POSC EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
What is the main debate over who learns in notions of organizational learning in the
policy process?
a. the idea that people never learn no matter what happens to them
b. whether or not we can attribute learning to nonhuman entities, such as organizations
c. the idea that people cannot learn under conditions of bounded rationality
d. the idea that experience is an unreliable basis for learning - Answer- B
Which one of the following is not one of the three main approaches used to study
implementation?
a. bottom-up
b. top-down
c. synthesis of top-down and bottom-up
d. alternative selection - Answer- D
The first era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- A
The second era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- B
The third era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
, c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- C
Our system of multiple levels of government (federalism)
a. makes implementation easier because there are many participants in delivering
government services
b. makes implementation more difficult because policy designers cannot always count
on state and local cooperation
c. makes implementation more difficult because there are too many states and local
governments
d. makes implementation easier because state and local governments prefer to fund
national or state programs - Answer- B
What type of policy tool aims to alter behavior by making some activities more or less
economically desirable?
a. hortatory tools
b. loans
c. sanctions
d. taxes - Answer- D
(t/f) There is one distinct and clear set of principles that govern the study of public policy
- Answer- F
Policies without publics are
a. policies that no one wants to see passed
b. policies that dont get a lot of news media attention
c. policies developed with relatively little public input or attention
d. secret policies that governments hide from their people - Answer- C
Street-level bureaucrats are
a. people with near total discretion to implement the law as they see fit
b. people in positions where they directly implement policies by interacting with people
with minimal immediate supervision
c. the lowest-level people in an organization
d. government officials whose work tends to be solely outdoors - Answer- B
When a window of opportunity opens for a particular policy area, this increases the
changes that a window will open for a related policy area. This is an example of
a. a focusing event
b. a spillover
c. indicators
d. agenda setting - Answer- B
The news media
ANSWERS
What is the main debate over who learns in notions of organizational learning in the
policy process?
a. the idea that people never learn no matter what happens to them
b. whether or not we can attribute learning to nonhuman entities, such as organizations
c. the idea that people cannot learn under conditions of bounded rationality
d. the idea that experience is an unreliable basis for learning - Answer- B
Which one of the following is not one of the three main approaches used to study
implementation?
a. bottom-up
b. top-down
c. synthesis of top-down and bottom-up
d. alternative selection - Answer- D
The first era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- A
The second era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- B
The third era of implementation studies tended to focus on
a. individual case studies
b. attempts to create more general approaches (top-down, bottom-up) to the study of
implementation
, c. attempts to synthesize theories of implementation into theories that encompass the
strengths of earlier approaches
d. the attempt to reconcile implementation studies with the problems studies of agenda
setting - Answer- C
Our system of multiple levels of government (federalism)
a. makes implementation easier because there are many participants in delivering
government services
b. makes implementation more difficult because policy designers cannot always count
on state and local cooperation
c. makes implementation more difficult because there are too many states and local
governments
d. makes implementation easier because state and local governments prefer to fund
national or state programs - Answer- B
What type of policy tool aims to alter behavior by making some activities more or less
economically desirable?
a. hortatory tools
b. loans
c. sanctions
d. taxes - Answer- D
(t/f) There is one distinct and clear set of principles that govern the study of public policy
- Answer- F
Policies without publics are
a. policies that no one wants to see passed
b. policies that dont get a lot of news media attention
c. policies developed with relatively little public input or attention
d. secret policies that governments hide from their people - Answer- C
Street-level bureaucrats are
a. people with near total discretion to implement the law as they see fit
b. people in positions where they directly implement policies by interacting with people
with minimal immediate supervision
c. the lowest-level people in an organization
d. government officials whose work tends to be solely outdoors - Answer- B
When a window of opportunity opens for a particular policy area, this increases the
changes that a window will open for a related policy area. This is an example of
a. a focusing event
b. a spillover
c. indicators
d. agenda setting - Answer- B
The news media
