PADM 621

About this course

This course will introduce students to theories and techniques of policy analysis and will help them acquire the basic skills necessary to do analytic work. The course will begin by defining policy analysis and the various social models that underlie differing analytic and evaluative frameworks. It will examine the institutions, interests, and forces that shape policy debate and affect "delivery" of policy initiatives. Students will explore several models of analysis and consider their limits as well as their strengths. They will explore the role of government in implementing public policy and allocating resources. In that process, students will address a key question: How do the interests of social groups combine with access to the political process to determine who gets what and when? Finally, students will examine case studies of public policy analysis in three selected areas of study.