ANNOUNCEMENTS:

OFFICE HOURS:
        Monday          10:30-11:30am                     Andy           Abernethy 215
        Tuesday          11am-12pm, 3:30-5:00pm    Me              Abernethy 217
        Wednesday    10:30-11:30am                      Andy             Abernethy 215
        Thursday        11am-12pm, 3:30-5:00pm    Me              Abernethy 217
 
 

Go To:
    Syllabus
    Course Materials/Readings
    Policy Analysis Project Topics
    Policy Analysis Group Project
    Discussion Questions
    Midterm
    Homeworks
    Policy Analysis Guidelines
    Final Exam
    Information Resource Links
 

I. Syllabus

View Syllabus (Download MS-Word Version)       (HTML)    (PDF)

II. Course Materials
 

    Tuesday, September 20:
     Fishbanks Information Packet
 

    Thursday, September 29:
     Munger Ch. 7 "The Welfare Economics Paradigm"
    Optional Reading:
        Callan & Thomas "Modeling Market Failure"
 

    Tuesday, October 4
    1) "Criteria"Ch. 5 in Patton & Sawicki
    Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning
    2) "Assessing Policy Alternatives" Ch. 6 in
       Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives
       by Michael Kraft and Scott Furlong, CQ Press, 2004.
       JUST READ PP. 151-160.

    Optional:  Real World examples of Policy Memos
        Canadian Salmon Fishery (W&V Ch. 1)
        CBO Study on Reducing Gasoline - Summary
 

    Tuesday, November 1
    Ch. 8 in Patton & Sawicki
    Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning
      AND Weimer and Vining Ch. 11
        "Goals/Alternatives Matrices: Some examples from CBO studies."

    Thursday, November 3
    "Thinking Strategically about Adoption and Implementation"
    Ch. 13 in Weimer and Vining

    Thursday, November 10
    1) Ch. 7 in Patton & Sawicki
    Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning
    2) "Assessing Policy Alternatives" Ch. 6 in
       Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives
       by Michael Kraft and Scott Furlong, CQ Press, 2004.
        JUST READ PP. 160-176.

    Tuesday, November 15
     Munger, Ch. 10 “Discounting II: Time”

    Thursday, November 17
     Munger, Ch. 11 “Cost-Benefit Analysis”
 

III. Memo Topics

Each policy analysis project is outlined on the links below:

• Environmental Policy
• Education Policy
• Health Policy
• Social Security Reform
• Passenger Rail Reform
  

Who are my partners in doing the analysis?
    Policy Analysis Team Assignments
 

1^st Group Assignment - Due Tuesday, September 27
    as a GROUP: Groupwork Ground-Rules Agreement

1^st Individual Assignment - Due Thursday, October 13
    Memo #1 Assignment
    Criteria for Grading Memo #1

Memo #1 Rewrite Due on Thursday, November 3

Two GOOD example memos on Welfare Reform
    welfare reform memo 1
    welfare reform memo 2
 
  Two GOOD example memos on Air Pollution
    air pollution memo 1
    air pollution memo 2
 

    BAD example memo on welfare reform
    BAD example memo on health care

Advice on Writing Policy Memos and Communicating Analysis:
    Writing Public Policy ch. 3
    Writing Public Policy chs. 1&2

Advice on Research and Materials for your Policy Analysis:
    Weimer and Vining Ch. 13

Some Examples of Short Policy Analyses:
    1) Weimer and Vining, Ch. 1 - Canadian Salmon Fishery
    2) Weimer and Vining, Ch. 9 - Taxi Market in Madison, WI
    3) Participation Rate for Welfare Reform - Brookings Inst.
    4) Transportation in Northern Virginia - RFF
    5) Summary of Report on Reducing Gasoline Consumption - CBO
 
 
 

1^st Group Assignment - Due Tuesday, September 27
    as a GROUP: Groupwork Ground-Rules Agreement

Policy Analysis Team Project Assignment
    1st Draft Due Tuesday, November 22
    Grading Criteria
    Suggested Outline for Paper
    Sample criteria alternatives matrix in excel
 

Here are 2 examples of final papers on welfare reform from last year.
Neither paper is perfect, but both are good and each have some things they did well. 
This should at least give you a sense of what is expected of you for yours.
          Welfare Group A
          Welfare Group B

At the end of the project, each of you will fill out the following about your teammates:
Peer Review of Group Policy Analysis Team Members
 

For your in-class presentations, you will be evaluated by me and the rest of the class with this form:
Presentation Evaluation Form
 

VI. Midterm Exam Stuff
 
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam and Solutions
NOTE: Question #2 is based on a reading that we have not done yet - I will not ask a question on this material.

VII. Homeworks

Homework #1 assignment (MSword)        Solutions
    Due Thursday, October 6
    Here are last fall's HW1 and Solutions

Homework #2 - Cost-Benefit Analysis
    Due Tuesday, November 29
For HW #2, here is the sample excel worksheet for discounting.

SOLUTIONS (WORD) (EXCEL for Q2)

VIII. Policy Analysis Guidelines

The Policy Analysis Process

Here are Notes on Alternatives - a checklist of 5 categories, examples, and which problem types they are used for.
 

IX. Final Exam

X. Information Resource Links:

   News Media:

• New York Times
• Washington Post
• Economist
• Wall Street Journal
• National Public Radio
• CNN

    Policy Research "Think Tanks"

• Brookings Institution
• Economic, Foreign Policy, and Governmental Studies.
• Urban Institute
• Economic and Social Policy
• Rand Corporation
• Child policy, civil and criminal justice, education, environment and energy, health, international policy, labor markets, national security, population and regional studies, science and technology, social welfare and transportation.
• Resources for the Future
• Environment and Energy Policy
• Pew Charitable Trusts
• The Pew Charitable Trusts support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion.
• Mathematica Policy Research
• Social policy, including health care, welfare, education, employment, nutrition, and early childhood policies and programs in the United States
• Joint Center for Poverty Research - National center for academic research on welfare and poverty issues, at Northwestern University and University of Chicago

Government Analysis Offices:

• Congressional Budget Office
• Office of Management and Budget
• Health and Human Service (HHS) - links to evaluations of TANF

• Heritage Foundation
• Cato Institute
• American Enterprise Institute

• Union of Concerned Scientists
• World Resources Institute
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Natural Resources Defense Council