POLITICAL SCIENCE 556: POLICY ANALYSIS. W 1:25-4: McClung, JHB 414 M 2:00-4:30; R 1:00-2:00

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1 POLITICAL SCIENCE 556: POLICY ANALYSIS Fall 2011 David J. Houston W 1:25-4: McClung, JHB 414 M 2:00-4:30; R 1:00-2:00 dhouston@utk.edu Course Goals 1. Develop an understanding of the role of policy analysis in the public policy process. 2. Develop an understanding of the techniques useful for policy research. 3. Develop an understanding of the issues involved in problem definition, policy formulation, and policy evaluation. 4. Develop an understanding of the limits of rational analysis for the formulation of public policy. Course Requirements The grade that a student earns will be based on his/her performance on written projects and class participation. The participation portion of a student's grade will be based on contributions to class discussions and in-class activities. The breakdown of a student's grade for the semester is given below. Midterm exam 30% Cost-Benefit Analysis Assn. 10% Policy issue project 35 Forecasting Assignment 10 Class Participation 15 Students with Disability Students who have a disability that may require individualized accommodations should inform me of these needs at the beginning of the semester. I will make every effort to accommodate your needs. Also, please take advantage of support provided by the University. Required Texts Michael C. Munger Analyzing Policy: Choices, Conflicts, and Practices. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. Eugene Bardach A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, 3 rd edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press. Additional readings will be placed on the class Blackboard web site. 1

2 Changes to Course Requirements and Schedule Any changes to course assignments, readings, or schedule will be announced in class. Schedule of Topics Course introduction I. Theoretical Foundations of Policy Analysis Topic #1. Introduction to Policy Analysis (8/17) What is public policy? Public policy theories What is policy analysis? What role for policy analysis? Munger, Ch. #1. Deborah Stone Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Introduction, Ch. 1 & Conclusion. Topic #2: Source of Wisdom for Policy--Markets (8/24,31) The market Market failure Munger, Ch. 2-4, 7 Kenneth J. Arrow Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care. American Economic Review 53(5): Charles E. Lindblom The Market as Prison. Journal of Politics 44: Topic #3: Source of Wisdom for Policy Expertise (9/7) Policy analysis Limits of analysis Reading: Munger, Ch. 5. 2

3 Topic #4: Source of Wisdom for Policy Politics (9/14) Approaches to making decisions politically Limits of political decision making Reading: Munger, Ch. # 6. ***Midterm Exam (9/21) II. Policy Analysis Process Topic #5: Structuring Policy Problems (9/28) Bardach s Eightfold Path Nature of policy problems Problem definition Bardach, Parts I, II & Appendix A. David J. Houston and Lilliard E. Richardson, Jr The Politics of Air Bag Safety: A Competition Among Problem Definitions. Policy Studies Journal 28(3): Anne Schneider and Helen Ingram Social Construction of Target Populations: Implications for Politics and Policy. American Political Science Review 87(2): Janet Musso, Robert Biller, and Robert Myrtle Tradecraft: Professional Writing as Problem Solving. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19(4): Joseph F. Coughlin The Tragedy of the Concrete Commons: Defining Traffic Congestion as a Public Problem. In David A. Rochefort and Roger W. Cobb (eds.), The Politics of Problem Definition: Shaping the Policy Agenda. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. Pp Yongjoo Jeon and Donald P Haider-Markel Tracing Issue Definition and Policy Change: An Analysis of Disability Issue Images and Policy Response. Policy Studies Journal 29(2): Topic #6: Designing Policy (10/5) Policy goals Policy tools Selecting criteria Identifying policy alternatives Bardach, Part III & Appendix B. Gupta, Ch. #4 (pp ). 3

4 Anne Schneider and Helen Ingram Behavioral Assumptions of Policy Tools. Journal of Politics 52(2): Weimer and Vining Ch. 12 Salamon, Lester The New Governance and the Tools of Public Action: An Introduction. Ch. 1 in The Tools of Government: A Guide to the New Governance, ed. Lester Salamon. New York: Oxford University Press, p Peter May Hints for Crafting Alternative Policies. Policy Analysis 7(29): David J. Houston and Lilliard E. Richardson, Jr Drinking-and-Driving in America: A Test of Behavioral Assumptions Underlying Public Policy. Political Research Quarterly 57(1): William D. Nordhaus To Tax or Not to Tax: Alternative Approaches to Slowing Global Warming, Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 1(1): Topic #7: Assessing and Recommending Alternatives (10/12) Identifying trade-offs between alternatives Political feasibility analysis Making recommendations Implementation issues Bardach, Appendices C & D. Weimer and Vining Ch. 11 Peters, B. Guy The Politics of Tool Choice. Ch. 19 in The Tools of Government: A Guide to the New Governance, ed. Lester Salamon. New York: Oxford University Press, p Buzz Breedlove The Continuing Education of a Policy Salesman. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 21(1): Christopher K. Leman and Robert H. Nelson, Ten Commandments for Policy Economists, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 1:1 (1981), TBA No Class (11/19)??? Topic #8: Cost-Benefit Analysis (10/26; 11/2) Identifying costs and benefits Valuation of costs and benefits Net present value Discount rates Equity Munger, Ch III. Policy Analysis Tools 4

5 Mark Sagoff At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Why Political Questions Are Not All Economic. Arizona Law Review 23: Steve Kelman Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique. Regulation 10: KPMG Peat Marwick LLP. October Economic and Fiscal Benefits Analysis Related to the Potential Relocation of a Professional Football Franchise to Nashville, Final Report. Report to the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. (Titans Stadium cost-benefit analysis) E. S. Gruch and C. S. Saunby. Fatalities Associated with Crash Induced Fuel Leakage and Fires. Ford Motor Company, Environmental and Safety Engineering. (Ford Pinto Memo) A. D. Little International Public Finance Balance of Smoking in the Czech Republic. Report to Philip Morris CR a.s. Tammy O. Tengs, Miriam E. Adams, Joseph S. Plishkin, Dana Gelb Safran, Joanna E. Siegel, Milton C. Weinstein, and John D. Graham Five-Hundred Life- Saving Interventions and Their Cost-Effectiveness (cost-effectiveness analysis) Supplemental readings: United States Environmental Protection Agency. Office of the Administrator. September Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses. EPA 240-R OMB Circular No. A-94. Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs. OMB Circular No. A-4. Regulatory Analysis Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Canadian Cost-Benefit Analysis Guide: Regulatory Proposals. Richard H. Morrow and John H. Bryant Health Policy Approaches to Measuring and Valuing Human Life: Conceptual and Ethical Issues. American Journal of Public Health 85: Richard O. Zerbe, Jr Should Moral Sentiments be Incorporated into Benefit-Cost Analysis? An Example of Long-Term Discounting. Policy Sciences 37: Robert S. Pindyck Uncertainty in Environmental Economics. Review of Environment Economics and Policy 1(1): Topic #9: Forecasting (11/9) Judgmental forecasts Trend extrapolation Casual forecasts Gupta, Ch. #9-12. TBA 5

6 Topic #10: Decision Analysis (11/16) Uncertainty and outcomes Decision trees Expected utility Munger ch. 9 (pp ), 11 (pp ) Gupta, Ch. #13. IV. Conclusion Final Thoughts (11/23) Reading: Munger, Ch. 12. Nancy Shulock The Paradox of Policy Analysis: If it is Not Used, Why do We Produce so Much of it? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 18(2): Hank Jenkins-Smith chapters. Christopher K. Leman and Robert H. Nelson Ten Commandments of Policy Economists. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 1(1):