Deck 9: Policy Outcomes

Question 1

Most evaluation research involves

A)simple experiments.
D)participant observation.
B)complex experiments.
E)none of the above
C)comparative research.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The claims of original activists or experts are likely to be accepted because

A)they have connections to other successful activists.
B)the media are already accustomed to listening to them and will give them good coverage.
C)both social problems workers and subjects tend to agree with them.
D)policymakers respect them.
E)all of the above
F)a and b only

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When social problems workers critique social policy, they are particularly likely to use __________ as part of their claims.

A)evidence of organizational activity
B)critiques of academic research
C)anecdotal evidence
D)emotional pleas based on the hardships faced by workers
E)all of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Those who critique a policy's outcomes on the basis that the original construction of the problem was wrong typically argue that the policy is

A)excessive.d.elaborate.
B)insufficient.
E)a and d only
C)misguided.

Question 5

Most social policies are seen as

A)fairly successful once they have been implemented.
B)having both successful and unsuccessful elements.
C)being unsuccessful in the short term but having promise for the long term.
D)unsatisfactory and revised or replaced quickly.
E)temporary fixes while more research is conducted to determine more viable solutions.

Question 6

When subjects critique social policy, they are particularly likely to use __________ as part of their claims.

A)evidence of organizational activity
B)critiques of academic research
C)anecdotal evidence
D)comparisons to other troubling conditions
E)all of the above

Question 7

Liberals tend to construct the problem of teen sexuality as a need to encourage safe practices that avoid disease and unplanned pregnancy, while conservatives offer the counterclaim that

A)teens will have sex no matter what adults say.
B)efforts to teach safe sex can actually encourage sexual activity.
C)the real problem is drugs and alcohol.
D)only parents should teach teens about sex.
E)a and c only
F)all of the above

Question 8

Critics typically argue that the solution to the vicious cycle created by policies with ironic consequences is

A)expanding the program that seeks to solve the social problem.
B)ending attempts to correct the problem.
C)formulating an entirely new approach to the problem.
D)conducting research on the policies to find out how to fix them.
E)all of the above

Question 9

Typifying examples are examples that

A)detail the most common way a given situation occurs.
B)offer a compelling account of the situation.
C)offer multiple perspectives on an issue.d.represent the official or most commonly agreed on account of the situation.

Question 10

The use of a term such as social issues instead of the term social problems would

A)make the condition seem less serious.
B)draw attention away from the causes of the condition.
C)highlight the fact that there is debate surrounding the condition.
D)lower the expectation that there is a solution.
E)all of the above
F)c and d only

Question 11

__________ tend to make claims that certain policies have ironic consequences.

A)Liberals
D)Libertarians
B)Conservatives
E)all of the above
C)Independents

Question 12

Critiques that focus on the implementation of a policy typically are about

A)how social problems workers do their jobs.
B)the match between the theory underlying the policy and how the policy is put into practice.
C)those parts of the program that the public sees in contrast to what actually goes on.
D)how subjects are treated by the program.
E)all of the above
F)a and d only

Question 13

The social problems process tends to be

A)slow and characterized by constant construction and reconstruction.
B)slow and characterized by fairly stable constructions.
C)fast and characterized by constant construction and reconstruction.
D)fast and characterized by fairly stable constructions.

Question 14

When subjects critique policies, the response is often

A)skepticism because subjects may have a bias in favor of social problems workers.
B)acceptance because subjects have direct experience with the policy outcomes.
C)skepticism because subjects are often poor or uneducated and are seen as unreliable sources.
D)acceptance because subjects have an interest in seeing the programs operate efficiently.
E)all of the above
F)a and c only

Question 15

The complete success of any one social policy is unlikely because

A)policies are not typically left in place long enough to work.
B)human errors make even the best plans imperfect.
C)there are too many aspects of any one problem for all of them to be addressed by one policy.
D)people are unlikely to agree on what constitutes success.
E)all of the above

Question 16

Rival activists and experts are particularly likely to argue that a policy is

A)insufficient.
D)mismanaged.
B)excessive.e.all of the above
C)misguided.f.b and c only

Question 17

It is argued in your text that when there are many long-standing debates and predictable critiques surrounding a policy,

A)critics are seen as lacking objectivity.
B)it is simply too confusing to sort out all the arguments.
C)the policy is often abandoned because it is seen as too controversial.
D)fast progress is made toward a solution because of the desire to resolve the debate.e.all of the above
F)b and c only

Question 18

Policy outcomes are

A)the extent to which new policies reduce the problem.
B)people's reactions to what happens once a policy is implemented.
C)the unintended impact of social policies.
D)the number of people employed as a result of a new policy.
E)a and c only

Question 19

Evaluation research typically involves

A)outside observers.
D)treatment and control groups.
B)experiments.
E)all of the above
C)efforts to establish objective measures.
F)b and d only

Question 20

Shifts in the number of clients served by an agency are considered

A)alarming if the number goes up because this indicates that the agency is not reducing instances of the problem.
B)positive if the number goes up because this means that the services provided are valuable and needed by the community.
C)alarming if the number goes down because this means that there is no longer a need for services.
D)positive if the number goes down because this indicates that the services are working and therefore needed.e.all of the above
F)a and d only

Question 21

Why is evaluation research not typically used as the final word in determining the effectiveness of programs?

Question 22

The impact of commission findings and recommendations has typically been to attract

A)little notice outside the political world but to create large changes in policy.
B)little notice outside the political world and to fail to create policy change.
C)wide media attention and to create large changes in policy.
D)wide media attention but to fail to create policy change.e.none of the above

Question 23

Which of the groups that typically evaluate social policy do you see as the most reliable and which do you see as the least reliable? Why?

Question 24

The term ideology can be used to refer to beliefs or values linked to

A)a political party.
D)personal interests.
B)religious affiliations.
E)all of the above
C)professional affiliations.
F)a and d only

Question 25

Commissions are groups of

A)researchers who work together to develop objective outcome measures.
B)high-status individuals, presumed to represent a wide variety of interests, who are brought together to evaluate policies.
C)legislators who are brought together to debate the merits of a policy.
D)activists who are brought together to debate an issue and to try to reach a compromise.e.none of the above

Question 26

It is argued in your text that the prospect of __________ has made welfare especially controversial.

A)the availability of services encouraging divorce
B)long-term, intergenerational dependency
C)people with disabilities having problems accessing services
D)too much of the national budget being devoted to serving the poor
E)all of the above
F)a and d only

Question 27

How might critiques of policy outcomes based on insufficiency be part of a larger strategy for claimsmakers?

Question 28

What does your text mean when it says that critics of social policies often bring together critiques based on practical concerns with those based on values? Why might this be a problem?

Question 29

Choose a policy designed to address a social problem. Briefly describe the policy and at least three categories of critiques applied to the policy. Be sure to state which of the categories of critiques in your text applies to each example.

Question 30

Compare the costs and benefits of evaluation research using experiments to research using comparative methods.

Question 31

The role of appellate courts in the social problems process is

A)large because courts can reject or modify policies that are well supported in other ways.
B)large because courts create the policies.
C)moderate because courts can rule on policies but are unlikely to strike down a popular policy.
D)small because courts hear relatively few cases related to social problems.
E)small because courts have little power to change a policy once it has been enacted.

Question 32

Why is treating social problems as emergencies potentially problematic from a policy perspective?