GOVERNMENT 317 

The Policy-Making Process

 

G. Calvin Mackenzie

Fall 2009

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

            This course examines the development of public policies in the United States.  Topics investigated include agenda setting, program formulation, implementation, and the use and misuse of policy analysis.  Special attention is paid to the methods and techniques of policy evaluation and to the development of essential skills for effective policy advocacy.  The substantive focus of the course is primarily, although not exclusively, on policy making at the national level.

 

READINGS

            The following books have been ordered for the course and will be available at the College Bookstore:

1.    Thomas A. Birkland, An Introduction to the Policy Process (M.E. Sharpe, 2005; ISBN:0765614898)

2.    Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis (CQ Press, 2009; ISBN: 978087299520)

 

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATION

            My office is Diamond 267.  Feel free to stop by or call (EXT. 5306) whenever I'm there, or e-mail (gcmacken@colby.edu) any time. I'm usually there all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I will do my best to be there for certain on:

                       Tuesday, 11:00-11:45am; 2:15-3:00pm

                       Wednesday, 1:00-2:00pm

                       Thursday, 11:00-11:45am; 2:15-3:00pm

            If you need to see me and I'm not in the office when you come by, leave a note or send an e-mail or phone message, and I'll get in touch with you to set up an appointment.  Conversation after class is also encouraged.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. A written essay.  Two will be scheduled during the semester; you may do whichever one you prefer.  Topics will be available one week in advance of the due date.  Essays may not exceed six double-spaced typewritten pages in length.

2. The group project.  Everyone will be assigned to a group, normally of three people.  Each group will be assigned a policy issue to analyze.  The analysis will include production of a written report examining the issue and offering policy recommendations.  The findings of the study and the recommendations will be presented to the class in an oral presentation in which each member of the group will participate.  An entire class period will be devoted to the presentation.  Each member of the group will receive the same grade for the report.  Separate grades will be provided for the oral presentations.

3. The final exam.  This will be scheduled during the exam period.

4. Active participation in class discussions and presentations. 

 

Summary of course requirements and grading weights:

Essay =                                         30%

Group Project Report =              20%

Oral Presentation=                      15%

Class Participation =                   10%

Final Exam =                               25%

 

CLASS POLICIES

      Except in the most unusual circumstances, work submitted by students will be evaluated and returned at the following class.

      All work in this course is due at the beginning of class on the date on which it is assigned.  Work received after the assigned due date will be penalized at the rate of one-half letter grade per day.  There will be no extensions of this deadline nor alterations of the penalty for late submission.

      Everyone is expected to attend every class. Your participation in class is valued, and the quality of your participation will be a significant component of your grade for the course.  Any absence will lower that grade.  Anyone who misses 3 class meetings risks being dropped from the course.

      Successful completion of the course requires the submission of all written assignments and proper attention to attendance expectations.

      Each class will begin promptly at the scheduled time.  You should be in your seat and ready to begin at that time.  Respect should be paid to anyone who is speaking to the class, whether student or instructor. Everyone should remain in his or her seat during class meetings and refrain from leaving the room.

      No audio, video, or photographs of the class may be recorded without the explicit consent of the instructor.

      All telephones, pagers, or other electronic communication devices should be turned off during class time, and none may be brought into the room during exams. Laptop computers may not be used during class meetings without the permission of the instructor.

      All college rules regarding originality of student work and plagiarism apply in this class and will be vigorously enforced.

 

 

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

 

Sep 10.  Course Introduction.

1.    Thomas A. Birkland, An Introduction to the Policy Process (M.E. Sharpe, 2005), Preface, Chapters 1-4, 6, Appendix.

 

Sep 15.  Problem perception and agenda building.

[SKILLS WORKSHOP: Mastering Group Dynamics]

1. Birkland, Chapter 5.

2. Bardach, 127 -143.

3. Jeffrey E. Cohen, "Presidential Rhetoric and the Public Agenda", American Journal of Political Science, (February, 1995), 87-107. (JSTOR)

4. Andrew J. Taylor, "Domestic Agenda Setting, 1947-1994," Legislative Studies Quarterly, (August 1998), 373-397. (JSTOR)

5. Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., and Shanto Iyengar, "Prime Suspects: The Influence of Local Television News on the Viewing Public," American Journal of Political Science (July 2000), 560-573. (JSTOR)

6. Paul Burstein, "The Impact of Public Opinion on Public Policy: A Review and an Agenda," Political Research Quarterly (March 2003), 29-40. (JSTOR)

 

Sep 17.  Policy making I

1. Birkland, Chapter 7.

2. Lael R. Keiser and Kenneth J. Meier, "Policy Design, Bureaucratic Incentives, and Public Management: The Case of Child Support Enforcement," Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (July 1996), 337-364. (JSTOR)

3. David Hatch, "Drug Company Ethics" in CQ Researcher, Issues for Debate in American Public Policy, 75-97. (ER)

4. Carl V. Patton and David S. Sawicki, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning (Prentice Hall, 1993), 8-20. (ER: "Practical principles for beginning")

5. Graham T. Allison, "Conceptual Models and the Cuban Missile Crisis," American Political Science Review (September 1969), 689-718. (JSTOR)

 

Sep 22.  Policy making II

1. Bardach, xv-64.

2. Carl V. Patton and David S. Sawicki, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning, 186-226. (ER: "Establishing Evaluation Criteria")

3. Steven Kelman, "Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique" in Gillroy and Wade, eds. The Moral Dimensions of Public Policy Choice (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992), 153-164. (ER)

4. "Who Should Die When Not All Can Live?" 207-208. (ER)

 

Sep 24.  CLASS DISCUSSION: Policy making   

[SKILLS WORKSHOP: Visual Presentations of Data]

1.     Birkland, Chapter 9.

2.   Bardach, 65-110.

3.    Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson, eds. Ethics and Politics, 61-77 ("Using Citizens as Means:" Denver Income Maintenance Experiment), 143-169 ("Distributive Justice:" End-Stage Renal Disease), 171-182 ("Equal Opportunity:" AT&T Affirmative Action). (ER)

4.    Ethics Case Studies [http://ethics.sandiego.edu/resources/cases/HomeOverview.asp] Cases 17, 24, 55, 74, 83

 

Sep 29. Implementation.

1. Birkland, Chapter 8.

2. Paul A. Sabatier and Daniel Mazmanian, "A Conceptual Framework of the Implementation Process" in Theodoulou and Cahn, Public Policy: The Essential Readings (Prentice Hall, 1995), 153-173 . (ER)

3. Robert A. Katzmann, "Transportation Policy," The Milbank Quarterly (1991), 214-237. (JSTOR)

4. Gerald N. Rosenberg, "The Real World of Constitutional Rights: The Supreme Court and the Implementation of the Abortion Decisions" in Epstein, ed., Contemplating Courts (CQ Press, 1995), 390-418. (ER)

5. Bailus Walker, Jr., "Impediments to the Implementation of Environmental Policy," Journal of Public Health Policy (Summer 1994), 186-202 (JSTOR)

 

Oct 1.  Policy review: techniques of evaluation.

1. Thomas R. Dye, "Policy Evaluation" in Understanding Public Policy (Prentice Hall, 1992), 352-375. (ER)

2. Frank Fischer, "Evaluating Program Outcomes" in Evaluating Public Policy (Nelson-Hall, 1995), 27-46. (ER)

3. Patrick M. Regan, "U.S. Economic Aid and Political Repression: An Empirical Evaluation of U.S. Foreign Policy," Political Research Quarterly (September 1995). (JSTOR)

4. F. Scott Christopher and Mark W. Roosa, "An Evaluation of an Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program: Is 'Just Say No' Enough?" Family Relations (January 1990). (JSTOR)

5. Francis Caro, ed., Readings in Evaluation Research, 263-276 (Klerman: "Evolution of an Evaluation"), 323-342 (Kelling: "KC Preventive Patrol Experiment"), 343-347 (Cicarelli: "Head Start"), 414-427 (Ross: "Determining Social Effects of Legal Reform"). (ER)

 

Oct 6. Policy review: techniques of evaluation.

 

Oct 8.  CLASS DISCUSSION: Policy Evaluation

[SKILLS WORKSHOP: Oral Policy Advocacy]

 

ESSAY 1 DUE

 

Oct 13.  FALL BREAK.  NO CLASS

 

Oct 15.  Policy Issue: Criminal justice policy.

1.    Radley Balko, The Cato Institute, "Myths of the Nanny State" [http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/v28n5/cpr28n5-1.pdf], entire.

2.  Mark Mauer, The Sentencing Project, "Lessons of the 'Get Tough' Movement in the United States," 1-10 [http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_lessonsofgettough.pdf]

3.  Jonathan P. Caulkins et al, "How Goes the War on Drugs? An Assessment of U. S. Drug Problems and Policy" [http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2005/RAND_OP121.pdf], peruse.

4.  Bardach, 111-125 .

5.    Review current crime data at:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/correct.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/stssent.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pros.htm

 

Oct 20. CLASS DISCUSSION: Criminal Justice Policy

 

Oct 22. Policy Issue: AIDS Policy

1.   Harold Jaffe, "Whatever Happened to the U.S. AIDS Epidemic?" Science (August 2004) [http://0-www.sciencemag.org.library.colby.edu/cgi/content/full/305/5688/124]

2.   Cathy Lisa Schneider, "Racism, Drug Policy, and AIDS," Political Science Quarterly, (Autumn, 1998), 427-446 [JSTOR]

3.   Jon Cohen, "The Great Funding Surge," Science (25 July 2008), 512 - 519 [http://0-www.sciencemag.org.library.colby.edu/cgi/content/full/sci;321/5888/512]

4.   Laurie Garrett, "The Lessons of HIV/AIDS," Foreign Affairs (Jul. - Aug., 2005), 51-64 [JSTOR]

5.   Patricia D. Siplon, AIDS and the Policy Struggle in the United States, 1-18 [ER]


6.   Review current HIV/AIDS data at:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats.htm

http://www.kff.org/hivaids/us.cfm

 

Oct 27. Policy Issue: Welfare Policy

1.   Gordon Berlin, "The 30-Year Tug-of-War: Can Reform Resolve Welfare Policy's Thorniest Conundrum?" The Brookings Review (Summer, 2001), 34-38 [JSTOR]


2.   Robert Moffitt, "A primer on U.S. welfare reform" Focus (Summer-Fall 2008), 15-25 [http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc261c.pdf]


3.   David T. Ellwood, "Anti-Poverty Policy for Families in the Next Century: From Welfare to Work -- and Worries," The Journal of Economic Perspectives (Winter, 2000),187-198 [JSTOR]


4.   Samuel H. Beer, "Welfare Reform: Revolution or Retrenchment?" Publius (Summer, 1998), 9-15 [JSTOR]


5.   Urban Institute, "Welfare Reform: Ten Years Later" [http://www.urban.org/toolkit/issues/welfarereform.cfm]

6.   Review current welfare data at:

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html


http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/index.asp

 

Oct 29.  Policy Issue: Education policy 

[SKILLS WORKSHOP: Excel Charts and Tables]

1. Michael E. Kraft and Scott R. Furlong, Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives (CQ Press, 2004), 281-309  (ER: "Education Policy")

2. Jennifer Hochschild and Nathan Scovronick, The American Dream and the Public Schools (Oxford University Press, 2003), 77-106, 191-201 (ER: "Public schools in the new America")

3. ÒThe Seven Deadly Sins of No Child Left Behind,Ó The Phi Delta Kappan (Jun., 2007), 744-748 [JSTOR]

4. McKinsey and Company, "How the World's Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on Top" [http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_systems_final.pdf] 

5. Review current education data at:

http://nces.ed.gov/ccd

http://nces.ed.gov/edfin

 

Nov 3. Policy Issue: Transportation Policy

1. Ted Balaker and Sam Staley, The Road More Traveled: Why the Congestion Crisis Matters More Than You Think, and What We Can Do About It (Rowman and Littlefield, 2006), 43-75. (ER)

2. Anthony Downs, Still Stuck in Traffic: Coping With Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion (Brookings, 2004), 14-60. (ER)

3. Joel Schwartz, "The Social Benefits and Costs of the Automobile" in Wendell Cox et al, eds., 21st Century Highways: Innovative Solutions to America's Transportation Needs (Heritage Foundation, 2005), 37-66. (ER)

4. Robert W. Poole, Jr., and Kenneth Orski, "21st Century Toll Roads" in Wendell Cox et al, eds., 21st Century Highways: Innovative Solutions to America's Transportation Needs (Heritage Foundation, 2005), 83-100. (ER)

 

Nov 5. Policy Issue: Policy for an aging population.

1.    Century Foundation, The Basics: Public Policy in an Older America, [Download PDF file from:[http://www.tcf.org/list.asp?type=PB&pubid=556] entire.

2.   David C. John, The Heritage Foundation," How to Fix Social Security," [http://www.heritage.org/Research/SocialSecurity/bg1811.cfm]

3.    National Institutes of Health, "Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective," 1-28 [http://www.nia.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9E91407E-CFE8-4903-9875-D5AA75BD1D50/0/WPAM.pdf]

4. Review current population and Social Security data at:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/popproj.html

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

 

ESSAY 2 DUE

 

Nov 10.  [SKILLS WORKSHOP: Effective Powerpoint]   

 

Nov 12. GROUP 1 PRESENTATION: What should America's immigration policies be? 

 

Nov 17.  GROUP 2 PRESENTATION:  What should be done to cope with the problem of currently illegal drugs in the United States? 

 

Nov 19.  GROUP 3 PRESENTATION:   Should there be a public policy to correct the problem of income maldistribution in the United States?  If so, what should the policy be?  

 

Nov 24. GROUP 4 PRESENTATION: What role, if any, should public policy play in the future development of the Internet and broadband access to it?    

 

Nov 26. Thanksgiving Break.  No Class

 

Dec 1. GROUP 5 PRESENTATION:  What should be United States policy for coping with global climate change?    

 

Dec 3. GROUP 6 PRESENTATION:   What, if anything, should be done to improve homeland security policies in America?  

 

Dec 8.   GROUP 7 PRESENTATION:  How, if at all, should American tax policy be changed? 

 

Dec 10.  Evaluating the policy-making process. 


 

WRITTEN REPORTS FOR ALL GROUPS DUE

 

[Latest Update: September 12, 2009 @ 11:25am]