Fall 2015 - 59905 - PA388K - Advanced Topics in Public Policy

Family Policy

The primary goals of this course are to examine the demographic, economic, and social changes that have taken place in the family over the past several decades and to identify what these changes mean for public policies aimed at strengthening families. We will address several questions, including: What has happened to the family? How much help do families need and what type of help? Who needs help the most?

How successful have policies been at helping families in the past? What ought government do to help families? Should government promote marriage? The focus will primarily be on US federal family policy, but will also consider comparative perspectives of policies and demographic changes. The course will be primarily discussion-based and will require a substantial amount of reading. Students will write or edit a memo each week and will take a final exam.

This class is cross-listed with WGS 393. LBJ is the home department.