Spring 2020 - 58151 - PA 325- Topics in Policy

Shaping Public Policy

Public policy is three-dimensional chess.   The variety of stakeholders in particular policy areas and the complex structure of the U.S. government compels proponents of particular public policies to think carefully about their options.  Which stakeholders are important and influential?  Which levels and branches of government can carry out a particular policy reform?  Does the proposed public policy require legislation, agency rules, executive orders or judicial rulings?  If the reform is enacted, can opponents use other branches or levels of government to thwart or repeal it?  To answer these questions of strategy, students in this course will interview actual stakeholders and collaborate in policy teams in subject areas of their own choice.