Practice Final

In preparing for the final exam, consider both the air midterm and the following practice exam. The questions on the final will be similar in form and content, though not identical.

I. Identifications. This section will ask you to write a brief paragraph explaining the meaning and significance of 12 out of 14 items from readings and class discussions (4 points each). Examples:

• Budget Control Act of 2011
• Environmental impact statements
• ESEA
• Negative income tax
• Medicaid
• Tax brackets
• "Information Infarction"
• Legislative history
• David Kessler
• The "Twenty Dollar Test"
• Government by network
• Generic vulnerabilities

II. Short answers. In this section, you will answer 2 out of 3 question on factual or analytical points from course material (6 points each). Each answer should take no more than half a page. Examples:

• How does "broken windows" policing work?
• Briefly explain the argument for and against the FDA’s policy on blood donations from the MSM population.
• Explain at least one unanticipated consequence of policies to encourage alternative energy sources.

III. General Essays. In this section, answer 2 of 3 questions. Each answer should take 2-3 large bluebook pages or 3-4 small bluebook pages. Each is worth 20 points each.

• Fritschler and Rudder write: "In policy space [meaning] all current policies contained in one space bumping up against one another, a change in one policy increasingly impinges on many other policies, again requiring adjustments in those policies." Explain. Why does this "bumping" happen? How does it affect the process of decisionmaking? Give a specific example.
• Evaluate Rick Perry's budget plan: http://www.rickperry.org/issues/fiscal-responsibility/ (Just the summary page, not the detailed statement). What tradeoffs does it involve? What obstacles would confront the plan in Congress? If he won passage of the whole plan, would it work?
• Is Occupy Wall Street part of an issue-attention cycle? If so, why? What is the "issue" in question? If not, why not? How does the issue differ from those that go through the cycle?

IV. Bonus questions (one point each) Very briefly identify the following:

• Peter Orszag
• Amy Klobuchar
• Bill Frist
• Alexis Orton
• J. Peter Grace