Fall 2024 - 60145 - PA 385D - Advanced Public Management

This course develops foundational skills in data analysis and management applied to public policy analysis and management. The contents of this course will be an introduction to data analytics and data science in organizations, including the management of data sets, measurement and visualization, analytics and inference, and the interpretation of data products. In addition, this course will introduce topics such as bias and ethics in data science, and the use of artificial intelligence tools in the context of the rise of large language models such as ChatGPT, and how they can become powerful assistants for evidence-based decision making. Even if most of the contents of this course will cover topics related to programming, this class will not directly require specific programming skills. However, the use of software will be required for the class project, so knowledge of one (any) software will be crucial for success in this course. This course will use a combination of techniques to provide a broad introduction into data analytics and management. The class will have a combination of weekly lectures, readings, discussion exercises, homework, and a class project. Class meetings will have a combination of lecture, review of concepts, and applications for the class project.