501: The Politics of Public Policy (MPAs Only)
Brandice Canes-Wrone, Grigore Pop-Eleches, Jacob Shapiro & Carmela Lutmar

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. This course is open only to first-year MPA students.

507b: Quantitative Analysis: Basic
Sam Schulhofer-Wohl

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
Taryn Dinkelman

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.

509: Generalized Linear Statistical Models (Also ECO509)
German 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. Prerequisite: 507c.

511b: Microeconomic Analysis: Basic
Cecilia Rouse

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
Jan de Loecker

Syllabus
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. A working knowledge of basic calculus and ease with algebraic manipulation are prerequisites of the course.

511d: Microeconomic Analysis: Accelerated
Marc Melitz

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. Section "d" moves through the materials at an accelerated rate.
 

515b: Program and Policy Evaluation
Jean 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. Prerequisite: 507b/c or instructor's permission.
 

519a: Negotiation, Persuasion and Social Influence: Theory and Practice (Also PSY528)
John Darley

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 are 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.
 

519b: Negotiation, Persuasion and Social Influence: Theory and Practice (Also PSY528)
Frank Vargas

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 are 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.

521: Domestic Politics
R. Douglas Arnold

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.

523: Legal and Regulatory Policy Towards Markets 
Robert Willig

Syllabus
This course employs the methods of microeconomics, industrial organization and law and economics to study circumstances where market failures warrant government 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, with examples drawn from energy, telecommunications, and transportation sectors. Prerequisite: 511c

524: Advanced Macroeconomics: Domestic Policy Issues
Alan Blinder

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.
 

527a: Domestic Policy Analysis: Transportation (Also ORF 563)
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 grassroots politics.
 

527b: The Role of Congress in Shaping US Foreign Policy 
James Leach

Syllabus
The course will assess the political and Constitutional framework of foreign policy decision-making and how it has evolved over time.  Within the American system there is perpetual tension between the branches of government, and while in foreign policy the executive is generally preeminent, especially in times of war, there are ebbs and flows in power relationships depending on the personalities of the times and domestic and international circumstances.  Through a review of contemporary regional issues, the course will seek to illuminate the changing dynamics of the legislative-executive relationship in a changing world.

527d: Domestic Policy Analysis: Foundations as Change Agents
Hugh Price

Syllabus
Foundations are uniquely American institutions. They enjoy privileged status under the law in exchange for the expectation that they will support worthy causes that benefit society. Many foundations indeed provide valued financial assistance to educational, cultural, social service, civil rights, health-related and other non-governmental organizations that serve as the indispensable infrastructure of communities across the country.

Yet some foundations, especially large ones, have grander and more aggressive ambitions. They aspire to function as proactive change agents that are instrumental in incubating and creating new institutions, fostering and deploying new knowledge, cultivating and spreading innovative ideas, spawning and sustaining social movements, informing and shaping public opinion, reforming major institutions and service delivery systems, and impacting public policy.

This seminar will focus on the foundation as change agent. Among other topics, we will examine: (1) the original and continuing rationale for the existence of foundations; (2) significant examples of this catalytic role achieving its intended purpose; (3) high profile instances where best intentions backfired; and (4) the controversies that can arise when foundations choose sides in ideologically charged debates. The seminar will also concentrate on the spirited criticism that occasionally erupts over whether foundations are sufficiently transparent and accountable for their expenditures and impact; whether they should exist in perpetuity or be required to spend their way out of existence; whether and how they should be held responsible for the dubious actions of grantees; and whether they should be subjected to more rigorous legislative and regulatory strictures and oversight.
The course will meet once a week in seminar format. Since it is a discussion course, active student participation is expected. There will be advance reading assignments that are keyed to each week’s topic. Every student is required to write a research paper on a subject to be determined in discussion with me. There is no final examination in this course.
 

533: Planning Theory and Process (Also ARC535)
S. Angel

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.
 

537: Social Organization of Cities (Also SOC537)
D. Massey

Syllabus 
This course reviews the historical emergence and social evolution of cities and urban life and 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.

541: International Politics
John Ikenberry

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.
 

549: National Security Policy
James Gadsden

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.
 

555b: Topics in IR: International Justice
Gary Bass

Syllabus
This course examines the politics and ethics of prosecuting war crimes. The course asks if international law can help to moderate or prevent war, why states sometimes pursue the prosecution of war criminals, and how law shapes and is shaped by international politics. Cases include Nuremberg and the aftermaths of World War I, the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the recent wars in ex-Yugoslavia and Iraq, and Al-Qaeda's terrorism. 
 

555c: Topics in IR: Technological Innovation & National Security (Also POL 560)
James Shinn

Syllabus
This seminar examines the impact of technical innovation on national security; how innovations such as satellite imagining, global positioning, internet search engines and pandemic vaccines can shape, and in some cases profoundly alter, the national security calculus of nations. Students learn to trace the roots of these technical breakthroughs, how innovations are brought to market, and how firms grapple with the national security consequences of their technology. They also gain insights into the clash between regulatory policy and rough-and-tumble commercial markets, between national security “public goods” and the hard realities of private profit.

555d: Topics in IR: Defense Policy Analysis (also POL 587)
Mike O'Hanlon

Syllabus
This course will cover several 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 technology. The course will address seven main topics: terrorism, modern air-ground warfare involving heavy weaponry; infantry combat including guerrilla war, peace enforcement operations, urban warfare, and mountain and jungle warfare; topics in missile battle and missile defense; military transport, supply, and logistics including airlift, sealift, and ground transport as well as amphibious and aerial assault; the effects and military implications of weapons of mass destruction; budgetary and economic issues in defense planning; and military technology and the future of warfare.

555e: Topics in IR: International Crisis Diplomacy
Wolfgang Danspeckgruber and Amb. Robert Finn

Syllabus 
Course explores the challenges and possibilities of international diplomacy during crises between states or between state and non-state actors. Analysis of two clusters of international crises, their origins and development, as well as potential suggestions for amelioration, focusing on the Balkans and the Middle East. The causes of each crisis, the role of leadership and negotiators, outside power interests, crisis management interests, as well as the geopolitical context for each case will be examined. Finally, course focuses on environmental and health crises, in the search for a new international order.
 

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.
 

571b: Topics in Devt: Development Policy in Africa (Also POL 586)
Jennifer Widner

Syllabus
An introduction to development policy challenges in Africa. Opens with a brief review of intellectual and practical debates about development policy in the Independence era. Addresses reasons for success or failure of structural adjustment policies, the challenges of institutional reform, and the relationship between accountability and democratization. Finally, examines policy issues, such as cumulative wisdom about war-peace transitions, health policy and the response to HIV/AIDS, and the role of new regional organizations.

571c: Topics in Devt: Challenges of Infection, Burden and Control
Adel Mahmoud

Syllabus
This course explores the biological, public health and global dimensions of infectious disease. The expanding threat of Infectious disease, whether naturally occurring, emerging or intentional is global, affecting both developing and developed countries. We will analyze the basic features of human-microbe interactions by examining several viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. The emphasis will include biology, burden of illness and domestic and global forces shaping their expanding threat and compromising adequate responses. Details of control strategies including chemotherapy, vaccines and environmental changes will be presented and debated. Attention, also, is devoted to the role of international organizations involved such as WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI as well as the major philanthropies. Active class participation by each student will be a required.

575a: Regional and Country Studies: Chinese Development (Also POL 536)
Lynn White

Syllabus 
Considers policies for political and economic development in China during modern times, especially since 1949. Topics include traditional politics and agriculture, the revolutionary party, land reform and industrial socialization, tax and investment, the campaign method, the army, agricultural and industrial development, policies affecting the status of women, and reforms 'from the top' and 'from the bottom.' Each subject is discussed in terms that allow for comparison with other countries.

585a: Topics in STEP: Biotechnology Policy (also MOL 586)
Lee Silver

Syllabus 
This course provides in-depth analysis of selected topics in biotechnology that are currently the focus of intense debate in the public and policy arenas. Topics include genetic modification of plants and animals, genetic testing in human populations, stem cells, cloning, and advanced reproductive technologies. Each topic is examined from the perspective of potential commercial applications, risk/benefit analysis, impact on individuals and society, the viewpoints of supporters and detractors, and the political response in the U.S. and other countries.
 

585b: Topics in STEP: Living in a Greenhouse (also MAE580)
Robert Socolow

Syllabus 
This course will focus primarily on the challenge of modifying the global energy system to reduce projected carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. We will pursue both science/technology and policy in each of five two-week units: 1) The underlying carbon cycle science, and the ways the world has organized to learn more and to communicate results; 2) Energy efficiency, patterns of demand, lifestyles, energy and poverty; 3) Fossil fuels, abundance and depletion, energy security; 4) Carbon capture and storage, policies enabling commercialization, risk assessment; 5) Non-carbon energy in its two forms, nuclear power and renewable energy; subsidies, social preferences. The final two-weeks will be devoted to student reports. Cross-cutting themes include uncertain science, imperfectly discernible costs of future technologies, the limitations of quantification, and the necessity of muddling through.
 

590a: Economic Perspectives on Inequality (Half-term) (also ECO 581L)
Michael Rothschild

Syllabus
Economics is centrally concerned with models of human capital development, educational attainment, labor market dynamics, unemployment, labor turnover, job duration, wage setting institutions, the role of unions, human capital formation, the relationship between economic status and other aspects of well-being (including health). Economists are essential partners in the behavioral study of preferences and decision making, mobility and redistribution, and the institutions of industrial relations that govern the labor market. Enrollment is currently closed.

590b: Politics of Inequality and Redistribution (also POL 598)
Thomas Romer & Jonas G. Pontusson

Syllabus 
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. Enrollment is currently closed.

590s: Workshop in Social Policy (CLOSED)
Katherine Newman

Syllabus 
This course is required for students in all disciplinary tracks (Sociology, Politics, and Psychology) of the Joint Doctoral Degree programs in Social Policy and students holding Fellowships in Social Policy in the Economics Department.  Papers drafted in the prior required course, "Problems in Social Policy,"  must be revised over the summer and submitted to the workshop by August 20. Papers are provided to an expert reader outside of the Princeton faculty, who is invited to join the seminar for sessions devoted to each student paper.  Students contribute a professional level presentation of their paper during this session and simultaneously contribute written critiques of one another's papers.  Students are required to submit their papers for publication to a leading journal at the end of the course.

591a: Policy Workshop: Home Ownership Strategy for Newark
David Kinsey

Syllabus
Homeownership is the American Dream, but one fraught with barriers and perils. Newark, New Jersey and its residents face myriad housing policy challenges, including a very low, 25% homeownership rate and a rapid increase in foreclosures. The workshop will analyze housing conditions and issues in Newark, assess opportunities for and constraints on expanded homeownership, and recommend a homeownership strategy to its client, the City of Newark Department of Economic and Housing Development.

591b: Policy Workshop: Civil Service Reform
Clay Westcott

Syllabus
Course treats aspects of building an effective public service in fragile states. Possible foci may include: Moving from patronage-based systems to meritocratic systems; Depoliticizing the civil service (as in many countries all civil servants were at one time political appointees). A workshop would usefully assess recent experience, most likely with a particular country's civil service as a "client."

591c: Policy Workshop: The Role of EITI in Strengthening Resource Governance
Corinna Gilfillan

Syllabus
An examination of the role of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to strengthen governance of that sector by promoting transparency of revenue payments so that civil society and the public can hold governments to account for the management of these revenues. Course will review current research in order to evaluate the impact of EITI in specific countries and whether its implementation is achieving its goals.

591d: Policy Workshop: Constructing a Palestinian/Israeli Peace Settlement
Daniel Kurtzer

Syllabus
Final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians will require compromise and tradeoffs on very contentious issues. The workshop will review the history of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and try to draw out the most important lessons learned. Working individually and in small teams, the workshop will examine intensively each of the most salient issues to be negotiated and try to develop a range of possible solutions and tradeoffs that could be acceptable to the parties.

591e: Policy Workshop: Integrating Clean Air & Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Strategies
Denise Mauzerall

Syllabus
Climate change is a global environmental issue which will have increasingly undesirable effects around the world in our lifetimes. Air pollution presently has adverse impacts on public health, agricultural yields and ecosystems. In many cases the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHG) come from the same sources and addressing both together could have large benefits.  However, policy efforts to address the issues are currently separate. Integration of air quality and climate mitigation efforts will likely become a major issue in upcoming domestic legislative and policy debates.   The topic is also important internationally as developing countries which face worsening air quality might be engaged in efforts to address climate change if technology and policy options were available that addressed both issues simultaneously.

591f: Policy Workshop: An Introduction to UN Peace Operations
Salman Ahmed

Syllabus
UN peace operations activity is at an all-time high.  There are over 130,000 military, police and civilian personnel presently authorized for deployment in over 20 operations around the globe.  The UN is now second only to the US in the deployment of military forces worldwide. What are these operations expected to achieve? Why have some succeeded in the past, whereas others have failed?  When does it make sense to deploy a peace operation (whether run by the UN or a regional organization), and how does one fashion an appropriate exit strategy for them? What is the doctrine that should guide their conduct, in the military, police and civilian realms?  How are forces generated? Why does it take so long to get a mission up and running? Are the right people being recruited and are they being trained and guided properly? How have reform efforts to date fared?

This workshop will explore all of these questions, among others, in pursuit of the product it will prepare for the Division for Policy, Evaluation and Training (DPET) in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).  DPET is presently in the process of overhauling the mandatory induction it does for civilian staff new to peace operations, as they depart to their various field assignments.  DPET has sought input on this induction from the students of this workshop, mindful that the graduate students at WWS are the very types of people for whom the induction is intended.  The course will accordingly review key case studies in post-Cold War UN peacekeeping, both the successes and the failures, as well as examine the record of the UN's reform of its doctrine, policies and operational capacities, in order to identify the core issues on which all new staff should be trained.   

591g: Policy Workshop: Improving Health Services in Himachal Pradesh
Jeffrey Hammer

Syllabus
Principal Secretary of Health for Himachal Pradesh has asked for advice on the following: 1) early stage evaluation & ideas for improvement for health reform in general & specifically on how to extend health insurance to the poor. 2) how central gov't rules constrain reforms of drug regulation by a state gov't. 3) with regard to extending the functioning of local "health societies" - overseers of curative services. 4) assessment concerning whether "health institutional network is excessive & rendered dysfunctional by being spread too thin" 5) monitoring/evaluation system focuses on budget/staff.
 

591h: Policy Workshop: Aid, Accountability, Ownership and Effectiveness
John Gershman

Syllabus
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an innovative U.S. foreign aid organization which is the client for this policy workshop, with the Associate Director of Policy at the MCC, Alicia Mandaville, the primary interlocutor. A unique dimension to MCC¿s aid model is the degree to which countries "own" their programs supported by the MCC. The role of domestic civil groups in promoting the accountability of aid-funded programs has become increasingly recognized as a key dimension to explaining country ownership, program impact, and aid effectiveness. This policy workshop will provide tailored policy-relevant research for the MCC.

593a: Policy Analysis: Accountability in Higher Education (Session I)
Daniel Oppenheimer

Syllabus
In 2005, Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling released a report on challenges facing higher education in America.   Citing declining literacy rates among college graduates, coupled with increasing costs of a university education, Spellings suggested that a system of accountability needed to be implemented at the postsecondary level.  This has led to negative reactions among academics and educators, who claim this will stifle academic freedom and that a national system of accountability is ill advised if not impossible.   In this course, we will review accountability mechanisms already in place (e.g. accredition) as well as more recent approaches (the UCAN transparency project, various standardized tests, etc.) and attempt to develop a coherent policy for ensuring the quality of education at the postsecondary level.

593a: Policy Analysis: Accountability in Higher Education (Session I)
Daniel Oppenheimer

Syllabus
In 2005, Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling released a report on challenges facing higher education in America.  Citing declining literacy rates among college graduates, coupled with increasing costs of a university education, Spellings suggested that a system of accountability needed to be implemented at the postsecondary level.  This has led to negative reactions among academics and educators, who claim this will stifle academic freedom and that a national system of accountability is ill advised if not impossible.  In this course, we will review accountability mechanisms already in place (e.g. accredition) as well as more recent approaches (the UCAN transparency project, various standardized tests, etc.) and attempt to develop a coherent policy for ensuring the quality of education at the postsecondary level.

593b: Policy Analysis: Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (Session II)
James 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: Game Theory and Strategy (Session I)
Sylvain Chassang

Syllabus
This course is an introduction to the basic tools of game theory. In particular we will study solution concepts such as Nash Equilibrium, Subgame Perfect Equilibrium, and Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium. To illustrate the analytic value of these tools we will cover a number of applications including electoral competition, public good provision, market failures and reputation formation.

593d: Behavioral Economics (Session II)
Roland Benabou

Syllabus
This course will explore how economics has recently incorporated a number of insights and findings from psychology and experiments, and examine some of the implications that follow for the workings of markets and policy. Topics (and applications) will include 1) Imperfect self-control, present bias. (Applications: consumptions-savings decisions, smoking, addiction, welfare policy, paternalism); 2) Fairness and reciprocity. (public goods provision, cooperation and punishment, social norms, redistributive preferences). 3) Intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, signaling concerns (contracts, prosocial behavior, incentives and trust, social norms) 4) Wishful thinking, overconfidence, anticipation (investment decisions, health choices, bargaining, political economy); 5) Reference dependence, loss aversion, prospect theory, framing (finance, insurance, pricing); 6) Malleable preferences, hedonic forecasting (consumption or lifetime decisions, choice overload, “happiness” economics); 7) Bounded rationality, inattention (market competition / regulation, default options). Prerequisites: WWS511c or d; WWS512c; WWS 593c.
 

593e: Policy Analysis: Surveys and Public Policy (Session I)
Ed Freeland

Syllabus
This 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. 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. 

593f: Microfinance (Session II)
Kate McKee and Jennifer Isern

Syllabus
Worldwide, only one in five people have access to a basic account in a formal financial institution including banks, credit unions, microfinance institutions (MFIs), or other providers of financial services.   This course explores 1) why access to finance matters for poverty reduction and economic growth in developing countries and emerging markets and 2) the latest evidence and experience on how to promote access to finance.

Access to finance includes the full range of services relevant to low-income people and households including deposits, money transfers, remittances, various types of loans, and insurance.   Financial service providers include formal financial institutions plus companies that are not financial institutions at all but are increasingly important providers of basic financial services, such as telecommunication companies providing mobile banking, post offices, and retail stores.   

The course addresses the development challenges facing financial service providers, funders, and government policy makers seeking to expand access in sustainable ways.   It will provide participants with an overview of the field, current controversies, and analytic frameworks and skills for assessing the roles of different stakeholders. 

The course will be interactive and based on cases, student presentations and class discussions.   Starting with a short overview of the history and key actors in microfinance, the course will then focus on MFI appraisal techniques, designing relevant products for diverse client markets, appropriate policy responses to regulate and supervise institutions and protect clients, and approaches to increase the effectiveness of funding on access to finance.   For the last session, an optional panel discussion with experts will be organized in Washington in early January 2009 on future trends in access to finance.   By the end of the course, participants will have a solid foundation of the key players and issues in access to finance globally.  

(Instructors are both of C-GAP. Kate McKee was previously the Director of the Office of Microenterprise Development at the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1998 - 2006.) 

593g: Social Security Reforms (Session I)
Eytan Sheshinski

Syllabus
This course will review the context for Social Security reforms: the aging crisis, declining trends in mortality and fertillity, and changing patterns of labor force participation.  We will also review the core purposes of pension systems and design issues such as defined benefit vs. defined contribution and notional defined contribution.  Finally, we will explore the policy responses to the current crisis and some country reform cases: UK, Chile and China.

593h: Tracking the U.S. Business Cycle: Knowing Which Numbers to Watch (Session II)
James Klumpner

Syllabus
The U.S. economy probably is undergoing a recession in 2008, and this course will use current difficulties as a vehicle for learning about macroeconomic indicators. Which indicators are important, and which are not? What do particular indicators tell us about the pattern of economic activity across the macroeconomy? What approaches to forecasting the economy do CBO, OMB, the Federal Reserve, and private-sector forecasters use? What role do econometric models of the macroeconomy play in forecasting? This course will require an in-class mid-term exam covering the indicators themselves and a final paper in which the student use these indicators as the basis for one-year, five-year, and 10-year forecasts of U.S. economic activity.
 

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; (4) the role of politics in budgeting; and (5) 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.

595: PhD Seminar: Political Analysis for Policy Research
Amy Lerman

Syllabus
In order to be effective, analysts and advocates, public policy researchers require a sophisticated understanding of policy formation and implementation in domestic, foreign, and international settings. This course reviews current models of public policy formation and implementation and their application to issues frequently faced by policy researchers.

599: Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity (Session II)
Elizabeth Armstrong and Harold Shapiro

Syllabus
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.