues.,
Mar. 31 |
1. Read p. 585 – 599 in the textbook from Chapter
21 2. Answer questions 1 – 3 for Chapter 21 on Environmental Policy
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Weds.,
Apr. 1 |
1. Read Chapter 20, p. 553 – 583 2. Answer questions 1 – 13 for Chapter 20 |
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Thurs.,
Apr. 2 |
Review for your
test |
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Fri.,
Apr. 3 |
Test on Public Policy |
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1. |
Fiscal
policy |
9. |
Milton
Friedman |
17. |
Arthur
Laffer |
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2. |
Budget
deficit |
10. |
Inflation |
18. |
Reaganomics |
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3. |
budget
surplus |
11. |
Recession |
19. |
Adam
Smith |
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4. |
Monetary
policy |
12. |
Keynesianism
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20. |
Federal
Reserve |
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5. |
Fiscal
Year (FY) |
13. |
John Maynard Keynes
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21. |
Scarcity |
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6. |
Council
of Economic Advisers (CEA) |
14. |
Economic
planning |
22. |
Substitutability |
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7. |
North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) |
15. |
Price
and wage controls |
23. |
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8. |
Monetarism |
16. |
Supply-side
theory |
24. |
Budget
Resolution |
Questions
on Chapter 16 – Economic Policy
Page 459-471
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1. |
Summarize how economics
affects politics and how politicians respond. |
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2. |
How do two kinds of
majoritarian politics complicate the politics of taxing and spending? |
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3. |
Summarize the following
economic theories: Monetarism, Keynesianism, economic planning, industrial
policy, supply-side, Reaganomics. |
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4. |
Define fiscal policy,
budget deficit, budget surplus, monetary policy, and fiscal year. |
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5. |
Summarize the role of
the CEA, OMB and secretary of the treasury. |
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6. |
What are the two sides
of the debate on free trade? |
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7. |
How did the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 change the budget process? In your answer
indicate how the budget process is supposed to work. |
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8. |
What are
entitlements? What impact do they have
on the federal budget? |
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9. |
What was in the Gramm-Rudman Act or Balanced Budget Act of 1985? Define sequester. What strategy was adopted
when sequestration didn’t work? |
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Page 471 - 477 |
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10. |
Using the handout,
define gross domestic product, recession, fiscal policy, discretionary
spending, mandatory spending |
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11. |
How did the Budget
Enforcement Act of 1990 reform the process? |
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12. |
Define tax loopholes,
progressive tax, marginal rate, regressive tax, sin taxes, flat tax,
capital-gains tax (from handout) |
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13. |
What was in the Tax
Reform Act of 1986? (from handout) |
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14. |
What is the main
function of the Federal Reserve and what are the three main tools they at
their disposal to implement their policies?
Make sure you know this. (Of course, that’s true for everything….) |
Chapter 17:
Social Welfare
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1. |
What does it mean to
have a “means test” for a program? |
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2. |
What is the political
difference between programs like Social Security or Medicare and Aid to
Families with Dependent Children that make the latter easier to reform? |
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3. |
How do the distinctive
factors of social welfare programs in the |
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4. |
Study the yellow chart
on p. 483 and be sure that you are familiar with Medicare, Unemployment
Insurance, TANF, Food Stamps, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. |
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5. |
What are the three
possible solutions for reforming Social Security? |
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6. |
What were the problems
with Medicare and what are the possible solutions? |
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7. |
How was welfare (AFDC)
reformed in 1996? Why was it possible
to pass this reform? |
Chapter 21:
Environmental Policy
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1. |
Why is environmental
policy so controversial? |
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2. |
How does environmental
policy in the United States differ from other countries? |
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3. |
The book gives examples
of how environmental issues illustrate al four styles of policy-making. From p. 587 -596, skim the book and note
down how environmental politics represents entrepreneurial, majoritarian,
interest group, and client politics.
I’m interested in your understanding the interplay of different forces
on policy-making rather than on your knowing the specifics of environmental
policy over the decades. I also want you to understand how the perceived
costs of a policy impact public acceptance of that policy. |
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Chapter 20 :
Foreign and Military Policy |
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1. |
Be sure that you understand
how the roles of the President and Congress change according to what type of
foreign policy issue is involved. |
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2. |
On pp 555 – 560, the
book talks about the extent and limits of presidential power. This should be a review to you from the
unit on the Presidency. Make sure you
remember all this. Outline briefly the
powers that the president has in foreign policy plus the checks on
presidential power. Be sure to
understand the limits of those checks. |
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3. |
What are the limits on
the ability of the Secretary of State to direct foreign policy? |
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4. |
What is the role of the
NSC? |
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5. |
Summarize the
information about the interplay of public opinion and foreign policy. What is the “rally around the flag” effect? |
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6. |
Skim through the
material on the four world views discussed in the book and be sure you
understand what each was.. |
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7. |
What does the phrase
“the military-industrial complex” refer to? |
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8. |
What factors influence
the growth or decline of the defense budget? |
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9. |
What are the five
explanations the book gives for cost overruns on big-ticket items in the
defense budget? |
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10. |
What is the explanation
for expensive small-ticket items? |
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11. |
Why was readiness given
the lowest priority in budgeting? |
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12. |
What solution did
Congress adopt for base closings? |
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13. |
What is the structure of
the command in the Department of Defense?
The book talks about the 1986 reorganization, the Goldwaters-Nichols
Act and how it reorganized the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Summarize that information. |
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1. |
Budget |
14. |
Tax
Reform Act of 1986 |
27. |
Appropriations
Committee |
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2. |
Deficit |
15. |
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28. |
General
Accounting Office (GAO) |
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3. |
Expenditures |
16. |
Gross
domestic Product (GDP) |
29. |
Budget
and Accounting Act (1921) |
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4. |
Revenues |
17. |
“Military
industrial complex” |
30. |
Congressional
Budget and Impoundment Control Act (1974) |
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5. |
Interest
on debt |
18. |
Social
Security Act (1935) |
31. |
Budget
resolution |
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6. |
Income
tax |
19. |
Medicare (1965)
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32. |
Reconciliation |
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7. |
Pollock
v. Farmer’s Loan and Trust Co. (1895) |
20. |
“Great
Society” |
33. |
Authorization
bill |
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8. |
Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) |
21. |
Incrementalism |
34. |
Appropriations bill |
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9. |
Progressive
tax |
22. |
Mandatory
or uncontrollable expenditures |
35. |
Continuing Resolutions |
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10. |
Flat
tax |
23. |
Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) |
36. |
Omnibus spending bills |
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11. |
Federal
debt |
24. |
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37. |
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings
(1985) |
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12. |
Tax loopholes
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25. |
Senate
Finance Committee |
38. |
Sequestrations |
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13. |
Indexing
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26. |
Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) |
39. |
PAYGO
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Chapter 17: Social
Welfare
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1. |
Means
test |
5. |
Medicaid |
9. |
Welfare
Reform law (1996) |
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2. |
Means
tested |
6. |
Food
Stamps |
10. |
insurance
program |
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3. |
Social
Security Act (1935) |
7. |
Aid
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) |
11. |
assistance
program |
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4. |
Medicare |
8. |
Earned
Income Tax Credit |
12. |
service strategy
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13. |
income strategy |
Chapter 21:
Environmental Policy
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1. |
Clean
Air Act (1963) |
6. |
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2. |
Auto
emission standards |
7. |
Smog |
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3. |
Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) (1970) |
8. |
toxic
Waste |
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4. |
Water
Quality Improvement Act (1970) |
9. |
Acid
Rain |
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5. |
Endangered
Species Act (1973) |
10. |
Environmental
impact statement (EIS) |
Chapter 20:
Foreign Policy
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1. |
Legislative
veto |
7. |
Iran-contra |
13. |
Containment
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2. |
War
Powers Act (1973) |
8. |
Central
Intelligence Agency |
14. |
Domino
theory |
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3. |
Senate
Foreign relations Committee |
9. |
Isolationist |
15. |
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4. |
Boland
Amendment |
10. |
Internationalist |
16. |
Appeasement |
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5. |
National
Security Council |
11. |
“rally
around the flag” effect |
17. |
Disengagement |
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6. |
National
Security Adviser |
12. |
Iron Curtain and the Cold War
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18. |
Human
rights |
Chapter 20:
Military Policy
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1. |
Military-industrial
complex |
7. |
Intercontinental
ballistic missiles (ICBMS) |
12. |
Readiness
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2. |
“Peace
dividend” |
8. |
Mutual
assured destruction (MAD) |
13. |
Commission on Base Realignment and
closure (BRAC)
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3. |
“World’s
policeman” |
9. |
“Don
ask, don’t tell” |
14. |
National
Security Act (1947) |
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4. |
Joint
Chiefs of Staff (JCS) |
10. |
Cost
overruns |
15. |
Chain
of Command |
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5. |
Armed
Services Committees |
11. |
Gold
plating |
16. |
Goldwater-Nichols
Act (1986) |
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6. |
Strategic
defense Initiative (SDI) or “Star Wars” |
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