Chapter 16: Domestic Policy
Chapter 16 Review
CHAPTER SUMMARY 16.1
What Is Public Policy?
Public policy is 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. Most policy outcomes are the result of considerable debate, compromise, and refinement that happen over years and are finalized only after input from multiple institutions within government. Health care reform, for instance, was developed after years of analysis, reflection on existing policy, and even trial implementation at the state level.
People evaluate public policies based on their outcomes, that is, who benefits and who loses. Even the best-intended policies can have unintended consequences and may even ultimately harm someone, if only those who must pay for the policy through higher taxes.
RECALL KEY TERMS
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
THINK CRITICALLY
What are some of the challenges to getting a new public policy considered and passed as law?
CHAPTER SUMMARY 16.2
Categorizing Public Policy
Goods are the commodities, services, and systems that satisfy people’s wants or needs. Private goods can be owned by a particular person or group, and are excluded from use by others, typically by means of a price. Free-market economists believe that the government has no role in regulating the exchange of private goods because the market will regulate itself. Public goods, on the other hand, are goods like air, water, wildlife, and forests that no one owns, so no one has responsibility for them. Most people agree the government has some role to play in regulating public goods.
We categorize policy based upon the degree to which costs and benefits are concentrated on the few or diffused across the many. Distributive policy collects from the many and benefits the few, whereas regulatory policy focuses costs on one group while benefitting larger society. Redistributive policy shares the wealth and income of some groups with others.
RECALL KEY TERMS
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
THINK CRITICALLY
Of the types of goods introduced in this section, which do you feel is the most important to the public generally and why? Which public policies are most important and why?
CHAPTER SUMMARY 16.3
Policy Arenas
The three major domestic policy areas are social welfare; science, technology, and education; and business stimulus and regulation. Social welfare programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare form a safety net for vulnerable populations. Science, technology, and education policies have the goal of securing the United States’ competitive advantages. Business stimulus and regulation policies have to balance business’ needs for an economic edge with consumers’ need for protection from unfair or unsafe practices. The United States spends billions of dollars on these programs.
RECALL KEY TERMS
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
THINK CRITICALLY
What societal ills are social welfare programs designed to a