Public Policy
action taken by government to address a particular public issue
What is public policy?
Public policy is action taken by government to address a particular public issue.
Ig governor abbot gave a speech highlighting the large numbers of illegal immigrants crossing into texas and calling for greater security along the border, which stage of the policymaking process would this represent?
This is an example of agenda setting, the process of determining which issues will receive attention.
If school administrators in Texas began redesigning curricula to meet new educational standards adopted by the State Board of Education, which stage of the policymaking process would this represent?
This is an example of policy implementation, which happens when executive agencies and the state government bureaucracy carry out the policies enacted by the legislature or by the executive leadership of those agencies.
Stakeholders
those who have a direct interest in a particular policy
In what way does the policy evaluation stage create a "feedback loop" in the policymaking process?
The enactment and implementation of a policy creates a feedback loop in the policymaking process by helping to identify new problems, which starts the policymaking process all over again.
revenue
the money collected by the government through taxes, fees, fines, and federal transfers
What are the two biggest sources of state revenue?
Sales taxes and federal income combined represent nearly 60 percent of all state revenue.
What is the largest source of revenue for the state of Texas?
Federal income is the largest source of revenue for the state of Texas.
A grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a federal agency, represents federal income.
...
Progressive taxation
a tax or taxation system in which the payers remit more taxes as their income levels increase
Regressive taxation
A tax or taxation system in which the tax takes a greater percentage of lower incomes than of higher incomes
What is the difference between progressive and regressive taxation?
Progressive taxation requires those with higher incomes to pay higher percentages of their income on those taxes. Regressive taxation requires those with lower incomes to pay higher percentages of their income on those particular taxes.
Which of the following would be an example of a progressive taxation scheme?
An income tax that charges a higher percentage of income to people who make more is an example of a progressive taxation scheme.
Why is it difficult for state government to raise new revenue?
because Texans are generally resistant to raising taxes and would rather cut funds to balance the budget
When asked about what overall approach they preferred as a response to the expected 2011 budget shortfall, only 22 percent of Texans favored increasin
Ben Barnes says that the only option besides instituting an income tax to raise more revenue is expanding sales tax to a wider variety of items, perhaps including food.
...
Considering state expenditures by function. what Is the proportion of spending on health and human services to spending on general government operations?
Dividing $46.3 billion (the HHS budget) by $2.93 billion (the general government budget) yields 15.8.
Considering state expenditures by category, roughly what portion of the state budget goes to education grants?
Education grants account for 26 percent, or roughly a quarter, of the state budget.
In texas, the combination of population growth and limited spending on social services has contributed to which of the following?
The combination of growth, low spending levels on social services, and the recession meant that 15.9 percent of Texans were living below the poverty line by 2016, about 2 percentage points higher than the national rate of 13.5 percent.
In what way does Texas's political culture affect state spending on health and human services?
A belief in self-reliance and a suspicion of the federal government lead Texans to limit the state's spending on health and human services.
Which of the following health care programs administrated by the state of Texas relies heavily on federal funding?
Medicaid relies heavily on federal funding.
Medicaid
a joint federal-state program that provides funding for medical and health-related services for persons with low incomes
Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
a joint federal state program that provides health insurance coverage to needy children in families with incomes too high to qualify for medicaid
Texas's decision to not participate in two key provisions of the ACA will have which of the following results?
Texas's decision to not participate in two key provisions of the ACA will mean that there will not be any increase in federal funding of health care for Texans or any increase in health-related services provided by the state.
Which of the following BEST summarized Texans' attitudes toward the ACA?
The majority of Republicans and independents consider the ACA very unfavorable, while the majority of Democrats consider it favorable or very favorable.
ACA
The first of these components provided for the states to form state-level insurance exchanges�essentially, a marketplace of insurance providers overseen by both the federal and state governments�to make it easier to issue health insurance plans, with fede
Which of the following is a persistent policy issue related to education in Texas?
The funding of public schools is the central recurring issue in Texas education policy.
the use of local revenues to fund public schools
Why does using local property taxes to fund schools create inequalities across Texas's public education system?
Wealthier districts indeed generate more tax revenues than poorer districts to fund their public schools.
The court challenges over gaps in public-school funding illustrate which step of the policymaking process?
The recent court challenge over the $1,300 gap in per-student funding between school districts presents an example of how policy evaluation, in this instance carried out in the court system, has yielded the reemergence of a policy issue that will inevitab
Rapid population growth in Texas has created difficulties in which of the following policy areas?
Rapid population growth in Texas means additional people traveling between home and work as well as increased demand for water. These needs translate into urgent policy challenges.
From 2010 to 2017, how much faster did Texas's population grow relative to that of the nation as a whole?
The state's population grew by 8.7 percent�over 3.6 million people�between 2010 and 2017, compared to a population growth of only 3.3 percent nationally.
What is the central transportation issue facing Texas today?
The state government's failure to spend enough on roads to keep pace with a growing population and the associated increase in the number of cars and trucks driving on them is the central transportation issue facing Texas today.
Which of the following is the largest single contributor to TxDOT's annual revenue?
The federal government contributed 40 percent of TxDOT's annual revenue in 2014-2015.
What does figure 8 suggest about Texan's attitudes toward traffic congestion?
The majority of Texans identify population growth as a cause of traffic, while a minority identify lack of transportation spending as a cause of traffic.
What is the central water issue facing Texas today?
A water shortage created by the state's growing population, along with the naturally occurring drought, is the central water issue facing Texas today.
As the Texas Water Development Board makes decisions about how to allocate the money from the Rainy Day Fund, what state of the policy making process does this represent?
This represents policy implementation, which happens when executive agencies and the state government bureaucracy carry out the policies enacted by the legislature or by the executive leadership of those agencies.
Which of the following played a key role in prompting legislative action to address the state's water needs?
The State Water Plan's proposals for funding the state's water needs played a key role in prompting legislative action to address Texas's water needs.
What was the policy solution ultimately enacted by the legislature and approved by the voters?
The legislature approved a plan to draw $2B from the Rainy Day Fund and distribute it via SWIFT and the Texas Water Development Board.