Deck 12: Public Policies When Markets Fail: Welfare, Health, and the Environment

Question 1

What is one criticism leveled against universal entitlement programs?

A)They create a distinction between citizens who are autonomous and those who are not.
B)They benefit those who don't need them.
C)They pay out more for people than what they take in in revenues.
D)Different countries use different standards, so they fail to provide "universal" standards.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is the best definition of "means-tested public assistance?"

A)benefits provided to those who contributed to a public fund
B)benefits provided to all citizens without any distinction
C)benefits provided to those who need most help
D)benefits provided, via tax breaks, for specific groups of citizens or activities

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is the best definition of "social insurance"?

A)benefits provided to those who contributed to a public fund
B)benefits provided to all citizens without any distinction
C)benefits provided to those who need most help
D)none of these

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the poorest countries, the biggest health care challenges involve

A)rising costs
B)patient compliance
C)doctors' demands
D)patient access

Question 5

Which of the following is a characteristic of a Christian democratic welfare state?

A)It preserves citizen autonomy through market participation.
B)Benefits are tied to contributions to social insurance programs.
C)Social security programs supplement universal entitlement programs.
D)Only means-tested programs are instituted.

Question 6

Calls for government intervention when markets fail to fulfill important social values are examples of

A)an essential role that government plays in relation to the market
B)a politically generated intervention in the market
C)a beneficial role of the government in relation to the market
D)why authoritarian states consistently manage economic policy effectively

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a means-tested public assistance program?

A)social security
B)subsidized housing
C)public education
D)unemployment insurance

Question 8

The main form of market failure causing environmental damage is

A)moral hazards
B)imperfect information
C)externalities
D)economic growth

Question 9

The least common type of health care system is

A)national health insurance
B)privately run health care system
C)market-based private insurance
D)single-payer

Question 10

Social democratic welfare states are characterized by emphasis on

A)means-tested assistance
B)universal entitlements
C)social insurance programs
D)low levels of taxation

Question 11

Benefits that governments provide to all citizens equally are known as

A)social insurance
B)universal entitlements
C)means-tested public assistance
D)welfare

Question 12

The ______ type of welfare system has the lowest female participation in the workforce.

A)social welfare
B)Christian democratic
C)liberal
D)social insurance

Question 13

How are universal entitlements usually funded?

A)through individual contributions
B)through general taxation
C)through the financial markets
D)through private investment

Question 14

The "food stamps" program is an example of

A)social insurance
B)means-tested public assistance
C)universal entitlement
D)Obamacare

Question 15

One argument against universal entitlements is that

A)they undermine equal and autonomous citizenship
B)much of the money goes to the wrong people
C)they make recipients feel stigmatized
D)those who need them most often don't receive them

Question 16

Which of the following type of welfare state focuses on distinguishing between those who are unable to work and those who are unwilling to work?

A)Christian democratic
B)social democratic
C)liberal
D)neoliberal

Question 17

The most common social program in Christian democratic welfare states is

A)social insurance
B)family allowances
C)universal entitlements
D)means-tested assistance

Question 18

The Kyoto Protocol

A)prescribes international pollution rates
B)treats all countries the same
C)never went into effect
D)was rejected by the United States

Question 19

In order to qualify for ______ applicants have to fall below a specific income level.

A)universal entitlements
B)social insurance
C)means-tested public assistance
D)social policies

Question 20

Germany's social insurance program is administered by

A)the legislative branch
B)private corporations
C)nongovernmental organizations
D)the German bureaucracy

Question 21

What are tax expenditures?

A)tax increases for the wealthy
B)using tax incentives to subsidize particular activities
C)nondistributive tax income
D)tax decreases for the poor

Question 22

Before 1970, environmental policy in the United States focused on

A)protecting public lands
B)saving endangered species
C)promoting cleaner air
D)ensuring water quality

Question 23

With the switching in the United States from AFDC to TANF the

A)number of people receiving benefits dropped by greater than half
B)majority of former AFDC recipients found lasting full-time jobs
C)U.S.poverty rate increased
D)number of people receiving benefits dropped slightly

Question 24

A national health system is also called a

A)national health insurance system
B)single-payer system
C)corporatist system
D)market-based system

Question 25

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following are types of the welfare states?

A)free market
B)Christian democratic
C)liberal
D)social democratic

Question 26

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following is a strategy to reduce the cost of health care?

A)increasing the risk pool
B)paying doctors on a per patient basis
C)allowing insurance monopolies
D)requiring patients to copay

Question 27

Which of the following is one of the criticisms of liberal welfare states?

A)only those who contribute to the system can get assistance
B)people who do not need assistance often still get it
C)some poor people do not get assistance
D)benefits are tied to contributions

Question 28

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.According to critics of the welfare state, which of the following is an example of a policy that would lead to a disincentive to work?

A)welfare checks
B)food stamps
C)higher taxes
D)regulated wages

Question 29

Which of the following are among the main goals of the Christian democratic welfare state?

A)social equality
B)income stabilization
C)individual autonomy
D)all of these

Question 30

Which of the following is mostly based on social insurance?

A)the social insurance welfare state
B)the social democratic welfare state
C)the liberal welfare state
D)the Christian democratic welfare state

Question 31

The pollution control system in which a government directly regulates the specific amount of pollution each polluting entity is allowed is known as

A)command and control policies
B)precautionary principle
C)cap and trade system
D)carbon sharing system

Question 32

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs were first implemented in

A)Sweden
B)Brazil
C)China
D)Mexico

Question 33

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following fall within social policies?

A)universal entitlements
B)social insurance
C)means-tested public assistance
D)neoliberalism

Question 34

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Which of the following benefits is/are funded via social insurance in the United States?

A)retirement
B)disability
C)unemployment
D)parental leave

Question 35

The ______ emphasizes risk avoidance even when the science predicting the risk is uncertain.

A)precautionary principle
B)tragedy of the commons
C)polluter pays principle
D)common but differentiated policy

Question 36

Germany uses a

A)national health insurance system
B)privately run health care system
C)market-based insurance system
D)mixed-market based system

Question 37

Liberal welfare states put great emphasis on

A)individual autonomy
B)income stabilization
C)social equality
D)none of the above

Question 38

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.Causes of market inefficiency include:

A)externalities
B)monopolies
C)inability to fulfill social values.
D)imperfect information.

Question 39

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.An example of an incentive system is

A)cap and trade
B)taxing pollution
C)regulations that limit emissions
D)preservation of public land

Question 40

The greatest success in U.S.environmental policy has been in

A)renewable energy
B)biodiversity preservation
C)air pollution
D)preserving wetlands

Question 41

Discuss at least two problems accompanying most healthcare systems.

Question 42

Christian democratic welfare states transfer the most wealth from the rich to the poor.

Question 43

Means-tested public assistance is less economically efficient than universal entitlements.

Question 44

List three primary goals of social policy.

Question 45

The United States is an example of a social democratic welfare state.

Question 46

The idea that countries use weak environmental standards to attract foreign capital suggests that globalization might produce a "race to the bottom."

Question 47

Germany's recent reforms to the national health insurance system aim to (list at least two goals) ______.

Question 48

The crux of the arguments that opponents of social policies present is that social policies reduce incomes.

Question 49

Inefficiencies in the health care market include incomplete information and externalities.

Question 50

When markets do not perform their expected functions it is called market failure.

Question 51

Social insurance provides benefits to categories of people who have contributed to a public insurance fund.

Question 52

Liberal welfare states are more concerned with individual autonomy than with reducing poverty and inequality.

Question 53

The environmental justice movement began with Greenpeace's involvement in social protests.

Question 54

Briefly describe the environmental laws in China.

Question 55

What is a moral hazard and how does it affect health care? Use an example to illustrate your point.

Question 56

In the social democratic welfare state, one of the main goals is to achieve greater social equality.

Question 57

Describe at least three reasons why market failure occurs.

Question 58

Describe what is meant by "third-generation" environmental problems; use an example to illustrate your point.

Question 59

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.The great majority of German social spending goes toward

A)retirement pensions
B)income replacement for sickness
C)universal entitlements
D)infrastructure

Question 60

The fact that social policy varies greatly from state to state in the United States is a consequence of its federal system.

Question 61

Describe the liberal welfare state.What are its main goals, what do they emphasize, and what are typical benefits associated with this type of welfare state?

Question 62

Can tax expenditures be considered social welfare benefits? Please explain in detail.

Question 63

Why is health care reform so difficult in the United States?

Question 64

Briefly describe "Conditional Cash Transfer" programs, using an example to illustrate your point.

Question 65

Environmental policy everywhere has to be based on risk assessment and risk management.What are these two concepts?

Question 66

What is the tragedy of the commons and how does it affect environmental policy?

Question 67

Describe the Christian democratic welfare state.What are its main goals, what do they emphasize, and what are typical benefits associated with this type of welfare state?

Question 68

What are the arguments of developing countries with regards to curbing emissions?

Question 69

Describe the social democratic welfare state.What are its main goals, what do they emphasize, and what are typical benefits associated with this type of welfare state?

Question 70

What are universal entitlements? What social services do different states provide via universal entitlements?

Question 71

Do domestic or international factors better explain the United States' reluctance to support binding agreements on reducing carbon emissions?

Question 72

Explain how mitigation and adaptation relate to policy responses to climate change.

Question 73

Compare and contrast command and control policies with cap and trade system.Be sure to provide a definition of both and discuss how they affect environmental policy.

Question 74

Compare and contrast universal entitlements, social insurance, and means-tested public assistance when it comes to who is entitled to benefits within each category.

Question 75

What does it mean for access to a social program to be means-tested?