Politics of Policymaking (POL 120) Brandeis University Fall 2016 Last revised: August 8, 2016 Professor: Martin Levin Email: levin@brandeis.edu Office location: Golding 121 Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 12:00 1:30 or by appointment Class location: TBA Class time: Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays 11:00 11:50 Course Description and Objectives This course examines the connection, since the 1980 s, between politics and policymaking to identify the political determinants of public policy what government actually does. By paying close attention to what policymakers privately say about what they are doing, the course reconnects the world of ideas to the world of action. The course examines concrete cases from specific time periods across a wide range of policy areas such as health care, tax policy, Social Security, education reform, immigration, tort reform, and deregulation. Success in this four credit course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.). Learning Goals In my view, teaching is an exchange of energy between the instructor and the class. I will also try to convey to the class my passions about American politics and policy, including critiques as well as positive assessments. We will try to develop a broad vision of the political process in the US as it shapes policymaking. But we will not be examine it through generalizations. Rather we focus on concrete case studies and concrete policies eg. health care policy (Clinton and Obama), welfare reform (Clinton), the politics of fear and national security (George W. Bush).
2 Course Materials The books listed below are available at the Brandeis bookstore and on Amazon. Landy & Levin, The New Politics of Public Policy Dionne, Why Americans Hate Politics Levin, Landy & Shapiro, Seeking The Center: Politics and Policymaking at The New Century Teles, Whose Welfare? Levin, DiSalvo & Shapiro, Building Coalitions, Marking Policy: The Politics of The Clinton, Bush, and Obama Presidencies Academic Integrity You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Please consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities for all policies and procedures related to academic integrity. Students may be required to submit work to TurnItIn.com software to verify originality. Allegations of alleged academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Director of Academic Integrity. Sanctions for academic dishonesty can include e failing grades and/or suspension from the university. Citation and research assistance can be found at LTS Library guides. Disabilities Acommodation If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately. I: Introduction Week 1 (August 29, 31 & September 1) Course Plan King, "Introduction" and "Building Coalitions in The Sand" in King (ed.) The New American Political System Wilson, "American Politics Then & Now II: The New Politics of Public Policy Week 2 (September 7)* There is no class Monday, September 5 for Labor Day.
3 Shapiro, "Of Interests and Values: The New Politics and the New Political Science" in Landy & Levin, The New Politics of Public Policymaking Landy and Levin, Preface and "The New Politics of Public Policymaking" in Landy & Levin James Q. Wilson, "New Politics, New Elites, Old Politics", in Landy and Levin Levin, Diversity and Drift in an Age of Austerity, in Levin and Shapiro. Trans Atlantic Policymaking in an Age of Austerity III: Changing in Political Parties, Congress and the Electoral Process Week 3 (September 12, 14 & 15) Required readings: Levin and Landy, "Durability and Change: Policymaking in the 90's and Beyond " in Seeking the Center E.J. Dione, Why Americans Hate Politics, Ch. 1,5 7, 11 13. IV: Rights and Adversarial Legalism Week 4 (September 19, 21 & 22) Schuck, "The Politics of Rapid Legal Change: Immigration Policy in the 1980's, in Landy and Levin. Melnick, "Separation of Powers and The Strategy of Rights: Expansion of Special Education", in Landy & Levin. Kagan, "Adversial Legalism and American Government", in Landy & Levin. V: The Politics of Tax Reform: A Surprising Outcome Week 5 (September 26, 28 & 29) Conlan, et al, "Solving the Riddle of Tax Reform", in Landy & Levin. VI: Durability, Change, and a Regime of Moderation Admist Competitive, Alternating Parties: Prime Minister Gingrich and President Clinton Week 6 (October 5 & 6) There is no class Monday, October 3 for Rosh Hashanah. MIDTERM The Midterm Exam is a 7 10 page take home essay. The prompt will be distributed on Wednesday, October 12 in class and due via email on Sunday, October 16 by 5pm.
4 Steven Teles, Whose Welfare: AFDC and ElitePolitics, Ch. 1, 3 5,8 9. Teles and Prinz, The Politics of Rights Retraction:Welfare Reform from Enttileemnt to Block Grant in Seeking the Center Howard, "The New Politics of The Working Poor" in Seeking the Center VII: The Resilience of Rights: Affirmative Action, Disability, and the Rights of Women, Gays and Plants and Animals Week 7 (October 10 & 13)* There is no class on Wednesday, October 12 for Yom Kippur. Burke, "The Resilience of Rights" in Seeking the Center John Skrenty, The Ironies of Affirmative Action, Chapters 1,3,5, 7 8. Skrentny, "The Surpising Resilience of Affirmative Action: Republican Efforts to End Affirmative Action" in Seeking the Center Martin, "Dead or Arrival: New Politics, Old Politics and the Case of National Health Reform" in Seeking the Center Mayhew, Much Huffing and Puffing, Little Change in Seeking the Center VIII: The Age of An Electoral Split Decision the 2000 Election and More Third Party Influence Week 8 (October 19 & 20)* There is no class on Monday, October 17 for Sukkot. Levin, Shapiro & Disalvo, Building Coalitions, Making Policy: The Politics of the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Presidencies, Introduction and Chapter 1 (Levin, Emer, & DiSalvo) The Age of 9/11 and its Foreign and Domestic Effects : Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Patriot Act followed by Social Security Privatization, An Underfunded Expansion of Drug Coverage for Medicare, and Tax Cuts Lindsay, National Security, the Electoral Connection, and Policy Choice in Levin, Shapiro, & Disalvo IX: The Age of Bush and the Stealth Politics of Indirection: A Domestic Version of the Voodoo Dance of Weapons of Mass Destruction Week 9 (October 25, 26 & 27) There is no class on Monday, October 24 for Shmini Atzeret.
5 Emer, A Feint to the Center but Moving Backwards: Bush s Clear Skies Environmental Policies and Non Policies in Levin, Shapiro, and DiSalvo X: Policies to Serve the Business Providers to Government: Pillaging from the Right After a Feint to the Center Week 10 (October 31, November 2 & 3) Levin, Shapiro & Disalvo, Building Coalitions, Making Policy: The Politics of the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Presidencies Shapiro, Bush s Our Crowd Weaver, The Privatization of Social Security Oberlander Medicare Prescription Drug Reform Tichenor, Bush s Immigration Reform Failure Hess, Compassionate Conservatism and No Child Left Behind Conlan, Politics of Tax Reduction in the Bush Administration XI: An Age of Frequent and Surprising Alternations in Power Redux the 2002 and 2006 Elections Week 11 (November 7, 9 & 10) Wildavsky, The Two Presidencies Foreign and Domestic The Age of Obama: Healthcare Reform, Dodd Frank Financial Reform, and the Fiscal Stimulus Package Levin, Shapiro & Disalvo, Building Coalitions, Making Policy Oberlander, Learning from the Clinton Healthcare Reform Failure Tichenor, Obama s Immigration Reform Failure XII: And Again, An Age of More Frequent Alternations in Power: The 2010 Election Brings Us the Republican Coalition Building Strategy Just Say No Week 12 (November 14, 16 & 17) Levin, Shapiro & DiSalvo, Building Coalitions, Making Policy Mayhew, Politics, Elections and Policymaking The Age of a Surprising 2010 Lame Duck Session: A New Republican Strategy Just Say Yes If It Involves Tax Cuts and Help for Business Levin, Shapiro & DiSalvo, Building Coalitions, Making Policy Levin, Emer and DiSalvo, Some New Coalitional Configurations and Policies: The Surprising 2010 Lame Duck Session Mayhew, The End Note of Obama s First Two Years: The 2010 Lame Duck Session
6 XIII: The Age of the Deficit Reduction Follies: Just Say No Redux Week 13 (November 21 & 23) * Thanksgiving Break November 23 27 Does Obama Really Like this Job? : Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One. 2011 and Beyond: Once and Future Coalition Building for Policymaking The Bipartisanship Fantasy Dream Machine: Obama wants to be President of a Country that Doesn t Exist : Wolffe, R: Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House. Obama and the Failure To Exert Power: Faubus and Netanyahu; MacArthur and McCrystal : Neustadt, Presidential Power Levin, A Politics of Institutions in Davis, The Post Imperial Presidency XIV: Looking Forward and Back Oabama in Historical Perspective Week 14 15 (November 28, 30, December 1, 5 & 7) Keller, The Unbearable Heaviness of Governing: OBAMA IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, Intro, Chapters 1, 3 5. FINAL EXAM The Final Exam is a 10 12 page take home essay. The prompt will be distributed via email Monday, December 12 and due via email Monday, December 19 by 5pm. Evaluation This course will be interactive and taught in a seminar style to encourage active student participation. As a way of facilitating this interactive style, there will be a class dinner with voluntary attendance in the first two or three weeks classes. Attendance is mandatory, and participation accounts for 10% of your final grade. Students are expected to complete all assigned readings and think critically about them in preparation for class discussions.
7 The midterm and the final are take home essays. Late papers will receive a penalty of 3 points per day (including weekend days). If you need an extention for any reason, please reach out to me and we can discuss your situation on a case by case basis. Class Participation 10% Midterm 25% Final 65% Communications Most class communications will be done via Latte to your Brandeis email address. Any changes to the syllabus, exam dates and class cancellation will be done through email so it is critical to check for class correspondences often. I m usually on campus six days a week so that I will be quite available. Moreover, you can call me directly on my cell phone anytime 24/7 617 538 2961 and you can also use my cell to make an appoint if my office hours are not convinient to you.