PPM 660
Doctoral Seminar in Public Policy
Fall, 2000

Overview

This course is provides students in the doctoral program in public policy and management with an overview of the major topics in the literature on public policy. The emphasis is on theoretical approaches to public policy, including descriptive, positive, and normative questions. The emphasis is on providing students with a background in the public policy literature that will be useful in framing research questions for the dissertation and which will provide the foundation for the public policy sections of the doctoral comprehensive exams.

Readings

McCool, Daniel. Public Policy Theories, Models, and Concepts

Stone, Deborah, Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making

Radin, Beryl Beyond Machiavelli: Policy Analysis Comes of Age

Zajac, Edward E. The Political Economy of Fairness

Glazer, Nathan The Limits of Social Policy

Readings package available from the bookstore. (Readings denoted as RP)

Evaluation

Evaluation will on the basis of class participation/leadership and a written assignment.

Discussion Leadership and Class Participation

Each student will be asked to lead the discussion of at least one class during the course. Discussion leadership will consist of leading the class through a week's readings in order to discover the basic concepts and points of controversy, to relate the week's readings to the overall structure of the course, and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the various perspectives. Students will be given the chance to choose the class they will lead. Students may volunteer to lead more than one class. All students will be assessed on both the quality and quantity of their participation in class discussions.

Written Assignment

There will be one written assignment, to be handed out on December 11, and will be due no later than December 22. It will consist of a question on the course material that will be typical of the kind of question likely to be encountered in a doctoral preliminary exam.

Weekly Assignments

September 11 Course Introduction and Overview

McCool, Introduction pp, 1-21
Stone, pp. 1-24

September 18 Sources of Public Policy

McCool pp. 28-96
Truman, David "Interest Groups and the Nature of the State"
Kelso, William "Three Types of Pluralism"
Garson, G. David "The Golden Era in Interest Group Theory"
Putnam, Robert "The Comparative Study of Political Elites"
Walker, Jack "A Critique of the Elitist Theory of Democracy"
Cobb and Elder "Issues and Agendas" RP
Mills, C. Wright "The Power Elite" RP

September 25 The Policy Process

McCool pp. 105-174
Easton, David "The Political System Under Stress"
Mitchell, William "Fiscal Behavior of the Modern State: Public Choice Perspectives"
Lindblom, Charles "The Science of Muddling Through"
Ripley, Randall "The Stages of the Policy Process"
Sabatier & Mazmanian "A Conceptual Framework of the Implementation Process"

October 2 What does policy do?

McCool pp. 174-150
Lowi, Theodore "American Business, Public Policy, Case Studies and Political Theory"
Lowi, Theodore "Four Systems of Policy, Politics, and Choice"
Greenberg, et. al. "Developing Public Policy Theory" Perspectives from Empirical Research"
Steinberger, Peter "Typologies of Public Policy Meaning"
Spitzer, Robert "Promoting Policy Theory: Revising the Arenas of Power"

October 9: No Class

October 16 Goals of Policy: Efficiency

Zajac, 1-66
Stone, 61-85

October 23 Goals of Policy: Equity

Stone, 39-61
Zajac, 67- 136
Glazer, 156-167

October 30 Goals of Policy: Security and Liberty

Stone, 86-130

November 6 Tools of Policy

Stone, 263-370

November 13 Sshaping Policy Decisions 1: The contents of policy debates

Stone 137-251

November 20 Shaping Policy Decisions 3: Policy Analysis

E.S. Quade: Analysis for Public Decisions (excerpts) RP

November 27 Shaping Policy Decisions 4: Policy Analysis

Radin, all.

December 4 Shaping Policy Decisions 5: Institutional Inputs and Outputs

Buchanan and Tullock, The Calculus of Consent, 1-118 RP
Heclo, "Issue Networks and the Executive Establishment" in McCool 262-287.

December 11 Accounting for Public Policy Results: 1

Nachmias, David "The Role of Evaluation in Public Policy" RP
Aristigueta, Managing for Results in State Government (excerpts) RP

December 18 Accounting for Public Policy Results: 2

Glazer, The Limits of Social Policy 1-130