76 Questions
Which of the following best describes the nature of policy making?
A struggle between groups with competing interests
What is the concept of power in policy making typically thought of as?
Having control over others
Which dimension of power focuses on acts that influence policy decisions?
Power as decision making
Who characterized three dimensions of power, including power as decision making?
Steven Lukes
What did Robert Dahl's study, 'Who Governs', examine?
A & C
Why do health economists often wish to limit the professional autonomy of the medical profession?
To control spending patterns
What does the outcome of conflicts in policy making depend on?
The balance of power and established processes/rules
Why do doctors often oppose reforms that limit their professional autonomy?
To maintain the status quo
What is power in policy making often characterized by?
Conflicts arising from proposed change
According to Max Weber, which of the following is NOT one of the three sources of authority?
Non-Rational-legal Authority
What is the main focus of policy making?
Achieving a desired outcome
What is the main difference between power as decision making and power as non-decision making?
Power as decision making involves direct influence over key decisions, while power as non-decision making involves influencing the agenda and keeping threatening issues out of sight
What is the main difference between authority and coercion?
Authority exists when subordinates accept the dictates of their rulers without question, while coercion involves forcing someone to do something against their will
Which of the following is NOT a type of authority according to Max Weber?
Bureaucratic Authority
What is power as thought control?
The ability to influence others by shaping their preferences and perceptions of reality
What is one example of power as non-decision making?
Limiting the scope of actual decision making to safe issues by manipulating dominant community values and political institutions
What is one source of Traditional according to Max Weber?
Long-standing custom
What is the main difference between power as decision making and power as non-decision making?
Power as decision making involves direct influence over key decisions, while power as non-decision making involves influencing the agenda and keeping threatening issues out of sight
What is one example of power as thought control?
The ability to influence others by shaping their preferences and perceptions of reality
Who is likely to have more influence over a tobacco control policy in a country where tobacco constitutes a considerable proportion of the gross domestic product and is a valuable source of government revenue?
The tobacco industry
According to the pluralist model of power distribution, power is dispersed throughout society and is influenced by the self-interest of groups.
True
Which model of power distribution suggests that policy is dominated by a privileged minority and does not reflect the interests of the people?
The elitist model
According to Easton's Systems Model of Policy Making, the political system decides which goods, services, freedoms, rights, and privileges to grant and deny, and to whom.
False
Which model of decision making recommends basing policy decisions on reason and science, rather than the vagaries of politics and real life?
The rational model
Which model of decision making involves searching and undertaking small steps that are not far from the status quo, testing political waters and securing agreement of stakeholders?
The muddling through model
Governments can stagnate, resist change, and become habituated to the status quo.
True
Which model of decision making combines elements of all theories to reach a middle ground?
The mixed scanning model
According to Baumgartner and Jones, the 'punctuated equilibrium' model suggests long periods of no change followed by sudden fundamental reform.
True
Which model of decision making involves a wide view of the problem and detailed analysis of certain key components, and then a marginal adjustment by all stakeholders until agreeable to all involved?
The mixed scanning model then The incremental model
Which of the following is NOT one of Steven Lukes' three dimensions of power?
Power as influence
According to Robert Dahl's study, 'Who Governs', what did he examine?
The preferences of interest groups
The outcome of any conflict depends on ?
the balance of power between the individuals and groups involved and the processes or rules established to resolve those conflicts.
Which of the following is NOT a dimension of power identified in the text?
Power as agenda-setting
According to Max Weber, which of the following is NOT a source of authority?
Bureaucratic Authority
Which theory of power distribution suggests that power is dispersed throughout society and influenced by the self-interest of groups?
The pluralist model
In a country where tobacco constitutes a considerable proportion of the gross domestic product and is a valuable source of government revenue, who is likely to have more influence over a tobacco control policy?
The tobacco industry
According to Laswell's Systems Model of Policy Making, what does the political system decide?
Which goods, services, freedoms, rights, and privileges to grant and deny, and to whom
Who characterized three dimensions of power, including power as decision making?
Steven lukes
Which model of decision making involves basing policy decisions on reason and science, rather than the vagaries of politics and real life?
The rational model
Power as decision making involves the ability to initiate or veto policy proposals.
True
Power as non-decision making refers to the practice of limiting the scope of actual decision making to safe issues.
True
According to Bachrach and Baratz, power as non-decision making : Power is also exercised when A devotes his energies to creating or reinforcing social and political values and institutional practices that limit the scope of the political process to public consideration of only those issues which are comparatively innocuous to A’.
True
Authority exists when subordinates accept the dictates of their rulers without question.
True
Weber identified Traditional, Charismatic, and Rational-legal as the three sources of authority.
True
Power as thought control involves shaping meanings and perceptions of reality to influence others.
True
True or false: Policy making is characterized by conflicts that arise when change is proposed or pursued which threatens the status quo.
True
True or false: Power in policy making is often characterized by a struggle between groups with competing interests.
True
True or false: Power as decision making focuses on acts of individuals and groups which influence policy decisions.
True
True or false: Power as thought control refers to the ability to control the thoughts and beliefs of others.
True
True or false: Robert Dahl's study, 'Who Governs', examined the known preferences of interest groups and compared these with policy outcomes.
True
True or false: The outcome of any conflict in policy making depends on the balance of power between the individuals and groups involved.
True
True or false: The distribution of power depends on specific policy content and context.
True
True or false: In a country where tobacco constitutes a considerable proportion of the gross domestic product and is a valuable source of government revenue, the tobacco industry is likely to have more influence over a tobacco control policy than the Ministry of Health and public health and consumer interest groups.
True
True or false: In the same country mentioned above, the industry may have less influence over policy to screen for cancer than the Ministry of Health, the medical profession, and patient groups.
True
True or false: The pluralist model is dominant in liberal democracies, where power is dispersed throughout society and groups self-interest.
True
True or false: The elitist model suggests that policy is dominated by a privileged minority and does not reflect the interests of the people.
True
True or false: According to Easton's Systems Model of Policy Making, the political system decides which goods, services, freedoms, rights, and privileges to grant and deny, and to whom.
False
True or false: The rational model of decision making recommends basing policy decisions on reason and science, rather than the vagaries of politics and real life.
True
True or false: According to Baumgartner and Jones, the 'punctuated equilibrium' model suggests long periods of no change followed by sudden fundamental reform.
True
What are the three dimensions of power identified by Bachrach and Baratz?
Power as decision making, power as non-decision making, power as thought control
What are the three sources of authority identified by Max Weber?
Traditional Authority, Charismatic Authority, Rational-legal Authority
What is the main difference between power as decision making and power as non-decision making?
Power as decision making involves the ability to initiate or veto policy proposals, while power as non-decision making involves limiting the scope of the political process to safe issues
Who has the power to impose and resist policies?
The question of who has the power to impose and resist policies depends on the ability to influence others
What is power as thought control?
Power as thought control refers to the ability to shape meanings and perceptions of reality to influence others
What are the three types of authority identified by Max Weber?
Traditional Authority, Charismatic Authority, Rational-legal Authority
What are the three dimensions of power identified by Steven Lukes?
Power as decision making, power as non-decision making, power as thought control.
Explain the concept of power as decision making in policy making.
Power as decision making focuses on acts of individuals and groups that influence policy decisions.
What is power as non-decision making and provide an example of it.
Power as non-decision making refers to the practice of limiting the scope of actual decision making to safe issues. An example of power as non-decision making is when certain issues are deliberately left off the agenda and not considered for discussion.
How is power as thought control defined and how does it influence others?
Power as thought control involves shaping meanings and perceptions of reality to influence others. It influences others by controlling their thoughts and beliefs.
What is the 'punctuated equilibrium' model of policy change and how does it describe the pattern of change?
The 'punctuated equilibrium' model suggests long periods of no change followed by sudden fundamental reform. It describes the pattern of change as periods of stability interrupted by abrupt and significant shifts in policy.
What are the three major theories of power distribution?
The pluralist model, the elitist model, and the Marxist model.
What is the main difference between the pluralist model and the elitist model of power distribution?
The pluralist model suggests that power is dispersed throughout society and influenced by the self-interest of groups, while the elitist model suggests that policy is dominated by a privileged minority and does not reflect the interests of the people.
According to Laswell's Systems Model of Policy Making, what does the political system decide?
The political system decides which goods, services, freedoms, rights, and privileges to grant and deny, and to whom.
What is the concept of power in policy making typically thought of as?
Power in policy making is typically thought of as the ability to influence or control the decision-making process.
Why do doctors often oppose reforms that limit their professional autonomy?
Doctors often oppose reforms that limit their professional autonomy because they value their independence and believe it is necessary for providing quality patient care.
What is power in policy making often characterized by?
Power in policy making is often characterized by conflicts that arise when change is proposed or pursued which threatens the status quo.
Test your knowledge on power dynamics in the policy making process and the conflicting interests that shape it. Explore the struggle between groups with competing ideas, such as health economists and the medical profession, through this quiz.
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