Public Policy

Unit V: Public Policy
Description: The unit on Public Policy will include an overview of policy-making in the federal government. The influence of institutions, interest groups, political parties and public opinion on policy-making decisions will be studied.

Topics:
Policy-Making Procedure

• Who is involved in Policy Making
• Different ways to make policy
• Who and what influences policy

Social Welfare Policy

• Historical overview of income, health and education policy
• Agenda settings and policy formulation
• Current social welfare policies
• Charter schools and NCLB
• Entitlement Programs
• Immigration

Economic Policy

• Federal Budget process
• Stock Market and international influences
• Energy Crisis
• Federal Deficit
• Trade Policy (NAFTA)

Foreign & Military Policy

• Historical overview of Foreign Policy
• 9-11, Iraq and beyond
• Foreign Policy, NSA and Homeland Security

Essential Questions:
1. How is public policy created, changed and implemented in America?
2. Is Social Security doomed? If so, how can we fix it?
3. How much government involvement is needed in today’s economy?
4. How are today’s military decisions made?
5. Where did the welfare state come from? Where is the welfare state going?
6. How does America’s debt influence it’s economic and foreign policies?

POWERPOINTS:
Social Welfare Policy
Social Welfare Policy Continued (Health & Environment)
Foreign & Military Policy (National Security)
Economic Policy


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
National Budget Simulation


VOCABULARY:

Agenda Agenda setting Entitlement program Governmental (institutional) agenda Medicaid	Medicare Means-tested program Non-means-based program Policy adoption Policy evaluation	Policy formulation Policy implementation Public policy Social Security Act Social welfare policy Systematic agenda
Business cycles Discount rate Economic regulation Economic stability Federal Reserve Board	Fiscal policy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Inflation Interventionist state Laissez-faire	Monetary policy Money Open market operations Recession Reserve requirements Social regulation
Barbary Wars Big Three Bretton Woods Agreement Carter Doctrine Central Intelligence Agency Collective security Containment Cuban Missile Crisis Department of Defense Department of State Détente Embargo Act Engagement Enlargement Executive agreements General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Grand Strategy	Human rights Impressment Information warfare International Monetary Fund Iranian hostage crisis Isolationism Kyoto Conference League of Nations Lend-Lease Program Manifest destiny Military-industrial-complex Monroe Doctrine Moralism Multilateralism National Security Council Nixon Doctrine North Atlantic Treaty Organization	North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Operation Desert Storm Pearl Harbor Pragmatism Reagan Doctrine Roosevelt Corollary Spanish-American War Tariffs Truman Doctrine Unilateralism United Nations War of 1812 War Powers Act Washington’s Farewell Address Weapons of mass destruction World Bank World Trade Organization