SPEA V185 FINAL
What is a public good - ✔️✔️-service that is provided without profit to all members of a
society either by the government or a private individual
-non-excludable and non-rival
independent variable - ✔️✔️-Causes, explanations.
-Things that we think are important factors in driving the outcomes (dependent
variables) that we are interested in.
Theory - ✔️✔️Some basic understanding of things that helps us simplify and explain
complex relationships
Operationalization - ✔️✔️How to turn abstract concepts into something
tangible/meaningful
Observation - ✔️✔️How to measure
Analysis - ✔️✔️How to demonstrate causality or pattern?
Examples. ideology, motivation, the political and economic situation, etc.
Dependent variable - ✔️✔️A factor, event, or outcome that we want to explain.
Ex: Performance of a public organization, outcomes for clients of public programs, the
decisions that policymakers make etc...
Normative statement - ✔️✔️are opinions. (the way we think the world should be)
Empirical statement - ✔️✔️A fact-based statement. (the way the world is)
major role and responsibilities for the federal gov - ✔️✔️-has fewer spending
categories
-focuses more on national security/defense and entitlement programs
major role and responsibilities for the state gov - ✔️✔️-have considerable policymaking
powers and authority in areas like criminal justice, healthcare, education, social welfare,
infrastructure, and transportation
- state governments also play a major brokering role, as the intermediary level, between
the federal and local governements
,major role and responsibilities for the local gov - ✔️✔️-tend to focus on the direct
delivery of goods and services
-Primary spending is on elementary and secondary education,
health, hospitals, welfare, and utilities.
What is entitlement spending - ✔️✔️-spending on social welfare programs
-programs such as Medicare, to which individuals are "entitled" by law) over last four
decades
Define and identify the four major components of the scientific method - ✔️✔️-Theory
-Operationalization
-Observation
-Analysis
How much spending at the federal level falls within entitlement spending -
✔️✔️Increase in entitlement program spending over last four decades
How is entitlement spending projected to change in the coming years - ✔️✔️it will
continue to increase
What is a special district - ✔️✔️These are special purpose government districts that
exist separately from local governments. Usually made for serving a very specific
purpose or task.
What purpose do these special district serve (see video) - ✔️✔️mostly provide a single
service such as education, cemeteries, transportation, or fire protection, and they
usually are used for ongoing service provision
(including street lighting, park maintenance, and storm-drainage management)
What are direct tools of government - ✔️✔️government provides goods and services,
income support, interest on the national debt, direct loans. like Police and fire protection
What are indirect tools of government - ✔️✔️contracting out of government programs
to nongovernmental partners and funding grant, voucher, and loan programs.
-regulations
-tax breaks
Which type of tool is most used by the three levels of government? - ✔️✔️indirect tools
What are polyarchies - ✔️✔️Government controls means of production, relies heavily
on coercive mechanisms of command and control, based on central planning
, What are markets - ✔️✔️buyers and sellers participate voluntarily, prices determined
based on amount that people willing to pay, sellers must compete to produce highest
quality goods for lowest costs
How are these two economic structures used in the United States - ✔️✔️they are two
basic ways to organize an economy to provide goods and services; the US organizes its
economy in a mixed way
How does the classification of goods as public goods relate to the ways that people
think about the appropriate role for government in providing these goods - ✔️✔️people
argue that public goods benefit society as a whole, and should therefore be heavily
subsidized by government resources.
What is a free-rider - ✔️✔️members who enjoy the collective good without making
contributions
What are market failures? - ✔️✔️an inefficient distribution of goods and services in the
free market
What are the major causes for market failures? - ✔️✔️-externalities
-issues caused by free riders
What are externalities? - ✔️✔️actions that negatively / positively affect the well being of
bystanders who are not party to the market transaction
positive externalities? - ✔️✔️A positive externality exists if the production and
consumption of a good or service benefits a third party not directly involved in the
market transaction.
For ex: education
negative externalities? - ✔️✔️When certain goods are consumed, such as demerit
goods, negative effects can arise on third parties.
ex: include cigarette smoking
What is public value? - ✔️✔️when an agent of the government deploys public
resources in a way that enhances citizens lives or responds to public preferences
Give an example of how public value might be created? - ✔️✔️Example: FDA and
food/medicine regulations
What is a public good - ✔️✔️-service that is provided without profit to all members of a
society either by the government or a private individual
-non-excludable and non-rival
independent variable - ✔️✔️-Causes, explanations.
-Things that we think are important factors in driving the outcomes (dependent
variables) that we are interested in.
Theory - ✔️✔️Some basic understanding of things that helps us simplify and explain
complex relationships
Operationalization - ✔️✔️How to turn abstract concepts into something
tangible/meaningful
Observation - ✔️✔️How to measure
Analysis - ✔️✔️How to demonstrate causality or pattern?
Examples. ideology, motivation, the political and economic situation, etc.
Dependent variable - ✔️✔️A factor, event, or outcome that we want to explain.
Ex: Performance of a public organization, outcomes for clients of public programs, the
decisions that policymakers make etc...
Normative statement - ✔️✔️are opinions. (the way we think the world should be)
Empirical statement - ✔️✔️A fact-based statement. (the way the world is)
major role and responsibilities for the federal gov - ✔️✔️-has fewer spending
categories
-focuses more on national security/defense and entitlement programs
major role and responsibilities for the state gov - ✔️✔️-have considerable policymaking
powers and authority in areas like criminal justice, healthcare, education, social welfare,
infrastructure, and transportation
- state governments also play a major brokering role, as the intermediary level, between
the federal and local governements
,major role and responsibilities for the local gov - ✔️✔️-tend to focus on the direct
delivery of goods and services
-Primary spending is on elementary and secondary education,
health, hospitals, welfare, and utilities.
What is entitlement spending - ✔️✔️-spending on social welfare programs
-programs such as Medicare, to which individuals are "entitled" by law) over last four
decades
Define and identify the four major components of the scientific method - ✔️✔️-Theory
-Operationalization
-Observation
-Analysis
How much spending at the federal level falls within entitlement spending -
✔️✔️Increase in entitlement program spending over last four decades
How is entitlement spending projected to change in the coming years - ✔️✔️it will
continue to increase
What is a special district - ✔️✔️These are special purpose government districts that
exist separately from local governments. Usually made for serving a very specific
purpose or task.
What purpose do these special district serve (see video) - ✔️✔️mostly provide a single
service such as education, cemeteries, transportation, or fire protection, and they
usually are used for ongoing service provision
(including street lighting, park maintenance, and storm-drainage management)
What are direct tools of government - ✔️✔️government provides goods and services,
income support, interest on the national debt, direct loans. like Police and fire protection
What are indirect tools of government - ✔️✔️contracting out of government programs
to nongovernmental partners and funding grant, voucher, and loan programs.
-regulations
-tax breaks
Which type of tool is most used by the three levels of government? - ✔️✔️indirect tools
What are polyarchies - ✔️✔️Government controls means of production, relies heavily
on coercive mechanisms of command and control, based on central planning
, What are markets - ✔️✔️buyers and sellers participate voluntarily, prices determined
based on amount that people willing to pay, sellers must compete to produce highest
quality goods for lowest costs
How are these two economic structures used in the United States - ✔️✔️they are two
basic ways to organize an economy to provide goods and services; the US organizes its
economy in a mixed way
How does the classification of goods as public goods relate to the ways that people
think about the appropriate role for government in providing these goods - ✔️✔️people
argue that public goods benefit society as a whole, and should therefore be heavily
subsidized by government resources.
What is a free-rider - ✔️✔️members who enjoy the collective good without making
contributions
What are market failures? - ✔️✔️an inefficient distribution of goods and services in the
free market
What are the major causes for market failures? - ✔️✔️-externalities
-issues caused by free riders
What are externalities? - ✔️✔️actions that negatively / positively affect the well being of
bystanders who are not party to the market transaction
positive externalities? - ✔️✔️A positive externality exists if the production and
consumption of a good or service benefits a third party not directly involved in the
market transaction.
For ex: education
negative externalities? - ✔️✔️When certain goods are consumed, such as demerit
goods, negative effects can arise on third parties.
ex: include cigarette smoking
What is public value? - ✔️✔️when an agent of the government deploys public
resources in a way that enhances citizens lives or responds to public preferences
Give an example of how public value might be created? - ✔️✔️Example: FDA and
food/medicine regulations
