PA 306: Introduction to Public Policy



PA 306: Introduction to Public Policy

Fall 2004

Room: Angell B203 Mondays 4 pm to 7 pm.

Instructor: Joshua Farley, Ph.D.

Office: 205H Morrill Hall

Phone: 802-656-2989 (O) 802-263-9915 (H)

Email: Joshua.farley@uvm.edu

Office Hours: In the office most weekdays and available for discussions by phone most evenings as well, but not on Tuesdays, during story time (7:30-8:30) or after 9:30. Email or call to make an appointment.

Welcome to PA 306: Introduction to Public Policy. Over the course of the semester we will explore the nature of public policy development, analysis and implementation. This is an introductory, graduate level course geared toward current and aspiring public administrators that will draw upon the interests of you, the student, in providing the topical environment for our discussions of public policy theory and analysis.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Understand the historical, social, ideological and political contexts within which policies get made and implemented;

• Engage in a moderate level of policy analysis, attaining a level of competency in several analytical methods;

• Determine the key actors within the policy making and implementation arenas;

• Track ongoing policy debates;

• Develop and refine your writing, analytic, and problem-solving skills.

A GRADUATE SEMINAR

The course will operate as a graduate level seminar in which you are expected to take on major responsibilities for leading and stimulating class discussion relating to the readings and assignments at hand. I assume that as adult learners, you will have a wealth of personal and professional experiences to reference in class discussions and written assignments.

As the instructor, I understand my role to be: 1.) a facilitator who is responsible for keeping us on track; 2.) someone working to develop expertise in the field of public administration and public policy who humbly recognizes the limitations of his own knowledge; and 3.) as an evaluator of your progress toward achieving course objectives.

Each class will begin with check-ins at which time you and your colleagues will have an opportunity to pose questions concerning course expectations and assignments.

If you anticipate missing class, please let me know. Excessive absences will jeopardize your success and ultimately, your grade.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

POLICY TRACKING ASSINGMENTS 30%

Over the course of the semester you will be asked to track a particular policy topic or arena, using it as a reference for three papers and ongoing discussions throughout the semester.

The three papers associated with this assignment are:

1. Policy goals issue paper (2-3 pages)/class sharing (Due Sept. 19)

2. Problem-framing policy issue paper (2-3 pages)/class sharing (Due Oct. 3)

3. Assessment of policy tools and implementation paper/class sharing (1-2 pages) (Due Nov. 7)

Problematic written assignments can be re-written for a higher grade. You will need to work out a timeline for resubmission with me as soon as you are sure of your intent.

OTHER HOMEWORK WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS/

CLASS DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP 30%

Three additional homework assignments will be due as well. They include:

1. Policy actor article-- written (1-2 page) and oral overview (Due Oct. 10)

2. Group comparative analysis presentation/discussion (prepared for Oct. 24)

3. Policy solution case study response (1 page memo) (prepared for Nov. 14)

Problematic written assignments can be re-written for a higher grade. You will need to work out a timeline for resubmission with me as soon as you are sure of your intent.

Your class participation and preparation will be factored into this portion of your grade as well.

POLICY PARTNERSHIP PROJECT/PRESENTATION 40%

You will be expected to engage in a group policy project that involves working on a project of interest to an organizational/individual partner or ‘client.’ This “service-learning” element of the course will involve you and two to four other students in the class, performing some policy-related work. These partnerships will be developed over the first few weeks of class. Glenn McRae, an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Master of Public Administration program and Director of Public Policy Programs for the Snelling Center for Government, will help student teams establish a relationship with a public sector client, derive a “deliverable” to the partner/client, and provide general support to the teams. We will be assigning people to teams within the first few weeks of class.

Each team of students will provide some “deliverable” to the partner/client. This deliverable may take the form of a policy brief, a “white paper,” a literature review, a policy implementation evaluation plan, or some other yet to be developed project. This deliverable will be given to the client partner by the end of the semester.

Throughout the semester teams will have opportunities to report on their progress to the entire class. Although some class time will be devoted to small group planning time, you will likely need to establish some form of ongoing communication with team members electronically (via email) and face-to-face.

Your team will give a final presentation to the class (and perhaps the policy partner) sometime during the final two class periods. Guidelines for these presentations will be provided to you by me by the end of October.

This policy project will be evaluated by your partner/client, as well as Glenn McRae. Your final presentation will be evaluated by your peers. Each member of your team will evaluate the other. Individual grades will be assigned to each team member if it appears that some have done more/better work than others. These evaluations will be factored together with my evaluation to come up with a final grade for the project.

See appendix A & B at the end of this syllabus for more details about specific project topics and an outline of for final project portfolio.

TEXTS AND OTHER READINGS

Birkland, Thomas A. 2001. An Introduction to the Policy Process: Theories, Concepts, and Models of Public Policy Making. New York: M.E. Sharpe.

Patton, Carl V. and Sawicki, David S. 1993. Basic Methods of Policy Analysis & Planning, Second Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Stone, Deborah. 2002. Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

Theodoulou, Stella Z. 2002. Policy and Politics in Six Nations: A Comparative Perspective on Policy Making. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Theodoulou, Stella Z. and Cahn, Matthew A. 1995. Public Policy: The Essential Readings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Other readings can be found on E-Reserve, under my name and course number.

CALENDAR

August 29:

What is Public Policy?

What is the Relationship Between Politics and Administration?

Historical and structural context of public policy making—Birkland Ch. 1

September 5: Labor Day—No Class

September 12:

Goals and Values: Paradigmatic Perspectives

Stone Introductions, Ch. 1-5

September 19:

Agenda Setting, Power and Interest Groups

Birkland Ch. 5

Gibson, Cynthia M, “Facing Off on Social Policy: Can the Right and Left Find Middle Ground?” (E-Reserve)

Nilsson, Eric A, “Public Support for Conservative Economic Policies” (E- Reserve)

Kingdon, J, “Agenda Setting,” p.105 -112 Theodoulou and Cahn.

Student assignment due: ID a policy issue and explain what “goals” underlie the issue— incorporate at least one of Stone’s goals and write a 2-3 page overview – Be prepared to share.

September 26: Interpretation of Problems

Stone Ch. 6-9

October 3: Interpretation, con’t.

Primer on Evaluation Methods

Rubin, “The Politics of Public Budgets” p.185-199. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Student assignment due: ID how your policy issue is framed as a problem drawing upon at least one of Stone’s conceptions. Write a 2-3 overview—Be prepared to share.

Primer on Evaluation Methods

Patton and Sawicki Ch. 3

Birkland Appendix

October 10: Official and Unofficial Actors

All Read: Birkland Ch. 3-4

Student assignment due:

Be prepared to give a 10 minute synopsis of your article. Bring enough copies of your notes on these readings to share with each member of the class.

Interest groups

• Crenson, M. and Ginsberg, B. “From Masses to Mailing Lists” (E-Reserve)

Courts

• Crenson, M. and Ginsberg, B. “The Jurisprudence of Personal Democracy” (E- Reserve)

• Baum, L., “Appellate Courts as Policy Makers” p.277-287. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Consultants

• Sabato, L, “The Consultant Corps” p. 324-332. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Policy Networks

• Heclo, H., “Issue Networks and the Executive Establishment” p. 46-57. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Think tanks

• Callahan, D. “$1 Billion for Ideas: Conservative Think Tanks in the 1990s” (E- Reserve)

Bureaucracy

• Wilson, J.Q., “The Rise of the Bureaucratic State” p. 251-258. Theodoulou and Cahn.

• Meier, K., “Regulation: Politics, Bureaucracy, and Economics” p. 265-276. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Professionals

• McKnight, J. “Professionalized Services: Disabling Help for Communities and

Citizens” (E-Reserve)

Public administrators

• Reynolds, “Public Administrators and Policy Agendas: Some Preliminaries to Statute

Law Making” (E-Reserve)

Citizens

• Berger, P. and Neuhaus, R. “To Empower People: From State to Civil Society”

(E-Reserve)

• Almond, G. and Verba, S., “from The Civic Culture” (E-Reserve)

Business

• Mintz, B. “The Failure of Health-Care Reform: The Role of Big Business in Policy

Formation” (E-Reserve)

Media

• Iyengar, S. and Kinder, D., “News That Matters” p. 295-304. Theodoulou and Cahn.

October 17: Actors Con’t

Article report outs con’t

October 24: Comparative Perspectives

All read: Thelodoulou Ch. 1-8; 13-14

Different groups read: Ch. 9, 10, 11, 12

Student assignment due: In teams of 4-5 summarize international perspectives of a policy area for the class.

October 31: Policy Analysis as Decision-Making—

the Rational and Incremental Perspectives

Patton and Sawicki Ch. 2, 4, 6, 8

Lindblom, “The Science of Muddling Through,” p. 113-127. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Stone chapter 10

November 7: Policy Types and Tools: “Solutions”

Birkland Ch. 6-7

Stone Ch. 11-15

Lowi, “Distribution, Regulation, Redistribution: The Functions of Government,” p.15-25. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Salamon, “The New Governance and the Tools of Public Action,” (E- Reserve)

Student assignment due: Write a 1-2 page response to the question: “What policy tools are employed within your chosen policy topic/arena?”

November 14: Solutions Con’t

Patton and Sawicki-- Case studies

Student assignment due: Write a 1 page response to ONE of the assigned case studies. Be prepared to share in class.

November 21: Implementation

Birkland Ch. 8

Cline, K., “Defining the Implementation Problem” (E-Reserve)

Pressmen, J. and Wildavsky, A., “Implementation” (E-Reserve)

Sabatier, P. and Mazmanian, D., “A Conceptual Framework of the Implementation Process” p.153-172. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Majone, G. and Wildavsky, A., “Implementation as Evolution” p.140-152. Theodoulou and Cahn.

Patton and Sawicki Ch. 9

November 28:

Student power point presentations of final project.

December 5:

Student power point presentations of final project

December 9

No class

Final project “deliverables” due to client, McRae, and Koliba..

Appendix A: Project Areas

Glenn McRae, Ph.D. The Snelling Center for Government

Director 130 So. Willard Street, Burlington, VT 05401

Public Policy Program 802-859-3090 x308

glenn@



Understanding a policy area and the questions associated with it is, in part dependent on the lens that you are using to view it. For the purpose of these group projects, the group should decide on which perspective it will take and in what frame it will operate. Here are three suggested frames:

1. The Vermont Legislature (perspective of an individual legislator and the support staff at Legislative Council and the Joint Fiscal Office)

2. The scientists or professionals involved in the issue (e.g., physicians)

3. Lobbyist working on behalf of an affected client.

All of these actors (and many others) frame policy issues and play a large role in making and implementing public policy. Resources will be provided to assist in developing the specific approach that you chose to take.

Project Introductions:

I. Patient Safety: Reporting of Infection Rates and Medical Errors

There is increasing pressure being generated to establish systems for hospitals and medical professionals to report and make public incidents relating to patient safety. There is a wealth of literature that points to medical errors and preventable hospital acquired infections as significant causes of death in the USA. The question of accountability has increasingly become a public policy issues at the local, state and federal level. So far there has not been a definitive system advanced that would address this, but many are being proposed and opposed.

What policy goals would this advance? Would it create a safer environment for patients? Would it incentify hospitals to improve quality? Would it place an undue burden on health organizations? Can the information be communicated in a way that would truly allow consumers to make better choices or utilize the health system in a way that clearly selects for quality and better outcomes?

Resources:

Institute of Medicine

VT Assoc. of Hospitals and Health Systems

VT Medical Society

American Hospital Association

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Joint Commission for the Accreditation of

Healthcare Organizations \

Appendix B: Components of Your Team Project Portfolio

I. Problem statement/ issue area/ relevant background (2 pts)

II. List of key collaborators/partners/audiences (2 pts.)

Include name/title of contacts, contact information, and organizational description (can append website information, brochures, etc. to the appendices).

III. Your deliverable to this audience (30 pts.)

A “white paper,” policy brief, web site, etc.

IV. Power point presentation of deliverable geared toward your intended audiences (Note: your total presentation should not last for more than 45 minutes). (20 pts.)

Note: your final grade for this project will include an assessment of the quality of your final presentation.

V. Account of interviews (10 pts.)

One goal of this piece: learn how various policy actors perceive their roles within the policy arena.

Provide list of final interview questions.

Summarize content of each interview (1 to 2 pages for each person interviewed, including job title). Note: you only have to highlight 4 people total for this part.

Analyze for common themes/differentiations (2 to 4 pages total).

VI. Evidence of demonstrable links to the course content. (30 pts.)

Some possible areas for examination (you are not restricted to these):

Provide an overview of the policy actors involved/impacted— relate to readings and discussions.

Discuss which goals, problems or solution (Stone) can be applied to your policy issue.

Discuss which stage(s) of the policy process that this project touched on. What can be learned about the policy process?

Discuss which policy tools have been or could be employed.

(This should appear within a stand alone paper format of 7 to 10 pages).

VII. Annotated bibliography/ resources (8 pts.)

VIII. Appendices (6 pts.)

a. Final work plan

b. Other supporting documentation

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