Introduction to Public Policy (PLSC 260)
Fall 2002
Government policies and programs influence and structure almost every
aspect of our lives from what kinds of medicines we can take, to the quality of
our education, to how comfortable we will be when we retire.
Thus, the study of public policy is one of the most important fields in
political science. This course will
give you a broad overview of the field of public policy focusing on national
policies and policy-makers. It will
explore the history of America's distinct welfare state, the features of the
contemporary public policy-making process, and the issues at stake in a number
of current public policy controversies such as health care reform and abortion.
Through the readings and assignments you will learn how to analyze
policies and policy proposals as well as how different actors in the public
policy process such as the President, Congress, the courts, interest groups, and
the media influence American politics. This
course emphasizes the politics of the policymaking process.
Required Texts:
George Hager and Eric Pianin, Balancing
Act: Washington's Troubled Path to
a Balanced Budget
Karen O'Connor, No Neutral Ground: Abortion Politics in an Age of Absolutes
Michael D. Reagan, The Accidental System: Health Care Policy in America
Carl E. Van Horn, Donald C. Baumer, Politics and Public Policy (referred to below as PPP)
A set of case studies from Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government will also be used. I
will give you details on how to obtain these materials.
Readings marked with an (*) are available on the Internet and will have links posted on Blackboard. Readings marked with a (+) will be available in the Boatwright Library's electronic and print reserves. As I am constantly coming across new readings I may occasionally add to or replace readings on the syllabus, which will be denoted in Blackboard.
Course Requirements:
Most class sessions will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Students are expected to complete assigned readings by class time on the day they are listed below and participate in class. In addition, you should make a habit of reading a high quality newspaper (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal) on a daily basis so that we can discuss current public policy issues in class. Although you will not be formally penalized for missing a class, repeated absences will hurt your participation grade.
There will be an in-class midterm and a final scheduled for the university-assigned final exam date for the course. You will also be required to turn in two papers over the course of the semester. Everyone will be required to do a 5-7 page paper on health care policy focusing on ways to improve quality, control costs, and expand coverage. This paper is due in-class on October 10. For your second 5-7 page paper you can choose between the topics of budget (due November 7), social security (due November 12), poverty (due November 26) or education policy (due December 3). No papers will be accepted after the beginning of class on the corresponding due dates because the topics will be discussed in class. The paper topics will be geared to the readings assigned for the course but some additional outside research will be necessary. Details on the paper topics will follow in handouts.
Final grade composition:
Mid-term 25% First issue paper 20% Attendance and Participation 10%
Final 25% Second issue paper 20%
In grading your exams, I will look for evidence that you have done the readings and thought about the issues addressed in class. Memorization of the material alone will not get you an "A." The highest grades will be given to those students who show that they have assimilated the material and can present thoughtful and well-supported arguments. In grading your papers I will look for well-substantiated arguments. You will not be formally penalized for grammatical errors in your papers; however, the best grades inevitably go to those papers that are well organized, well written, and grammatically sound.
You are paying a lot for your college education and I expect you to be responsible in managing your workload and getting your readings done on time so that you can get the most from the course. However, if it becomes clear to me that people are not doing the readings I will have to resort to the tactic of pop quizzes and they will be reworked into your final grade composition.
-------------------
T 8/27 - review of syllabus and requirements
Th 8/29 - No class (I unfortunately will be at the annual conference of political scientists)
The United States - an exceptional political culture and
an exceptional welfare state
T 9/3
PPP Chapter 2
*Seymour Martin Lipset, “Still the Exceptional Nation?” The Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2000.
The United States - an exceptional political system
Th 9/5
PPP Chapter 1
*James Madison, Federalist 10 and 51
+Sven Steinmo, "American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: Culture or Institutions"
+James Anderson, Chapter 1 of Public Policymaking. Note the policy-making chart on p. 31 - most of the case studies on the syllabus will illustrate a step in this process.
An overview of the historical foundations of American
public policy from the New Deal to the Gingrich Revolution
T 9/10
Reading TBA
American alternatives to the welfare state
Th 9/12
+Beth Stevens, “Blurring the Boundaries:
How the Federal Government Has Influenced Welfare Benefits in the Private
Sector,” Chapter 3 in The Politics of
Social Policy in the U.S.
*Christopher Howard, "The Hidden Side of the American Welfare State," in Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 108, Issue 3 (Autumn, 1993), pgs. 403-436.
Board Room Politics and Their Impact on Society
T 9/17 - The case of Enron and other recent corporate scandals
in-class video Frontline special "Bigger Than Enron"
PPP, Chapter 3
*Carol Graham, Robert Litan, and Sandip Sukhtankar, "The Bigger They Are the Harder They Fall: An Estimate of the Costs of the Crisis in Corporate Governance" from the Brookings Institution.
Th 9/19 - Board room politics meets cloakroom politics - What should Congress and regulators do to check corporate abuses?
PPP, Chapter 5
*"Accountants Under Fire" from the CQ Researcher
*current readings TBA
Problem Definition
T 9/24 - Welfare and the Changing Definition of the Problem of Poverty
+Lyndon Johnson piece
+Contract with America excerpt on welfare
+Bill Clinton, Speech before the National Governors Association
+Kathryn M. Neckerman, Robert Aponte, and William Julius Wilson, “Family Structure, Black Unemployment and American Social Policy,” Chapter 12 in The Politics of Social Policy in the U.S.
+Christopher Jencks, Rethinking Social Policy: Race, Poverty, and the Underclass, pg. 204-235
Agenda Setting and Public Opinion
Th 9/26 - The Case of Auto-Safety
PPP, Chapter 8
Harvard case study on Auto Safety (Parts A, B, and sequel)
Health Care Policy
T 10/1 - Health care policy - the lay of the land
The Accidental System, Chapters 1-3
Th 10/3 - Formulation of alternatives and an attempt at policy adoption - The Clinton Health Security Plan
The Accidental System, Chapter 4
Kennedy school of government case study on the Clinton health care plan
*Steinmo, Sven and Jon Watts. "It's the Institutions, Stupid! Why Comprehensive National Health Insurance Always Fails in America." Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 20 (Summer 1995): 329-369.
T 10/8 - America's targeted system - Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP
The Accidental System, Chapter 5
*current reading on congressional efforts to pass prescription drug benefit TBA
+CRS report on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
*David Rosenbaum, "Expansion of Medical Benefits Puts Vermont in the
Vanguard" in The New York Times, June 19, 2000.
Th 10/10 - Where do we go from here?
The Accidental System, Chapters 6-9
*Ceci Connolly, "Health Care's Soaring Cost Takes a Toll," The Washington Post, July 9, 2002.
*Albert Crenshaw, "Proposed Health Accounts May Give Employees More Control," The Washington Post, July 7, 2002.
**health care papers due**
T 10/15 - Fall break
Th 10/17 - **midterm
Policy Implementation: the Power and Impotence of Bureaucrats
T 10/22 - The Case of Title IX
Harvard case study, "HEW and Title IX: The Elimination of Sex Discrimination in Education"
PPP, Chapter 4
Th 10/24 - Environmental Regulation
+Walter Rosenbaum, "The Politics of Regulatory Discontent," Chapter 1 in Environmental Politics and Policy
The Budgeting Process - The Search for A Balanced Budget
T 10/29
Hager and Pianin, p. 3-130
Th 10/31
Hager and Pianin, p. 131-226
T 11/5
Hager and Pianin, p. 227-320
Th 11/7
in class budget simulation developed by the Concord Coalition
**budget papers due
Social Security - Can we save the system?
T 11/12
+"Social Security: A Primer" published by the Congressional Budget Office.
**Social Security papers due
The Role of the Courts in Public Policy and the Case Study of Abortion Politics
Th 11/14
PPP, Chapter 7
No Neutral Ground, p.1-53
T 11/19
No Neutral Ground, p.55-111
Th 11/21
No Neutral Ground, p.113-181
Policy Evaluation:
A Return to Welfare Reform - Have Recent Policies Worked?
T 11/26
*Jason DeParle, “Life After Welfare,” series of articles collected in “Bold Effort Leaves Much Unchanged,” New York Times.
*Executive Summary of report by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation on welfare program in Florida.
*selections from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities website
**poverty papers due
Th 11/28 - Happy Thanksgiving!
Education - How do we demand accountability?
T 12/3
*"School vouchers" and "Testing in Schools" from the CQ Researcher.
**education papers due
Conclusion - How well does our policy process function?
Th 12/5
PPP, Chapter 10