The College of Charleston Fall 2010 POLS 201.1 Introduction to Public Policy Tuesdays Thursdays 1:40 2:55 P.M. Maybank 111 Instructor: Office Hours: Marguerite Archie Hudson, Ph.D Tu Th 9:00 10:30 A.M. and by appointment 114 Wentworth, First Floor Telephone: 843.953.8138 E mail archiehudsonm@cofc.edu Course description This class introduces students to the basic theories, principles and processes of public policymaking. It examines the public and private environments that influence the formation of public policy, the tools and techniques utilized in public policymaking and the principal actors in the process. The primary course objective is to provide students interested in political science, public administration and public service with an understanding of the significant environments, actors and influences that play a role in the development of public policy. Course requirements A. Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Attendance will be recorded via a daily signup sheet. B. Expectations for class participation include reading the assigned materials prior to class, joining class discussions and turning in assignments on time. C. Students are encouraged to utilize office hours and/or schedule appoinements to discuss assignments, readings and other concerns. Students may also communicate by e mail or by telephone. D. Students who are receiving services through the Center for Disability Services, are scheduled to travel with an athletic team, will participate in a student government related or other official off campus activity during the semester must present a letter of verification signed by the appropriate college official.
E. Grades will be based on a midterm examination, an Annotated Bibliography, a Memorandum that defines a policy problem, a Public Policy Analysis, class participation and a final examination as follows: a. Annotated Bibliography 15% b. Problem Identification Memo 15% c. Midterm Examination 20% d. Policy Analysis 20% i. Paper =15% ii. Class presentation =5% e. Final Examination 20% f. Class attendance and participation 10% Textbooks Theodoulou, Stella Z. and Cahn, Matthew A., (1995) Public Policy: The Essential Readings, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Wilson, Carter A., Public Policy: Continuity and Change. (2008) Waveland Press, Inc., IL Course Outline and Reading Assignments August 2009 Syllabus Tu 24 Th 26 Tu 31 Class introductions and overview Course overview Public policy defined Theodoulou, Chapter Five ( Robert Salisbury: The Analysis of Public Policy a Search for Theories and Roles) September Th 2 Evolution of public policy 20 th century perspectives Theodoulou, Chapter One Tu 7 Policy statements and policy activities
Th 9 Policy statements and policy activities Tu 14 Distributive, redistributive and regulatory policies Reading: Lowi, Theodore J. Distribution, regulation, redistribution: the functions of government in Theodoulou Writing Assignment # 1 due Th 16 Policy typologies distributive, redistributive and regulatory policies Tu 21 Policy typologies Morality policies Wilson, Chapter one Th 23 Policy Theory State centered and decision making theories Tu 28 Policy Theory State centered and decision making theories Wilson, Chapter Two Th 30 Elite and Pluralist Theories Mills, C. Wright: The Power Elite in Theodoulou October Tu 5 The policy cycle model problem recognition and issue identification Cobb, Roger W. and Elder, Charles D. Issues and Agendas in Theodoulou Wilson, Chapter Two Th 7 Tu 12 Midterm Examination Fall Break Holiday no class
Th 14 Policy cycle Agenda setting Wilson, Chapter 2 Kingdon, John W. Agenda Setting in Theodoulou Tu 19 Policy cycle Agenda Setting Assignment # 2 due Th 21 policy Cycle Policy formulation Light, Paul the Presidential Policy Stream in Theodoulou Tu 26 Policy Cycle Policy Formulation Lindblom, Charles, The Science of Muddling Through in Theodoulou Th 28 Policy Cycle Policy Adoption Heclo, Hugh issue Networks and the Executive Establishment in Theodoulou November Tu 2 Th 4 Policy Cycle Policy Adoption Policy Cycle Policy Implementation Sabatier, Paul A. and Mazmanian, Daniel A., A Conceptual Framework of the Implementation Process in Theodoulou Tu 9 Th 11 Policy Cycle Policy Implementation Policy Cycle Policy Analysis Theodoulou, Chapter 20 (Stuart Nagel: Trends in Policy Analysis) Wilson, Chapter 3 Tu 16 Policy Cycle Policy Evaluation Wilson, Chapter Two Theoudolou, Chapter 19 ( Nachmias, David The Role of Evaluation in Public Policy )
Research Paper due Th 18 Tu 23 Th 25 Tu 30 Class presentation Class Presentation Thanksgiving No Class Class Presentation December Th 2 Tu 7 Th 9 Class presentation Reading Day No Class Final Examination 12 Noon 3:00 P.M. Required Assignments Your required assignments are designed to provide an understanding of how public policy issues are identified, classified, selected for the public agenda and negotiated to a conclusion. Analysis of this process is key to our understanding of how public policies direct the activities of public agencies as well as how they affect our daily lives. At the end of your research you should be able to develop an Annotated Bibliography that informs a specific public issue, construct a Policy Identification Memorandum that succinctly defines the issue and write a Policy Analysis Memorandum that will provide the salient information that a legislator will need to determine if this is an issue that must have a priority position on the Legislative Agenda in a specific legislative session. All of these assignments will combine to make up a Briefing Book for your legislator. For the purpose of these assignments you are assigned the position of Legislative Director to a member of a Congressional Committee. Your primary responsibility is to prepare a Briefing Book that provides the information required to determine if your legislator should vote to place the issue on the Committee s Legislative Agenda for the current session. Your annotated bibliography, problem statement memorandum and policy analysis will all be used by your legislator in making this decision. These documents must be factual, concise, literate, timely and provide enough information to allow your Congressperson to make an informed decision.
Each member of your assigned group is preparing a Policy Brief for his/her Member. These Policy Briefs may substantially differ in their points of view and recommendations depending on political views, information selected and attitudes about the role of government in solving public problems. The four topics from which you will select are: 1. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Since the passage of DOMA, several courts and state legislatures have taken opposing positions on the validity of this law in light of the 14 th Amendment and Full Faith and Credit Provisions of the U.S. Constitution as well as non discriminatory language in state constitutions. The issue appears to now be headed to the United States Supreme Court. The Policy Question: Should legislation be introduced in this Congress to repeal The Defense of Marriage Act? 2. The Wiki Intelligence leaks. The Wiki Leaks website recently obtained and released 77,000 thousand secret and classified Department of Defense war documents relating to the Afghanistan War and has announced its intention to release 15,000 more. The Policy Question: Is the disclosure of classified military documents on the WikiLeaks website a violation of national security laws and, if so, what should the penalty be? 3. Immigration Reform. U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham (R SC) recently stated that the problem of illegal immigration in the U.S. is becoming more serious due to the U.S. constitutional provision that anyone born in this country is automatically a U.S. citizen. He suggests that this provision should be amended in light of the immigration issue. The Policy Question: Should the Congress introduce a Constitutional Amendment to delete the birthright citizenship provision that currently covers anyone born on U.S. soil, including the children of illegal immigrants? 4. Offshore drilling The April 2010 explosion of the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the Louisiana Coast raised significant concerns about the effectiveness of the federal regulations that currently control this issue. The Policy Question: Should the federal policy that governs the operations of off shore drilling be revised and, if so, what type of policy should govern these operations? Assignment # 1 Your first assignment will be to prepare an annotated bibliography of 25 sources that provide a list of citations to books, articles, reports, documents, etc. that present useful data and information on the issue you are researching. Your sources must include sufficient facts to clearly state the issues associated with the problem and may include research
journals, scholarly articles, legislative reports, legislative testimony, political commentary, etc. The purpose of the annotation is to establish the relevance, accuracy and quality of the sources cited. Citations should follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines. This bibliography should not exceed five pages. Assignment # 2 Your second assignment is to develop a problem Identification memorandum that identifies the problem you believe should be placed on the legislative agenda. The memorandum should include the following: Statement of the specific problem that is being considered for the legislative agenda. An explanation of why this issue is considered a problem instead of a persistent condition. Describe the factors or triggering event(s) that brought this problem to the attention of government. Describe the magnitude of the problem as it presently exists. Define the specific population and/or group that is affected by this problem and specify how they are affected. This Memorandum should not exceed five pages, excluding appendices. Assignment # 3 This assignment has two components: (1) The Written Policy memorandum (20% of semester grade) and (2) The class presentation (5% of semester grade). The Policy Memorandum The Policy Memorandum is a final report that contains the information that will be important in the decision making process of your legislator. Your memo will rely in part on the information you developed in constructing your annotated bibliography and your problem statement. It should be succinct, accurate and informative. It should also present a recommendation for the position your member should take on this issue. The memo should contain the following: 1) Statement of the problem 2) The Issue analysis 3) The triggering events 4) The relevant legislative history, if any, during the past two sessions 5) The principal actors and stakeholders 6) The specific reasons why this issue should be selected for the current legislative agenda or why it should not be selected. 7) Your specific recommendation for the type of policy that should be drafted and the principal arguments for why this type of policy is necessary and may reach a successful
passage or your specific recommendation for why a policy on this issue should not be introduced in this session. This Policy Analysis should not exceed ten pages, excluding appendices. The In Class Presentation You and the other members of your group will make a combined presentation as follows: A summary of the specific pros and cons of the problem definition and analysis A specific list of issues on which there was agreement The specific vote of the group regarding whether this issue should be placed on the legislative agenda this session The specific type of policy that should be enacted. Your group is required to provide a written summary (not to exceed two pages) of the class presentation for each member of the class.