Faculty Bios: You can view bios for many WWS faculty in the WWS faculty directory. Please note, not all faculty have bios posted and faculty who will be teaching at WWS for the first time may not yet be listed.

Blackboard: All WWS courses have a Blackboard course web site. You can access these sites by going to the Blackboard login page and searching for the course you would like to access, or you can click on the course titles below which will take you directly to the specific course site after logging in.

WWS Graduate Course Syllabi: WWS Graduate course syllabi which are available to date are posted here.  

WWS 501 The Politics of Public Policy

Charles M. Cameron, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Grigore Pop-Eleches, Deniz Aksoy

An analysis of the forces that shape the behavior of public organizations and individuals in organizational settings. The emphasis is on the workings of U.S. governmental agencies. Special attention is given to writing skills as they apply to the roles of advisers and decision makers in public-sector organizations.

WWS 507B Quantitative Analysis: Basic  

Mark W. Watson

Statistical analysis with applications to public policy. The course begins with an introduction to probability theory followed by discussion of statistical methods for estimating the quantitative effects of changes in policy variables. Regression methods appropriate for the analysis of observational data and data from randomized controlled experiments are stressed. The basic level (507B) assumes a fluency in high school algebra and some familiarity with calculus, while the advanced level (507C) assumes a fluency in calculus.

WWS 507C Quantitative Analysis: Advanced

David S. Lee

Statistical analysis with applications to public policy. The course begins with an introduction to probability theory followed by discussion of statistical methods for estimating the quantitative effects of changes in policy variables. Regression methods appropriate for the analysis of observational data and data from randomized controlled experiments are stressed. The basic level (507B) assumes a fluency in high school algebra and some familiarity with calculus, while the advanced level (507C) assumes a fluency in calculus.

WWS 509/ECO 509 Generalized Linear Statistical Models

Germán Rodriguez

The analysis of survey data using generalized linear statistical models. The course begins with a review of linear models for continuous responses and then considers logistic regression models for binary data and log-linear models for count data, including rates and contingency tables and hazard models for duration data. Attention is given to the logical and mathematical foundations of the techniques, but the main emphasis is on the applications, including computer usage.

 

WWS 511B Microeconomic Analysis: Basic

Cecilia E. Rouse

Course develops an understanding of basic microeconomic tools. Emphasis is placed on how these tools can be used for policy analysis. Students need not have taken any other economics courses, but should have a good command of algebra and be familiar with basic calculus concepts, although proficiency in calculus is not necessary.

WWS 511C Microeconomic Analysis: Advanced

Robert D. Willig

This course is an introduction to the use of microeconomics for the analysis of public policy on an advanced level. The emphasis is on both the intuitive and formal logic of economic principles, a deeper perspective on the impacts of typical policy measures, and an introduction to the use of professional microeconomic tools to assess and weigh these policy impacts. One goal is to move students towards the ability to read professional microeconomic literature with appreciation of both its contributions and foibles.

WWS 511D Microeconomics Analysis: Accelerated

Douglas L. Miller

Course covers many key concepts from microeconomic theory, including consumer and producer theory, competitive markets, market power, information and contracts. Emphasis of the course is on developing a formal, model-based treatment of these subjects and applying them to various relevant policy issues. The course is intended for those students who are already familiar with microeconomic concepts (at the level of 511c) and have an appropriate level of mathematical proficiency, including knowledge of multivariate calculus (including constrained optimization), basic probability, and some familiarity with linear algebra.

WWS 519A/PSY 528A Negotiation: Theory & Practice

Frank P. Vargas

Examines the principles of negotiation in organizational settings and provides firsthand experience in simulated negotiations. Theoretical and empirical research on the variables that affect success in negotiations is discussed. Students engage in a series of bargaining exercises between individuals and teams, and results are analyzed in detail by the class.

WWS 521 Domestic Politics

Amy E. Lerman

An introduction to the political analysis of policy making in the American setting. The course includes theoretical and empirical analyses of political institutions, including executives, legislatures, and bureaucracies. It also examines the political environment in which these institutions operate, with special attention given to the role of public opinion, interest groups, and elections.

WWS 523 Legal & Regulatory Policy Toward Markets

Robert D. Willig

This course employs the methods of microeconomics, industrial organization and law and economics to study where market failures warrant gov't intervention with policies implemented through the law or regulatory agencies. Topics include antitrust policy toward business practices and vertical and horizontal combinations; policy approaches toward R&D and intellectual property; reliance on tort law, disclosure law, and regulatory standards to mitigate information and externality problems pertaining to health, safety, and performance risks; and the implications for pricing, entry, and investment of different forms of public utility regulation.

WWS 527A Topics in Domestic Policy Analysis: Tools for Organizational Analysis and Reform

Dennis B. Whittle

Workplaces both big and small are full of processes, practices, and people that seem to impede rather than promote change. Discouragement or even cynicism can often result, especially when students are unprepared. This course will help students: (a) recognize and understand common organizational pathologies; (b) consider how negative organizational incentives and dynamics can be overcome or even leveraged by successful policy makers and change leaders; and (c) develop some of the specific organizational skills they will need to flourish in their workplace.

WWS 529 Great Leadership in Hist. Perspective

Julian E. Zelizer

Course uses the lens of history to evaluate why some individuals are considered most effective as elected, bureaucratic, and appointed officials in American history. Course evaluates social scientific models of leadership, then delves into the historical record to discover any patterns. Careful consideration is given to the distinct challenges posed by different institutional settings. A wide range of influential leaders, including Gifford Pinchot at the Dept of Agriculture, Lyndon Johnson in the Senate, Wilbur Cohen at the Social Security Administration and George Schultz at State, will be examined.

WWS 533/ARC 535 Planning Theory and Process

Shlomo Angel

Introduction to the theory and practice of planning. Analysis and discussion are devoted to planning models, planning decisions, and alternative planning roles. Focused study of comprehensive and strategic planning, community participation, new urbanism concepts, equity concerns, and planning at local, regional, and state levels.

WWS 537/SOC 537 Social Organization of Cities

Douglas S. Massey

A review of the historical emergence and social evolution of cities and urban life. Course presents current theories regarding the ecological and social structure of urban areas, and how urban social organization affects the behavior and well-being of human beings who live and work in cities.

WWS 543 International Trade Policy

Stephen J. Redding

Evaluates arguments for and against protection and adjustment assistance and considers topics chosen from the following: non-tariff barriers, dumping, embargo threats and trade warfare, and the political economy of trade policy formation. Special attention is given to trade problems of the less-developed countries, including North-South trade relations and commodity price stabilization. Prerequisite: 511c.

WWS 549 National Security Policy

Aaron L. Friedberg

Examines the changing meaning of "national security" and the various policies and institutions through which states may seek to enhance it. Emphasis is on the formation and implementation of national security policy by the U.S. government.

WWS 550 PhD Gateway in Security Studies

Aaron L. Friedberg, Christopher F. Chyba, Thomas J. Christensen

The field of Security Studies is distinguished by its focus on a clearly delineated set of intellectual and practical problems. This course will serve as the required gateway for all students entering the Woodrow Wilson School's new PhD cluster in Security Studies. Students will take this course during the fall semester of their first year.

WWS 553/POL 530 The Politics of Growth & Redistribution

Carles Boix

Course examines political and institutional factors underlying cross-national variation in economic performance. Structured around the following questions: why do countries differ so much in their level of economic development?; does the international economy constrain economic governance?; what is the impact of elections, parties and domestic institutions on the management of the economy? what determines different levels of public spending and politically enforced redistribution? Course combines an analysis of current theoretical work with the examination of historical evidence and country-specific cases within a comparative perspective.

WWS 555A Topics in International Relations: U.S. Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East

Daniel C. Kurtzer

Middle East historically has been of strategic importance to the US & American interest groups. This seminar will explore the process & content of US foreign policy & diplomacy in the Middle East since 1945. Through case studies from the Cold War through the Global War on Terrorism, we will look at enduring US interests & attitudes & examine the degree to which the US has been successful in implementing strategies to achieve its national interests. Also examine domestic political environment in which Middle East policy & diplomacy operate, to understand the interplay among politics, policy & diplomacy.

WWS 555D Topics in International Relations: Defense Policy Analysis

Michael E. O'Hanlon

Covers types of analytical frameworks for evaluating military issues. Methodologies range from simple quantitative methods for understanding combat to structured use of military history to defense budget calculations to simple assessments of military tech. Address 7 topics: terrorism, modern air-ground warfare; infantry combat including guerrilla war, peace enforcement, urban warfare, mountain & jungle warfare; missile battle/missile defense; military transport, supply, logistics; effects & implications of weapons of mass destruction; budgetary & econ. issues in defense planning; military tech., future of warfare.

WWS 559 The Rule of Law

Kim Lane Scheppele

Considers role of law in government: When is a state constrained by law & when it may legitimately change/ignore the law? Use a range of materials from fiction to court cases, legal theory to political history, etc. Proceed by negative example, considering cases from the US: Lincoln's conduct during Civil War, Roosevelt's economic emergency, the Cold War, Nixonian exceptionalism, "war on terror" after 9/11. Also consider comparative examples: Russian Revolution, the collapse of the Weimar constitution, the breaks from communism in the "revolutions" of 1989 & beyond. Also Nuremberg Trials & Kosovar War.

WWS 561/POL 523 Comparative Political Economy of Develop

Atul Kohli

Analysis of political change and the operation of political institutions in the development process, with emphasis on the interaction of political and economic factors. Various definitions and theories of political development are examined and tested against different economic, ethnic, geographic, and social contexts.

WWS 571B/NES 584 Topics in Development: Muslim Politics in India, Iran, Pakistan & Indonesia

Mirjam Künkler, Christophe O. Jaffrelot

The course offers an analysis of Muslim politics in India, Pakistan, Iran and Indonesia since the colonial era. It highlights the nexus between state- and nation-building processes and Islam. How have Islamic movements and elites shaped local struggles for self-determination and subsequent normative debates about the state and political order? How have independent states accommodated, regulated and managed religion? And how have religious politics in turn shaped prospects for democratization in Pakistan and Iran, and challenges to democratic consolidation in India and Indonesia?

WWS 571C Topics in Development: Global Challenges of Infection, Burden & Control

Adel A. Mahmoud, Bryan T. Grenfell

An exploration of the biological, public health and global dimensions of infectious disease. The basic features of human-microbe interactions by examining several viral, bacterial and parasitic infections are analyzed.   Emphasis includes biology, burden of illness and domestic and global forces shaping the expanding threat. Control strategies, including chemotherapy, vaccines and environmental changes; and the role of international organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI and the major philanthropies, are considered.

WWS 581C Topics in Economics: Energy Economics

Amy B. Craft

Examines the economics behind many issues related to energy use, including the investment and use of renewable and non-renewable resources, energy conservation, deregulation of energy markets, transportation, and energy independence. Current policy options will be discussed.

WWS 585B Topics in Science/Technology/Environment: Living in a Greenhouse: Technology & Policy

Robert H. Socolow

A focus primarily on the challenge of modifying the global energy system to reduce projected carbon dioxide emissions. Students pursue both science/technology and policy in each of five two-week units: 1)underlying carbon cycle science, ways the world has organized to learn more & to communicate results; 2) Energy efficiency, patterns of demand, lifestyles, energy & poverty; 3) Fossil fuels, abundance & depletion, energy security; 4) Carbon capture & storage, policies enabling commercialization, risk assessment; 5) Non-carbon energy in its two forms, nuclear power & renewable energy. Final two weeks are devoted to student reports.

WWS 590B/POL 598 Politics of Inequality & Redistribution

Thomas Romer, Rafaela M. Dancygier

Study of policy preferences, differential rates of political participation, voting behavior, legislative process, political communication, urban politics and role of race in US political life are central to study of inequality in politics. Though the American case will feature prominently, we will approach issues from a comparative perspective. Thus the course provides introduction to comparative study of welfare states and political economy of advanced industrial countries, including regulation of labor markets and relationship between wage inequality, income distribution and policy preferences for redistribution and social protection.

WWS 590D Psychological Studies of Inequality

Susan T. Fiske

Two major areas of psychology make important contributions to the study of social policy and inequality. The first is social psychology, which focuses on inter-group relations, interpersonal perception, stereotyping, racism, aggression, justice and fairness. These are the micro-level building blocks of structural inequalities and processes that are shaped by the larger context of race, ethnic and gender relations. The second domain involves the fields of social-cognition, judgment and decision making , areas of research that study human information processing in a way that is not about individual differences, and often not social.

WWS 591A Policy Workshop: Housing Foreclosure Crisis in New Jersey

David N. Kinsey

The workshop will assist NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) by: analyzing the current status and projecting the future extent of the foreclosure crisis; assessing progress achieved and problems encountered since the onslaught of the crisis; evaluating HMFA's HomeKeeper pilot program; researching best practices nation-wide for addressing the foreclosure crisis with potential applicability in NJ; analyzing the effectiveness of current local, state, federal, private sector, non-profit sector policies and practices; offering recommendations on initiatives that HMFA should pursue.

WWS 591B Policy Workshops: Regional Unions in East & Southern Africa

Iqbal M. Zaidi

This workshop will focus on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) in sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter Africa), and how the design and implementation of RTAs can promote trade at the regional and multilateral levels.

WWS 591C Policy Workshop: National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (India)

Atul Kohli

The workshop will evaluate the performance of the program in two different states, most likely Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The focus will be on political aspects of the program, specifically, how political structures in the two different states have contributed to its relative success or failure.

WWS 591D Policy Workshop: Yemen: Revitalize the Port; Revive the Country

Barbara K. Bodine

The macro and micro economic, resource depletion, demographic and governance challenges that have fueled the unrest in the north and the south, the presence of AQAP and exploded into the Yemeni Winter of Discontent will not be resolved by simply replacing the current government. This workshop will seek to bring together a broad range of disciplines to craft an integrated and targeted medium and long-term program for Yemen centered on the Port of Aden.

WWS 591E Policy Workshop: School Choice and Impacts on Cities

Hugh B. Price

For more than a generation American public education has been a hotbed of experimentation, much of it initiated by reformers and educators, but some of it foisted upon them by politicians. This Policy Workshop will examine whether, in this age of hyper-austerity, small schools can and, indeed, should survive. We will assess this concept from various angles - effectiveness, equity, financial viability, sustainability, scalability, and implications for school districts. Students in the workshop will team up to produce a final report for a national policy, advocacy or constituency-based organization in the K-12 education sector.

WWS 591F Policy Workshop: Negotiating with Iran over its Nuclear Program

Frank N. von Hippel, Seyed Hossein Mousavian

Iran's secret uranium enrichment and heavy-water reactor programs were exposed to the world in August 2002. The purpose of this workshop will be to better understand the constraints imposed by the political systems in Teheran and Washington, as well as the perspectives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), other members of the P5+1 and Israel and to identify the misconceptions that may be making the diplomatic track less successful than it could be.

WWS 591H Policy Workshop: Government Policies & Health Status in West Bengal (India)

Jeffrey S. Hammer

At the request of the Principal Secretary of Health of the state of West Bengal, the workshop will undertake the analysis of a variety of surveys (National Family Health Surveys, the India Human Development Surveys, Reproductive and Child Health surveys and specialized surveys such as absenteeism in health centers) that the government has limited resources for doing itself but which have significant implications for policy. The workshop will put health policy in a more general context of the role of government as well as providing insights from observations of health care center activities during field visits.

WWS 593A Fundraising 101: How to Improve Donations and Donor Experiences (Session I)

Daniel M. Oppenheimer

Understanding how and when people donate has tremendous implications for the success (or failure) of fundraising campaigns. Recent research into the psychology and behavioral economics of charity has led to a wealth of new findings on how to better structure charitable appeals for improved effectiveness. This class showcases some of the most promising lines of experimental research on charitable giving, discusses how these findings can be applied to actual fundraising, and provides a background in methodology to allow students to design and measure novel interventions for increasing donations.

WWS 593C Financial Markets and Public Finance (Session I)

Joseph S. Fichera

Through lectures, case studies, and discussions with practitioners, this course will examine the ways that public and private sector organizations raise capital from the financial markets. We will seek to identify what practitioners in government and not-for-profit organizations need to know about financial markets, securities and risk so as to access effectively external financing sources while advancing their policy objectives. We will also discuss a variety of policy issues arising from the recent global financial crisis that concern the private provision of public finance.

WWS 593D Policymaking in Diverse Societies (Session II)

Rafaela M. Dancygier

This course investigates how ethnic diversity influences the policymaking process in democratic societies, with a focus on Europe and the United States. We will first address why and how ethnic diversity shapes individuals' and groups' beliefs, preferences, and behaviors in ways that shape the formulation of policy. Next the course will examine the consequences of ethnic diversity on policy areas that all societies confront (such as redistribution and economic development) as well as policy areas that emerge as a result of diversity (such as affirmative action or immigrant integration).

WWS 593E Surveys, Polls and Public Policy (Session I)

Edward P. Freeland

Course aims to improve students' abilities to understand and critically evaluate public opinion polls and surveys, particularly as they are used to influence public policy. Course begins with an overview of contrasting perspectives on the role of public opinion in politics, then examines the evolution of public opinion polling in the US and other countries. Class visits a major polling operation to get a firsthand look at procedures used for designing representative samples and conducting surveys by telephone, mail and Internet.

WWS 593F Agriculture & Climate Change: Feeding a Hot & Hungry Planet (Session II)

Timothy D. Searchinger

By some estimates, agriculture contributes 30% of world greenhouse gas emissions, including its role in tropical deforestation. Reducing these emissions while producing the additional food needed for an expected 9 billion people in 2050 represents one of the great challenges of our age. This concentrated half semester course will explore the sources of agricultural emissions, agriculture's role in shaping world land use, the locations and causes of world hunger, and technical and policy options for meeting this challenge.

WWS 593G AIDS in Africa: Causes and Consequences (Session I)

Anne C. Case

This course is intended to offer a rigorous analysis of some of the causes and consequences of the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. We will focus on the following themes: orphanhood, education, health care delivery and behavioral responses. It will draw on both microeconomic theory and econometrics to analyze important aspects of the crisis.

WWS 593H Ethics and Economics: Social Justice and Policy (Session II)

Marc Fleurbaey

The course presents the economic concepts involved in the evaluation of the socio-economic effects of public policies. It shows how concrete measures and indicators are grounded on ethical principles. It is organized around central ethical debates: Is there an efficiency-equity trade-off? Are there legitimate inequalities? How much priority should be given to the worse-off? Are interpersonal comparisons of well-being impossible? Why not maximize happiness? Should we discount future generations?

WWS 593I The Federal Budget (Session I)

James H. Klumpner

This course will cover how the Federal budget process is supposed to work and how it actually does work. Topics will include: (1) institutions, processes, and definitions; (2) history of budget outcomes; (3) the current state of the Federal budget process; (4) the role of uncertainty in budgeting; (4) the role of politics in budgeting; and (5) the budget's short- and long-term fiscal consequences.

WWS 593J State and Local Finance (Session II)

Richard F. Keevey

Examines budgeting and finance at the state and local level of government. Topics include: budget structure and process; decision makers within the political and economic environment; debt, capital planning and bond financing; revenue structures supporting expenditures. Tax policy and associated tradeoffs between tax equity and efficiency and spending and program needs are also examined. Two case studies are utilized---one related to state and local tax policy and one related to budgetary decision-making.

WWS 593L Behavioral Economics of Scarcity: Packing Problem (Session II)

Eldar Shafir, Sendhil Mullainathan

Why do the poor stay poor? Why do those in debt stay in debt? Why do the obese stay obese? This course explains that there may be one answer to these questions. It presents a new way of looking at scarcity: the subjective experience of having very little (low incomes, small budgets, few calories). Scarcity evokes its own psychology which allows people to thrive under scarcity. But it generates behaviors that ultimately keep people stuck in scarcity. This new perspective transforms how we should think about our own lives as well as important social problems such as poverty.

WWS 593M Principles & Tools for Evidence-Based Policy Decision Making (Session I)

Lorenzo Moreno

Introduces students to the evaluation of social programs for policy-based decision-making. Focus is on the principles for the development of impact evaluations; the assessment of whether the program was implemented as planned; the quality of the program's services; the relationship among the program operation rules, the evaluation design, and potential ethical challenges; the examination of the benefits and costs of changes; and the influence of impact evaluations in public policies.

WWS 593N GIS for Public Policy (Session II)

William G. Guthe, Tsering W. Shawa

This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of computer mapping (Geographic Information systems) for policy analysis and decision-making. Students learn ArcGIS through examples of map applications. Students are expected to complete exercises and a final project applying GIS to a policy issue.

WWS 593O/POP 504O Health and Aging (Session I)

Noreen J. Goldman

An overview of the epidemiologic transition, reviewing historic and current health patterns, and examines the demographic forces that have led to rapid aging of populations worldwide. After consideration of how researchers measure health status in older populations, the course examines inequalities in health by gender, race and socioeconomic status. The final part of the course considers the potential impact of threats to future improvements in life expectancy and focuses on the social, health and economic consequences of societal aging, primarily in high-income countries.

WWS 593P Psychology and Public Policy for MPPs (Session II)

Daniel M. Oppenheimer

A half-term course designed for MPP's to cover basic concepts and findings from psychology and their application in policy development. Topics include bounded rationality, group dynamics, memory, judgment and decision making biases, behavioral economics, public opinion, social determinants of behavior, attitudes, psychological assessment, and a psychological perspective on incentive structures, all of which have implications for the design of policies that affect individual citizens as well as for the functioning of organizations that determine policy.

WWS 597 The Political Economy of Health Systems

Uwe E. Reinhardt

This course explores the professed and unspoken goals nations pursue with their health systems and the alternative economic and administrative structures different nations use to pursue those goals. The emphasis in the course will be on the industrialized world, although some time can be allocated later in the course to approaches used in the developing countries, if students in the course desire it.

WWS 599/POP 506 PhD Seminar: Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity (Session I)

Harold T. Shapiro, Elizabeth M. Armstrong

Examines the ethical issues arising in the context of scientific research. Evaluates the role and responsibilities of professional researchers in dealing with plagiarism, fraud, conflict over authorial credit, and ownership of data. In addition, it undertakes a broader inquiry into conceptions of professional integrity, and the responsibilities that scientists have to their research subjects, to their students and apprentices, as well as to society at large.