{"id":552,"date":"2016-08-24T00:30:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T00:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/americangovernment\/?post_type=chapter&p=552"},"modified":"2016-08-24T00:30:20","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T00:30:20","slug":"glossary-16","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-amgovernment\/chapter\/glossary-16\/","title":{"raw":"Glossary","rendered":"Glossary"},"content":{"raw":"

What Is Public Policy?<\/h2>\r\npublic policy<\/strong> the broad strategy government uses to do its job; the relatively stable set of purposive governmental behaviors that address matters of concern to some part of society\r\n

Categorizing Public Policy<\/h2>\r\ndistributive policy<\/strong> a policy that collect payments or resources broadly but concentrates direct benefits on relatively few\r\n\r\nfree-market economics<\/strong> a school of thought that believes the forces of supply and demand, working without any government intervention, are the most effective way for markets to operate\r\n\r\nlibertarians<\/strong> people who believe that government almost always operates less efficiently than the private sector and that its actions should be kept to a minimum\r\n\r\nredistributive policy<\/strong> a policy in which costs are born by a relatively small number of groups or individuals, but benefits are expected to be enjoyed by a different group in society\r\n\r\nregulatory policy<\/strong> a policy that regulates companies and organizations in a way that protects the public\r\n

Policy Arenas<\/h2>\r\nentitlement<\/strong> a program that guarantees benefits to members of a specific group or segment of the population\r\n\r\nMedicaid<\/strong> a health insurance program for low-income citizens\r\n\r\nMedicare<\/strong> an entitlement health insurance program for older people and retirees who no longer get health insurance through their work\r\n\r\nsafety net<\/strong> a way to provide for members of society experiencing economic hardship\r\n\r\nSocial Security<\/strong> a social welfare policy for people who no longer receive an income from employment\r\n

Policymakers<\/h2>\r\nbottom-up implementation<\/strong> a strategy in which the federal government allows local areas some flexibility to meet their specific challenges and needs in implementing policy\r\n\r\nCongressional Budget Office<\/strong> the congressional office that scores the spending or revenue impact of all proposed legislation to assess its net effect on the budget\r\n\r\npolicy advocates<\/strong> people who actively work to propose or maintain public policy\r\n\r\npolicy analysts<\/strong> people who identify all possible choices available to a decision maker and assess the potential impact of each\r\n\r\ntop-down implementation<\/strong> a strategy in which the federal government dictates the specifics of public policy and each state implements it the same exact way\r\n

Budgeting and Tax Policy<\/h2>\r\ndebt<\/strong> the total amount the government owes across all years\r\n\r\ndeficit<\/strong> the annual amount by which expenditures are greater than revenues\r\n\r\ndiscretionary spending<\/strong> government spending that Congress must pass legislation to authorize each year\r\n\r\nexcise taxes<\/strong> taxes applied to specific goods or services as a source of revenue\r\n\r\nKeynesian economics<\/strong> an economic policy based on the idea that economic growth is closely tied to the ability of individuals to consume goods\r\n\r\nlaissez-faire<\/em><\/strong> an economic policy that assumes the key to economic growth and development is for the government to allow private markets to operate efficiently without interference\r\n\r\nmandatory spending<\/strong> government spending earmarked for entitlement programs guaranteeing support to those who meet certain qualifications\r\n\r\nprogressive tax<\/strong> a tax that tends to increase the effective tax rate as the wealth or income of the tax payer increases\r\n\r\nrecession<\/strong> a temporary contraction of the economy in which there is no economic growth for two consecutive quarters\r\n\r\nregressive tax<\/strong> a tax applied at a lower overall rate as individuals\u2019 income rises\r\n\r\nsupply-side economics<\/strong> an economic policy that assumes economic growth is largely a function of a country\u2019s productive capacity","rendered":"

What Is Public Policy?<\/h2>\n

public policy<\/strong> the broad strategy government uses to do its job; the relatively stable set of purposive governmental behaviors that address matters of concern to some part of society<\/p>\n

Categorizing Public Policy<\/h2>\n

distributive policy<\/strong> a policy that collect payments or resources broadly but concentrates direct benefits on relatively few<\/p>\n

free-market economics<\/strong> a school of thought that believes the forces of supply and demand, working without any government intervention, are the most effective way for markets to operate<\/p>\n

libertarians<\/strong> people who believe that government almost always operates less efficiently than the private sector and that its actions should be kept to a minimum<\/p>\n

redistributive policy<\/strong> a policy in which costs are born by a relatively small number of groups or individuals, but benefits are expected to be enjoyed by a different group in society<\/p>\n

regulatory policy<\/strong> a policy that regulates companies and organizations in a way that protects the public<\/p>\n

Policy Arenas<\/h2>\n

entitlement<\/strong> a program that guarantees benefits to members of a specific group or segment of the population<\/p>\n

Medicaid<\/strong> a health insurance program for low-income citizens<\/p>\n

Medicare<\/strong> an entitlement health insurance program for older people and retirees who no longer get health insurance through their work<\/p>\n

safety net<\/strong> a way to provide for members of society experiencing economic hardship<\/p>\n

Social Security<\/strong> a social welfare policy for people who no longer receive an income from employment<\/p>\n

Policymakers<\/h2>\n

bottom-up implementation<\/strong> a strategy in which the federal government allows local areas some flexibility to meet their specific challenges and needs in implementing policy<\/p>\n

Congressional Budget Office<\/strong> the congressional office that scores the spending or revenue impact of all proposed legislation to assess its net effect on the budget<\/p>\n

policy advocates<\/strong> people who actively work to propose or maintain public policy<\/p>\n

policy analysts<\/strong> people who identify all possible choices available to a decision maker and assess the potential impact of each<\/p>\n

top-down implementation<\/strong> a strategy in which the federal government dictates the specifics of public policy and each state implements it the same exact way<\/p>\n

Budgeting and Tax Policy<\/h2>\n

debt<\/strong> the total amount the government owes across all years<\/p>\n

deficit<\/strong> the annual amount by which expenditures are greater than revenues<\/p>\n

discretionary spending<\/strong> government spending that Congress must pass legislation to authorize each year<\/p>\n

excise taxes<\/strong> taxes applied to specific goods or services as a source of revenue<\/p>\n

Keynesian economics<\/strong> an economic policy based on the idea that economic growth is closely tied to the ability of individuals to consume goods<\/p>\n

laissez-faire<\/em><\/strong> an economic policy that assumes the key to economic growth and development is for the government to allow private markets to operate efficiently without interference<\/p>\n

mandatory spending<\/strong> government spending earmarked for entitlement programs guaranteeing support to those who meet certain qualifications<\/p>\n

progressive tax<\/strong> a tax that tends to increase the effective tax rate as the wealth or income of the tax payer increases<\/p>\n

recession<\/strong> a temporary contraction of the economy in which there is no economic growth for two consecutive quarters<\/p>\n

regressive tax<\/strong> a tax applied at a lower overall rate as individuals\u2019 income rises<\/p>\n

supply-side economics<\/strong> an economic policy that assumes economic growth is largely a function of a country\u2019s productive capacity<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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