Unit 5: Public Policy Making

 Brief description: o For our fifth unit, we will be examining how public policy results from various inter-actions among different agents. Together we will investigate the formation of policy agendas and the ways in which they are enacted. You will be learning about the different issues that arise in domestic and foreign policy areas. Overall, you will gain a clear understanding of major public policies.

 Essential Question: o What are the factors that impact the policy-making process in both the domestic and foreign policy arenas?

 Number of days: o 12 teaching days allotted + 2 testing days. 14 days total.

 Unit objectives that address both content and skill development: SWBAT: o Analyze the federal budget-making process o Evaluate various entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicaid, while determining the potential threats to the future of such programs. o Identify the participants in the policy making process as regarding social welfare, student loans, healthcare and other economic policies. o Explain the relationship between the executive and legislative branches in conducting foreign policy.

 Reading Assignments: o Why Are We Still Talking About Taiwan? Article. o The US Supreme Court’s Decision on the Affordable Care Act o Should America Balance the Federal Budget? o Fiscal Policy: Does our Government Spend our money wisely? o Readings in the Wilson textbook: (American Gov: Institutions & Policies) . Policymaking in a federal system: Chapter 17, 469-488 . Economic Policy: Chapter 18, 492-510 . Social Welfare: Chapter 19, 514-525 . Foreign Policy: Chapter 20, 534-558

 Reading Guide Questions: o Chapter 17: (469-488) . Does some political elite dominate American politics? . Do powerful interest groups decide what policies our government should adopt? . Why are Social Security payments popular but welfare payments to unwed mothers unpopular? . Why were government regulations on certain industries repealed over the objection of those industries? o Chapter 18:( 492-510) . Who in the federal government can make our economy strong? . How do you end a recession? . Why does the federal government ever have a budget deficit? . Who was responsible for the 2007–2009 recession? o Chapter 19: (514-525) . How, if at all, have Americans' views of government's responsibility to help the “deserving poor” changed over time? . Why are some government social welfare programs politically protected while others are politically imperiled? . What does the Constitution mean by “promote the general Welfare”? . Should religious groups be eligible to administer some federal welfare programs? o Chapter 20: (534-558) . Is American foreign policy set by public wishes or elite views? . If only Congress can declare war, why has the president become so powerful in military affairs? . Why do we go to war against some dictatorships and not others? . Should our foreign policy be based on American interests or some conception of human rights?  Vocabulary List: o Characteristics of policy making process o Fiscal policy o Economic policy-making o Monetary policy o Foreign policy o Social welfare policy o Political agenda o Public Policy o Distributive Policy o Redistributive Policy o Zero-Sum Games o Think Tank o Iron Triangle o Issue Network o Incremental Policy o Punctuating Policy o Regulation o Inflation o Deficit (spending) o Gross Domestic Product (GDP) o Stagflation o Excise Tax o Budget Deficit o Tariff o Progressive Tax o Regressive Tax o Flat Tax o Office of Management & Budget (OMB) o Congressional Budget Office (CBO) o Value-added Tax (VAT) o Federal Reserve System o Laissez-Faire Economics o Keynesian Economics o Supply side Economics o Protectionism o World Trade Organization (WTO) o North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) o Monopoly o Antitrust Organization o Closed Shop o Union Shop o Collective Bargaining o Deregulation o Entitlements & (Means Tested) o Social Safety Net o Public Assistance o Social Security o Medicare o Medicaid o Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) o Medical savings Account o Realism o Idealism o Isolationism o Internationalism o Unilateralism o Bush Doctrine o Multilateralism o Preemption o Hard Power o Soft Power o Theory of Deterrence

*PLUS ALL VOCAB TERMS IN POWER POINTS