ERA Senior Civil Servant Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Policy cycle stages

Agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and revision form a loop; evaluation evidence feeds back into agenda setting and redesign.

Counterfactual

The outcome that would have occurred without the policy; causal attribution requires comparing observed outcomes with a credible counterfactual, often from randomization, matching, or natural experiments.

Policy instrument typology

Governments act through regulation, economic instruments such as taxes and subsidies, information, direct provision, and networks; instrument choice shapes incentives, cost, and feasibility.

Proportionality test

A measure must pursue a legitimate objective, be suitable for achieving it, be no more restrictive than necessary, and balance the burden against the public benefit.

Ultra vires

An action taken beyond the legal powers granted by statute or constitution; such action is invalid and can be quashed by a court.

Enforcement pyramid

Regulators usually start with persuasion and warnings, then escalate to administrative penalties, suspension, or criminal referral as seriousness and repetition increase.

Primary fiscal balance

Government revenue minus non-interest expenditure; it shows whether current fiscal policy is adding to or reducing debt before interest payments.

Accrual accounting

Records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred, not when cash moves; it captures liabilities, commitments, and assets, improving transparency about future obligations.

Value for money

The optimal use of resources to achieve intended outcomes, assessed through economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity; it is broader than lowest price.

AMO performance model

Performance depends on ability, motivation, and opportunity; managers improve results by developing skills, aligning incentives, and removing workplace barriers.

Situational leadership

Leaders adapt directive and supportive behavior to followers' competence and commitment; low competence and low commitment need more direction, while high competence needs delegation.

Psychological safety

A team climate where people can speak up, admit mistakes, and challenge decisions without fear of humiliation; it supports learning and innovation.

SMART goals

Goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound; specificity and feedback improve performance, but narrow targets can encourage gaming.

Price elasticity of demand

The percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price; demand is elastic when the absolute value exceeds one.

Opportunity cost

The value of the next best alternative forgone when a resource is used for one purpose; it is the correct cost concept for public decisions.

Market failure

When markets fail to allocate resources efficiently, due to public goods, externalities, market power, information asymmetry, or common-pool resource problems; it can justify government intervention.

Net present value

The sum of discounted future cash flows minus the initial cost; a positive NPV means the project adds value at the chosen discount rate.

Principal-agent problem

A principal delegates to an agent whose interests and information differ; moral hazard and adverse selection arise, and monitoring, incentives, and transparency are common remedies.

Subsidiarity

Decisions should be taken at the lowest competent level unless higher-level action is demonstrably more effective; it protects local autonomy and limits central overreach.

Whole-of-government approach

Agencies align objectives, pool resources, and share information across portfolios to address cross-cutting problems; risks include turf conflict, unclear accountability, and slow coordination.

Earned value management

Integrates scope, schedule, and cost; planned value, earned value, and actual cost yield cost and schedule variances and performance indices for forecasting.

Critical path

The longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project schedule; any delay on this path delays project completion unless the plan is changed.

Benefits realization

The process of defining, baselining, tracking, and sustaining outcomes that a programme delivers; benefits owners are accountable for confirming that expected benefits materialize.

RACI matrix

Assigns responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed roles for each deliverable; each deliverable should have one accountable owner to prevent diffusion of responsibility.

Internal validity

The extent to which a study's design supports a causal claim that the treatment, not confounders or bias, produced the observed effect.

Data minimization

A data protection principle requiring collection and use of only personal data that is adequate, relevant, and necessary for a specified legitimate purpose.

Confidence interval

A range around an estimate that would contain the true value in a specified proportion of repeated samples; wider intervals indicate less precision.

BATNA

Best alternative to a negotiated agreement; it is the walk-away option that sets a negotiator's reservation value and bargaining power.

Power-interest grid

A stakeholder mapping tool that prioritizes engagement by stakeholder influence and interest; high-power, high-interest parties need close management and regular dialogue.

Public participation ladder

Levels of citizen involvement from inform and consult through involve and collaborate to empower; each level implies different influence over decisions.

Conflict of interest

A situation where a public official's private interest could improperly influence official decisions; it may be actual, potential, or perceived and must be declared and managed.

Fraud triangle

A model explaining fraud through pressure, opportunity, and rationalization; controls that reduce opportunity and increase detection are central to prevention.