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Course Schedule*

  

Class

Topics

Readings

Assignments

6/24 Introduction
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Introductions

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Review syllabus & assignments

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Assign teams & cases

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Policy analysis - Art or science?

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Development of the field

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Working with clients and the public

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Ethical issues and value conflicts

 

RES #1

6/25

6/26

6/30

Public Policy Process

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Public policy process

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Role of policy analysts in the policy process

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Steps in the policy analysis process

 

P & S: 1 - 73

L & D:

RES #2

 

7/1

7/2

7/3

Policy Problems

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Problem definition

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Agenda setting and policy making

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Problem framing & dispute resolution

 

P & S: 74 - 185

L & D:

RES #3

 Library tour (7/1)

7/7

7/8

7/9

Rationales for Public Policy

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What govt does & why it does it?

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Public goods vs. private goods

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Market failures

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Externalities

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Monopolies

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Information asymmetries

 

L & D:

RES #4 &  #5

 

7/10

7/14

Identifying Alternatives

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Finding alternatives

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Lesson drawing & best practices research

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Diffusion of innovations

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Policy instruments

 

L & D:

P & S: 227 - 256

 

7/15

7/16

Evaluative Criteria
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Efficiency

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Equity

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Economic, financial, technical, political feasibility

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Optimization & constraints

 

P & S: 186 - 226

L & D:

RES #6

 

 

Preliminary Analysis Memo (7/16)

Presentations & Memos for Case #10 & #14 are Due (7/16)

7/17

Evaluating Alternatives

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Finding & analyzing data

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Goals, alternatives, outcomes matrices

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Sensitivity analysis

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Forecasting

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Trend extrapolation

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Decision trees

 

P & S: 257 - 361

L & D:

RES #6

Presentations & Memos for Case #13 are Due (7/17)

7/21

7/22

Benefit-Cost Analysis

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B-C Analysis vs. cost effectiveness analysis

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Opportunity costs

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Tangible vs. intangible costs Discount rates & time

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Valuing inputs & outcomes

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Present vs. future value

 

P & S: 257 - 331

L & D:

RES #7

Presentations & Memos for Case #12 & #15 are Due (7/21)

7/23

7/24

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Present Policy Analysis Projects (7/23 & 24)

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Policy Analysis Papers are Due (7/24)

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Spots and peer evaluations

 

7/25

Take Home Final Exam is due at 12:20 PM

  

RES = Reading is on reserve in the library; P & S = Patton & Sawicki, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and PlanningL & D = Levitt & Dubner, Freakonomics

*Subject to Change

 

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