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.

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501: The Politics of Public Policy
E. Cosgrove, T. Romer, D. Yashar

Syllabus
Analysis of political forces that influence the policy making process, with an emphasis on the political implications of policy decisions. Examples are drawn from international and U.S. cases. Special attention is given to writing skills as they apply to the roles of advisers and decision makers in public sector organizations.

503: The Management of Organizations
B. Blumenthal

Syllabus
Diagnose organizational issues and design interventions to improve performance, using case studies of public and nonprofit organizations. Analysis of characteristics of high performing organizations and differences between sectors. Explore techniques and skills for problem solving, team building, developing consensus, and leading change, so that students' ideas and initiatives are more likely to succeed. Students reflect on their prior experiences in organizations as a means to further personal development.

507b: Quantitative Analysis: Basic
J. Kling

Syllabus
Study of basic data analysis techniques, stressing application to public policy. Includes measurement, descriptive statistics, data collection, probability, exploratory data analysis, hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression, correlation, and graphical procedures. Some training offered in the use of computers. No previous training in statistics is required. Assumes a fluency in high school algebra and familiarity with basic calculus concepts.

507c: Quantitative Analysis: Advanced
M. Watson

Syllabus
Study of basic data analysis techniques, stressing application to public policy. Includes measurement, descriptive statistics, data collection, probability, exploratory data analysis, hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression, correlation, and graphical procedures. Some training offered in the use of computers. No previous training in statistics is required. Assumes a fluency in calculus.

509: Generalized Linear Statistical Methods (Also ECO509)
G. Rodriguez

Syllabus
Focuses primarily on the analysis of survey data using generalized linear statistical models. The course starts with a review of linear models for continuous responses and then proceeds to consider logistic regression models for binary data, log-linear models for count data-including rates and contingency tables and hazard models for duration data. Attention is paid to the logical and mathematical foundations of the techniques, but the main emphasis is on the applications, including computer usage. Assumes prior exposure to statistics at the level 507c or higher and familiarity with matrix algebra and calculus. (Prereq:507c or higher)

510: Surveys, Polls and Public Policy
E. Freeland

Syllabus
The aim of the course is to improve students’ abilities to understand and critically evaluate public opinion polls and surveys, particularly as they are used to influence public policy. The course begins with an overview of contrasting perspectives on the role of public opinion in politics. From here we look at the evolution of public opinion polling in the U.S. and other countries. The class will visit a major polling operation to get a firsthand look at how they actually work. We also examine procedures used for designing representative samples and conducting surveys by telephone, mail and the Internet. Students will have the option to (1) write a critical evaluation of a survey or set of surveys related to a particular issue, or (2) design and pretest a questionnaire on a topic that is of interest to them.

511b: Microeconomic Analysis: Basic
C. Paxson

Syllabus
Courses 511 and 512 provide systematic exposition of principles and techniques of economic theory that are most useful in analyzing economic aspects of public affairs. The courses are divided into separate sections according to a student's previous experience with economics and the student's level of mathematical sophistication. The basic level assumes a fluency in high-school algebra and a basic knowledge of calculus concepts, while the advanced level assumes a fluency in calculus and some previous exposure to economics.

511c: Microeconomic Analysis: Advanced
R. Willig

Syllabus
Courses 511 and 512 provide systematic exposition of principles and techniques of economic theory that are most useful in analyzing economic aspects of public affairs. The courses are divided into separate sections according to a student's previous experience with economics and the student's level of mathematical sophistication. The basic level assumes a fluency in high-school algebra and a basic knowledge of calculus concepts, while the advanced level assumes a fluency in calculus and some previous exposure to economics.

511d: Microeconomics: Accelerated
A. Craft

Syllabus

515: Program and Policy Evaluation (MPA2 & MPPs only)
J. Grossman

Syllabus
This course introduces students to evaluation. It explores ways: to develop and implement research-based program improvement strategies and program accountability systems; to judge the effects of policies and programs; and to assess the benefits and costs of policy or program changes. Students study a wide range of evaluation tools; read and discuss both domestic and international evaluation examples and apply this knowledge by designing several different types of evaluations on programs of their choosing. Enrollment by lottery. Prerequisite: 507b/c or permission

521: Domestic Politics

L. Bartels

Syllabus
An introduction to the political analysis of policymaking in the American setting. Includes theoretical and empirical analyses of political institutions, including executives, legislatures, and bureaucracies. Also examines the political environment in which these institutions operate, with special attention to the role of public opinion, interest groups, and elections.

524: Advanced Macroeconomics: Domestic Policy Issues
R. MacCulloch

Syllabus
An extension of 512c, the course covers specific topics such as economic growth, political institutions and policy choices, the welfare state and redistribution, unemployment, regulation and corruption, the behavior of asset markets, the economics of happiness, monetary policy, the budget and state of the US economy. A central aim of the course is to show how modern theoretical and quantitative methods can be useful in analyzing important macroeconomic policy issues. Prerequisite: 512c

525: Microeconomic Analysis of Government Activity
E. Sheshinski

Syllabus
Analyzes government involvement in "market failures"; externalities (corrective tolls for congestion, environmental damage); "natural" monopolies (infrastructure- telecommunication, electricity-regulation and pricing); efficiency and equity aspects of excise and income taxes; and alternative social security structures and reform proposals in the U.S. and other countries. Prerequisite: 511c.

527a: Domestic Policy Analysis: Transportation (Also CIV563)
A. Kornhauser

Syllabus
Studies the transportation sector of the economy from a technology and broad public policy perspective. Focus is on the modeling and methodologies that underpin the policy formulation, capital and operations planning, and real-time operational decision making within the transportation industry. With shifting national priorities, the Federal role in transportation is changing significantly. The shift towards privatization caused market forces to play a much bigger role in the transportation sector. Radical concepts such as "value" pricing, private toll roads and for-profit mass transportation are beginning to be seriously considered as elements of a broad transportation policy. The heightened sensitivity of security creates new challenges. Meanwhile, local issues of traffic congestion, road construction and transportation-related environmental issues are dominant themes of grass roots politics.

527c: Dom. Pol. Anal: Urban Economic Development
A. Shorris

Syllabus
Examines theory, tools, and strategies of urban economic development. Reviews the moral, economic, and political rationales for governmental development efforts, then uses readings and cases to examine tools commonly used in urban development including targeted infrastructure creation, zoning and land use, sub-national tax policy, educational initiatives, and public-private partnerships. Reviews strategic approaches to urban development including sectoral efforts (such as those focused on manufacturing and intellectual capital creation) and competitive efforts (such as marketing and tourism).

533: Planning Theory and Process (Also ARC535)
J. Wolpert

Syllabus
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.

541: International Politics
C. Davis

Syllabus
This course introduces competing theories of international relations and evaluates their explanation of foreign policy decisions and general patterns in international relations over the last century. Broadly covering security policy and international political economy, topics include the causes of war, the role of international organizations to promote cooperation, and the interaction between domestic actors and governments in negotiations on trade and the environment.

544: International Macroeconomics
H. Rey

Syllabus
Examines issues in open economy macroeconomics and international finance. Topics include current account behavior and capital flows, exchange-rate determination and dynamics, international financial market integration, macroeconomic policy under fixed and floating exchange rates, international policy coordination, and the history of the international monetary system. Special attention is given to the analysis of financial crises. Prerequisite: 512c or instructor's permission.

547: The Conduct of International Diplomacy
J. Matlock

Syllabus
This course offers a comparative look at the making and implementation of policy in the international arena. It explores key concepts and theories concerning national interest, negotiation, strategies of action and influence, crisis management, and conflict resolution, and it applies those concepts via case studies and simulations in diplomacy, trade policy, foreign assistance, and security policy.

549: National Security Policy
M. O'Hanlon

Syllabus
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.

555a: Topics in International Relations: Technical Innovation in Foreign Policy
J. Shinn

Syllabus
This seminar analyzes how technical innovation in the private sector serves to create or resolve international disputes. Cases include Space Imaging Inc. and high resolution satellite imaging; Merck, protease inhibitors, and the African HIV pandemic; DoubleClick, Internet database mining, and the European Privacy Directive; Myriad Genomics and the breast cancer gene patent dispute; and Monsanto, transgenic grains, and the WTO. Students learn to assess the impact of rapid, discontinuous technical innovation on foreign policy outcomes, analyze the conditions for successful or flawed technical innovation, and trace the underlying scientific source of these innovations. Students learn a suite of MBA-style management tools and concepts, including development cycles, return on investment criteria, "nested" innovation, and R&D portfolio evaluation.

561: The Comparative Political Economy of Development (Also POL523)
A. Kohli

Syllabus
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.

565: State, Society and Development (Also POL527)
L. White

Syllabus
Explores the relation of development to regime types, authority, culture, and social integration. The syllabus includes recent sources, as well as long-standing texts in social theory by such authors as Madison, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Polanyi, Schattschneider, Huntington, Geertz, W.A. Lewis, and Hirschman.

571a: Tpcs in Dev: Africa & Multilateral Inst. Of Global & Regional Governance
A. Zaccarias

Syllabus
This is an advanced course in African politics, development and security. It focuses on the relationship between Africa and global governance institutions (The United Nations, International Monetary Fund, The World Bank and World Trade Organisation), as well as regional arrangements by African countries (the African Union, ECOWAS and SADC, IGAD and NEPAD) to regulate their relationships. It will examine the principles underpinning the idea of global governance and the mandates of global governance institutions in relation to how they impact Africa's development and security. We will discuss major topics affecting African politics and responses by Africans to address the national and regional challenges that they are facing.

584: The Use of Science in Environmental Policy
V. Thomas

Syllabus
This course is designed to improve students' skill, confidence and judgement in use of science in policy applications. Using case studies, real-world examples, and in-class exercises, the emphasis is on preparing both non-scientists and scientists to use, understand, and critique science in environmental policy applications. Exercises and exams are scaled to the student's background.

587: Research Workshop in Population
N. Goldman

Syllabus
Individual research projects involving demographic analysis related to issues in population policy or, occasionally, participation in the research conducted at the Office of Population Research. Prerequisite: Survey of Population Problems (SOC 571/ECO 571).

591a: Workshop: Urban and Regional Planning
P. Buckhurst

Syllabus
Provides an opportunity for participants to apply their theoretical and methodological training to a specific urban development issue or opportunity. The workshop format allows for individual studies covering market, economic, design, and environmental considerations related to a specific development area. The workshop culminates with a formal presentation given to client representatives.

591b: Workshop: Controlling HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis
B. Singer

Syllabus
This workshop will focus on implementing national disease control plans within the developing world. The goal will be to determine what steps are needed to scale up a disease-control program (involving federal government, local government, health care providers, infrastructure, drug resistance, the clash between high-tech solutions vs. local ecological tools, sustainability, etc.) in a developing country.

591c: Workshop: Post-Conflict Reconstruction
F. Barton

Syllabus
This workshop will review recent reports and evaluations, look at specific case studies and take a closer look at four critical areas and enabler issues that have produced disappointments in the area of post-conflict reconstruction. The past decade has seen a significant number of international military interventions, from Haiti and the Balkans to East Timor, Afghanistan and perhaps Iraq. In most cases, the end of the conflict was more successful than the transformation of the circumstances, which led to societal collapse. Workshop participants will address questions like: How do we make sure the sacrifices of war are matched by investments of peace? What is needed to complement the military's efforts once peace is secured? What are the realistic expectations? How do we mobilize a population that is often in shock?

591d: Workshop: Trafficing and Conflict
R. Perito

Syllabus
This workshop will explore how international illegal trafficking fuels and prevents resolution of conflicts within and between states. Case studies (e.g. South East Asia, the Balkans, West Africa) will be used to examine how non-state actors and rebel groups organize, administer, and finance themselves. The participants will focus on the political and economic incentives for armed groups (non-state actors and governments) to pursue conflict, their goals and strategies, and their use of international trade and trafficking of drugs, arms, people, etc. or financial networks. The workshop will explore the policy responses that have been used to achieve the dual goals of stopping illicit trade and ending conflict, including law enforcement, military intervention, negotiation, international law, sanctions, diplomacy, development strategies, etc. Particular focus will be placed on formulating recommendations for effective strategies to tackle conflict situations fueled by international trade or financial networks.

591e: Workshop: Juvenile Justice
C. Levine

Syllabus
This workshop will explore one or more current issues in juvenile justice, placing the issue in historical (and perhaps an international comparative) context, examining the relevant data, discussing the issue(s) with a range of experts with diverse perspectives, and recommending a course of action for both the workshop's client organization and the field. The workshop participants will complete a project that will be identified in conjunction with the client organization and will analyze a range of questions central to juvenile justice, including: trends in juvenile criminality and violence; the juvenile court; the trend to transfer juveniles to adult court at younger ages and for a broader range of crimes; juveniles and the death penalty; race, ethnicity, and the juvenile justice system; the unique issues raised by the increasing numbers and percentages of girls in juvenile justice systems; effects of the privatization of juvenile detention facilities; the record of juvenile "boot camp" detention facilities; status offenses (activities criminal only if committed by a juvenile); and the impact of the nation's approach to drugs and juvenile justice.

591f: Workshop:The Enforcement of International Criminal Law
B. Burke-White, A. Slaughter

Syllabus
This workshop is open to lawyers and non-lawyers who are interested in examining international criminal law and, particularly, the political aspects of its enforcement. The workshop will focus on issues such as: the relationships between international and national courts in enforcing international criminal law; the effects of the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on domestic prosecutions of international crimes; the politics on international and semi-internationalized criminal tribunals; the efficacy of international justice on post-conflict reconciliation; and the optimal role for international actors (such as UN and third states) in the enforcement of international criminal law. Clients (and case studies) may include the United Nations, the governments of Cambodia, Rwanda, or East Timor.

591g: Workshop: : Preparing for Rapid Urbanization in Tegucigalpa
S. Angel

Syllabus
This workshop has the City of Tegucigalpa and the Honduran Ministry of Public Works as its proposed clients. Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, is one of the fastest growing cities in Latin America. At an annual growth rate of 4 percent, its population is expected to double within 15 years. Due to shortsightedness and limited resources, the City of Tegucigalpa and the ministry of Public Works have not made adequate preparations for the city's rapid spatial expansion. The goal of the workshop will be to conduct research and analysis - using satellite imagery, demographic data and field visits - that would lead to a series of practical recommendations for the municipal government and the Ministry on how to prepare for the doubling of Tegucigalpa's population. The ultimate objective will be to provide a few proposals that recommend both an institutional framework and an investment program that will ensure minimal (realistic) preparations for future urban expansion - reserving adequate rights-of-way for infrastructure facilities, protecting sensitive lands, and leaving adequate space for public use before it is too late.

591h: Workshop: Getting Medicine to Poor People
T. Reif

Syllabus
The issues raised by patent protection for pharmaceuticals in third world countries is that, not only are patents viewed as a symbol of Western domination, they cause the price of necessary medicine (i.e. for HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, etc.) to go up dramatically, making medicine unaffordable. This impacts both public health as well as local companies. This workshop will examine international law regarding the World Trade Organization TRIPs agreement (Trade on Intellectual Property Rights) and evaluate how patents and copyright laws cause the price of necessary commodities to go up dramatically and make goods, specifically medicine unaffordable for the poor. The participants will select two case studies (in China, India or Africa) and evaluate how the TRIPs agreement has affected developing country consumers, local companies and economic development. This workshop will examine current policy measures through interviews in DC and New York, listening to guest speakers, discussing the theory and key issues with how, given trade regulations and international law, to get goods to the poor. The workshop will seek to impact US policy regarding the implementation and enforcement of intellectual property right laws on developing countries.

591i: Workshop: Debt and Development
J. Londregan

Syllabus
This workshop will explore debt and development problems, and the activities of international lending institutions. There are three potential facets of the issue: sovereign debt, micro-credit, access to credit used as a policy lever. The first topic of sovereign debt would cover the special problems it poses in cases of default, including an exploration of accountability problems. The second topic of micro-credit would focus on the general problem of integrating the poor into economic life and creating credit markets for the poor. The third topic would look into the practice of linking a country's access to credit to the adoption of a particular policy agenda; for instance, withholding money from countries that do not comply with donor country-preferred policies regarding the environment, human rights, military cooperation.

593a: Policy Analysis: Poverty and Public Policy (Session I) (Also POP504a)
S. McLanahan

Syllabus
This course examines poverty in the United States in the last half of the twentieth century. Topics include 1) how poverty is measured and problems with the official measure, 2) trends and differentials in poverty, 3) causes and consequences of poverty, including sociological, economic, and political perspectives, and 4) anti-poverty policies, including cross-national differences in welfare states. (Acceptable as a half-course toward the demography certificate.)

593b: Policy Analysis: Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (Session II) (Also POP504b)
J. Trussell

Syllabus
Examines selected topics in reproductive health, with primary emphasis on contemporary domestic issues in the United States--such as unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infection--but within the context of the international agenda on reproductive rights established in the 1994 Cairo international Conference on Population and development.

593c: Policy Analysis: Domestic Policy Using GIS (Session I)
J. Seley

Syllabus
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 MapInfo through examples of map applications. Students are expected to complete exercises and a final project applying GIS to a policy issue.

593d: Policy Analysis: Affordable Housing (Session II)
D. Kinsey

Syllabus
Affordable housing is decent new or rehabilitated housing priced or rented such that the lowest two-fifths of all individuals or families, by income, pay no more than 30% of their income for housing. This course examines the policy and practice of developing affordable housing in the United States, by the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, using diverse subsidy sources and financing techniques to plug the gap between the cost of housing and the financial resources of lower income households.

593e: Policy Analysis: New Urbanism (Session I)
D. Kinsey

Syllabus
New Urbanism is a movement in architecture, planning, and development that emphasizes "traditional" urban forms at the regional, city, neighborhood, and block scales. This course examines the theory, practice, and influence of the New Urbanism, the movement's critique of postwar sprawl, as well as critiques of the New Urbanism. Explores the New Urbanism's alternative vision of restored urban centers and towns, and compact communities of lively, pedestrian-oriented, transit-friendly, diverse neighborhoods, within coherent metropolitan regions with protected natural environments. Examines critically case studies of New Urbanism projects and plans at greenfields, greyfields, brownfields, and urban infill sites and regional scales. Analyzes design, economic, legal, and public policy aspects of the New Urbanism.

593f: Policy Analysis: Natural Resource Management (Session II)
S. Brunnermeier

Syllabus
Natural resource management focuses on resource valuation, economic incentives and institutional arrangements that lead to utilization versus conservation decisions that are deemed to be socially optimal. These concepts will be illustrated using a variety of applications, including forestry, fisheries, minerals, energy and agriculture. Case studies will be drawn from both developed and developing countries.

593h: Policy Analysis: Art, Resistance and Power (Session II)
S. Fernandes

Syllabus
This course investigates the relationship between culture, power, and politics, drawing on a wide range of comparative cases. The course provides a background of social scientific approaches to the study of art and power, including the work of theorists such as James Scott, Louis Althusser, and Raymond Williams. Explores specific case studies of cultural policy, national ideology, and historical patrimony; comparative censorship in socialist and western capitalist societies; and the political role of the arts in a transnational context.

593i: Policy Analysis: The Federal Budget (Session I)
J. Klumpner

Syllabus
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; (5) the role of politics in budgeting; and (6) the budget’s short- and long-term fiscal consequences. Students will be required to submit at least one short memo during the course and one research paper at the end of the course.

593j: Policy Analysis: State and Local Finance (Session II)
R. Keevey

Syllabus
Course 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.

593l: Policy Analysis: Welfare Reform (Session II)
E. Donahue

Syllabus
In 1996, Congress passed, and President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). PRWORA effectively reversed a 61-year trend of federal involvement in welfare policy by eliminating America’s primary cash assistance program for families with children -- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) – and replacing it with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant. This law officially expired in 2002 and was temporarily continued; it is now up for reauthorization and a modified version should be passed sometime during the summer of 2003. Proponents of this new law hail its success, pointing to large declines in the welfare rolls and increased employment for former welfare recipients. Critics point to evidence of increases in extreme childhood poverty, an over-dependence on a low-wage job market, and increased hardships for families in finding adequate housing, child care and medical care. Given that the thrust of the new program is getting welfare recipients off the rolls and into work, this class will focus on two central themes in the welfare-to-work debate: 1) barriers to employment and the links to needed services to make work possible, and 2) the development of effective work programs including work retention services.

593n: Policy Analysis: Security and Development (Session II)
S. Woodward

Syllabus
Growing awareness of the costs to development of violent conflict during the 1990s and increasing interaction between once antagonistic communities of humanitarian and development workers and military forces in conditions of civil war and peacebuilding missions provoked a new field of research and policy focus on the intersection between security and development. This seminar will analyze these origins, organizational tensions, and the evolution of both research and policy.

593p: Policy Analysis: Social Security Reform (Session II)
E. Sheshinski

Syllabus
All over the world, Defined-Benefit, Pay-As-You-Go, Social Security (SS) systems are in crisis. The main reasons for this crisis are demographic trends - decrease in birth rates, increase in life expectancy (longevity) - and shifting preference towards early retirement. These trends created significant actuarial deficits which require a decrease in benefits and/or an increase in contributions, postponement of eligible retirement ages and other parametric changes. Many advocate a more fundamental move, replacing the current with Defined Contribution, funded systems. The creation of personal accounts and market investments raise new issues how to minimize market risks, distributional concerns about low income families and the adequacy of insurance and annuity markets. Consequently, the politics of SS reform are currently the hottest policy issue in most developed countries.

596a: Negotiation, Persuasion and Social Influence (MPAs ONLY) (Also PSY528)
T. Pittman

Syllabus
This course 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. The students engage in a series of bargaining exercises between individuals and teams. The results of these exercises are analyzed in detail by the class.

596b: Negotiation, Persuasion and Social Influence (MPPs ONLY) (Also PSY528)
T. Pittman

Syllabus
This course 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. The students engage in a series of bargaining exercises between individuals and teams. The results of these exercises are analyzed in detail by the class.

598: The Political Economy of Health Systems
U. Reinhardt

Syllabus
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.