Deck 8: Public Policy and the Bureaucracy

Question 1

When it comes to public policy, which of the following statements is correct?

A) Elected officials advise and implement, while bureaucrats decide and direct.
B) Funds for public services and programs are largely raised through private donations.
C) Bureaucrats advise and implement, while elected officials decide and direct.
D) None of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What purpose do green papers serve in policy development?

A) They stimulate public discussion of an issue.
B) They provide clear directions to bureaucrats about policy implementation.
C) They outline changes to the machinery of government.
D) They detail how much proposed policies will cost.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

German sociologist Max Weber identified several characteristics of a functioning government, including which of the following?

A) Governments must use standardized hiring and firing procedures.
B) Bureaucrats must follow written rules.
C) Bureaucrats must keep records of their actions.
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is a government document released to signal a government's proposed course of action?

A) Blue paper
B) White paper
C) Green paper
D) Red paper

Question 5

What is pluralism?

A) the presence of diverse socioeconomic groups participating in public affairs
B) the belief that public policy is best designed by experts
C) a grassroots political movement that aims to wrest power from political elites
D) the use of neutral pronouns in policy documents

Question 6

Which theory holds that citizens are self-interested actors whose decisions fulfill their own needs and wants?

A) pluralism
B) rational choice
C) functionalism
D) institutionalism

Question 7

Lock-up refers to which of the following?

A) the place where parliamentarians are sent if they get too boisterous during Question Period
B) one of the sanctions levied against bureaucrats who fail to report unethical behavior
C) the use of strategies to maintain public support for a public policy
D) the process through which invited individuals are given confidential advance access to budget documents

Question 8

The principal-agent problem is:

A) the disconnect between what an elected leader directs and what bureaucrats do
B) a new challenge brought about by the elimination of middle management in bureaucracies
C) easily solved through modern communications technology
D) all of the above

Question 9

What is the Treasury Board?

A) The cabinet committee responsible for authorizing government revenues & expenditures
B) the committee of deputy ministers responsible for monetary policy
C) the parliamentary committee tasked with establishing interest and lending rates
D) None of the above

Question 10

What is a situation in which government spending exceeds revenues during a given period?

A) budget forecast
B) budget deficit
C) budget surplus
D) budget estimates

Question 11

During times of budget deficit, right-wing ideology supports:

A) increasing public spending
B) decreasing public spending
C) increasing public borrowing
D) None of the above

Question 12

Sales is an example of ________ taxation.

A) indirect
B) value-added
C) direct
D) sin

Question 13

What is direct taxation?

A) The collection of taxes by an intermediate body on behalf of the government.
B) The collection of taxes by the government without using an intermediary.
C) The collection of taxes by the federal government on behalf of provincial governments.
D) The collection of taxes by provincial governments on behalf of the federal government.

Question 14

What kind of income tax policy existed in Alberta from 1999 to 2015?

A) Progressive tax
B) Flat tax
C) Harmonized tax
D) Provincial sales tax

Question 15

What is financial support provided by government to citizens with no other recourse to income known as?

A) social assistance
B) tax credits
C) stimulus spending
D) baby bonus

Question 16

What was created in 1966 as a mandatory retirement savings program?

A) Canada Pension Plan
B) Goods and Services Tax
C) Registered Retirement Savings Plan
D) Old Age Security

Question 17

Employment insurance is ________.

A) a mandatory program that provides temporary income to workers who lose their jobs.
B) funded by employees.
C) administered by the federal government.
D) all of the above

Question 18

What is the notion that the most qualified candidate should be awarded a position, contract, or other financial benefit known as?

A) patronage
B) rational choice
C) merit principle
D) None of the above

Question 19

The welfare state:

A) is a suite of government policies designed to assist the least fortunate in society
B) is also known as the social safety net
C) consists of a combination of entitlement and insurance programs
D) All of the above

Question 20

What is a policy tool that encourages a desired behaviour, without providing direct incentives or disincentives to ensure compliance?

A) nudging
B) coaxing
C) creative compliance
D) regulation

Question 21

What is the announcement of adjustments to a government's revenue and spending projections?

A) budget estimates
B) fiscal update
C) budget lock-in
D) supply management

Question 22

Which of the following bodies are established by governments in areas of the economy that the private sector is seen as unable or unfit to serve?

A) Crown corporations
B) public affairs bureaus
C) treasury boards
D) All of the above

Question 23

Which of the following is not a core responsibility of the Treasury Board?

A) supply management
B) organization of the bureaucracy
C) fiscal management
D) determining priorities of departmental spending

Question 24

What is a situation in which revenues exceed spending during a given period known as?

A) budget surplus
B) budget stimulus
C) budget deficit
D) budget forecast

Question 25

The Bank of Canada ________.

A) is an independent Crown corporation
B) works closely with the federal department of finance
C) sets the minimum national interest rate that is then followed by banks
D) All of the above

Question 26

Which of the following is a system that manages the supply of eggs, dairy, and poultry in Canada?

A) social assistance
B) supply management
C) collective bargaining
D) demand-side economics

Question 27

Which of the following is not part of the traditions surrounding the annual budget?

A) journalists are placed in lock-up to prevent leaks
B) the finance minister buys or re-soles a pair of shoes
C) the finance minister announces the budget in the legislature
D) All of the above

Question 28

What is the formal negotiation of the terms of an employment contract between the representatives of a group of employees and their employer known as?

A) trade negotiations
B) collective bargaining
C) strike action
D) none of the above

Question 29

What is a tax exemption on money spent on a specific activity known as?

A) tax credit
B) personal allowance
C) charitable donation
D) None of the above

Question 30

Which province does not have some form of a provincial sales tax (PST)?

A) New Brunswick
B) Manitoba
C) Alberta
D) British Columbia

Question 31

A ________ paper is meant to stimulate public discussion on a particular issue while a ________ paper outlines a government's proposed course of action.

A) black; red
B) green; white
C) white; green
D) red; black

Question 32

________ holds that the diversity of perspectives in a society should be reflected in the shaping of public policy.

A) populism
B) pluralism
C) rational choice theory
D) All of the above

Question 33

Which of the following bodies is often informally referred to by the last name of its head?

A) government board
B) commission of inquiry
C) Crown corporation
D) government agency

Question 34

Program investments being assembled to produce deliverables which will then have discernible short-, medium-, and long-term impacts are an example of ________.

A) rational choice theory
B) agenda setting
C) input-output-outcome logic modeling
D) the principal-agent problem

Question 35

Governments issue ____ as a means of borrowing money to cover budget shortfalls.

A) tax credits
B) stimulus
C) fiscal updates
D) bonds

Question 36

Which cabinet committee is tasked with reviewing and authorizing government revenue and expenditure policies?

A) Committee of the Whole
B) Treasury Board
C) Bank of Canada
D) Finance Committee

Question 37

Budget surpluses often invite questions as to whether the government is:

A) over-taxing or under-spending
B) under-taxing or over-spending
C) under-borrowing or over-lending
D) over-burdened or over-extended

Question 38

What type of tax policy is set in such a way that those with the highest incomes pay the highest rate of tax?

A) Scaling tax policy
B) Progressive tax policy
C) Flat tax policy
D) Median tax policy

Question 39

Which of the following statements about balanced budget legislation is accurate?

A) more than half of the provinces have, at one point, established these laws
B) they are designed to prevent governments from running budget deficits
C) some impose salary cuts on ministers whose governments run a deficit
D) All of the above

Question 40

When are governments most likely to engage in stimulus spending?

A) when their populations age
B) when they are in collective bargaining
C) in good economic times
D) during economic downturns

Question 41

In terms of accountability, most agencies, boards, and commissions report to:

A) the deputy minister of a line department
B) the President of the Treasury Board
C) a minister of the Crown
D) the governor general or lieutenant governor

Question 42

Where is a harmonized sales tax (HST), or one that combines both federal and provincial rates, used?

A) Quebec
B) Ontario and Manitoba
C) Alberta and British Columbia
D) Ontario and Atlantic Canada

Question 43

Which of the following is a result of the principal-agent problem?

A) lines of accountability can become blurred
B) the principles of responsible government could be at risk
C) distrust can develop between elected officials and bureaucrats
D) None of the above

Question 44

When do governments tend to announce new, popular government initiatives, while avoiding any tough or potentially unpopular policies?

A) start-up phase
B) action phase
C) clean-up phase
D) red zone

Question 45

Each line department is overseen by a ______, who is accountable to the _______ for its performance.

A) member of Treasury Board; prime minister
B) minister; legislature
C) assistant deputy minister; deputy minister
D) government board; Treasury Board

Question 46

Which government bodies operate at an arms-length from political and bureaucratic control?

A) GSTs
B) RRSPs
C) CPPs
D) ABCs

Question 47

Which of the following is not associated with budget deficits?

A) When they accumulate, they tend to add to the public debt.
B) They result solely from revenue shortfalls.
C) When governments run them, they are said to be "in the red."
D) They result when governments are unable or unwilling to balance their budgets.

Question 48

Terms of public servants' employment are typically detailed in a(n) _______ that is in effect for a specified period, such as four years.

A) order in council
B) collective agreement
C) treaty
D) None of the above

Question 49

In general, people and parties on the left side of Canada's political spectrum tend to:

A) support the rights of workers
B) support the actions of unions
C) support increased government spending during economic downturns
D) All of the above

Question 50

Policymaking in Canada does not involve much close interaction between elected and non-elected officials.

Question 51

Being "in the black" means a government is running a deficit.

Question 52

Governments borrow money by issuing tax credits.

Question 53

In practice, the stages of the public-policy cycle are not always ordered and linear.

Question 54

Bureaucrats are obliged to follow the directives of their respective ministers, as long as the instructions are within the boundaries of the law.

Question 55

A left-wing approach to budgeting supports delaying spending increases in times of budget surplus.

Question 56

Unions are funded through membership dues that must be paid by members of a unionized workforce.

Question 57

An example of indirect taxation is property tax.

Question 58

The only provincial government who has chosen to harmonize their sales tax with the GST is Ontario.

Question 59

Most provinces and territories do not supplement Canada Student Loans with their own student loan and grant programs.

Question 60

Workers who reside in Quebec pay into the Quebec Pension Plan instead of the Canada Pension Plan.

Question 61

The federal Conservative Party has prioritized the use of tax credits and deductions as a policy initiative and campaign tool.

Question 62

Patronage positions are in place where the primary criterion for the job is the executive's trust that the appointee will advance the government's agenda.

Question 63

The partisan allocation of government spending to select constituencies, especially those districts held by the governing party, is known as cod barrel politics.

Question 64

Most government decisions that affect citizens' daily lives are made in Question Period.

Question 65

The governing mantra for public servants is "fearless advice and loyal implementation".

Question 66

A white paper outlines a government's proposed course of action in a policy area.

Question 67

Nudging involves designing policy tools by providing direct incentives for people to do what the government wants them to do.

Question 68

Direct taxation involves the taxpayer paying the government without the involvement of another body.

Question 69

Employment Insurance is a provincial entitlement program that varies from province to province.

Question 70

Patronage involves government contracts and government jobs going to party supporters.

Question 71

Public sector unions often argue in favour of back-to-work legislation to resolve labour disputes with government employers.

Question 72

Unions and corporations are allowed to contribute financial donations to federal political parties.

Question 73

Economic downturns often bring an end to government surpluses.

Question 74

Under some balanced budget laws, ministers can have their salaries cut if they run a budget surplus.

Question 75

Some of the most largest and powerful unions in Canada work on behalf of public servants.

Question 76

Sales taxes are said to be harmonized when they match the corporate income tax rate.

Question 77

Conservatives tend to favour universal approaches to entitlement programs, while Liberals tend to favour means-testing.

Question 78

Partially funded through the Canada Social Transfer, social assistance remains a provincial responsibility.

Question 79

All public servants in Canada are responsible to the Public Service Commission of Canada for the performance of their duties.

Question 80

Define pluralism and explain its role in Canadian politics.