PPOL 523: POVERTY AND THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET
1. This seminar course examines the nature and extent of poverty in the U.S., and looks at public policies aimed at creating a social safety net as protection against the effects of poverty. Anti-poverty policies - social insurance, income maintenance and other programs- are discussed with an emphasis on the behavioral impacts of the policies and their ultimate effectiveness in reducing poverty. Education and labor market policies for the disadvantaged are considered as well. Professor Holzer.

 

PPOL 596: LEADING A POLITICAL MOVEMENT. It is customary to think of political leadership as something flowing from those in whom we have invested official authority, whether elected or appointed. In truth, however, many of the most significant changes in American life have been the result of actions taken by citizens who hold no official position and act solely on the authority of a passionate belief in an important cause. Whether the cause is broad (the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement) or narrow (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a local campaign to install a traffic light at a busy intersection), the impetus for change is often the result of grass-roots citizen activity. In this course we will examine how to build and lead a movement for change. Instead of observing what scholars have to say about political movements, we will consider what the participants themselves did and said ? how they developed their strategies, how they framed their messages, how they built alliances. In addition to the class discussions and readings, students will be required to do their own research into a political movement of their own choosing to help the class learn what works and what doesn?t work. The goal of the class is simple: to teach students how they, too, can help change the society they live in, even without holding public office. Professor Edwards.

 

PPOL 612: FEDERALISM AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
This course investigates how various aspects of federalism, intergovernmental relations, and multi-tiered government affect public action. The first part of the course will be dedicated to the normative, theoretical, and historical content of federalism and intergovernmental relations in the United States and other countries. For example, how should federal and state responsibilities be allocated? Should federal mandates and federal transfers go hand in hand? Should the federal government rely more on persuasion and less on coercion? The second part of the course will be dedicated to the workings of federalism and intergovernmental relations in different policy areas. For example, how does federalism affect crucial regulatory areas such as environmental policy? How can equal educational and social opportunities be granted in a federal system? Professors Gormley, Walti. (Also an Environmental & Regulatory Policy track Course)

 

PPOL 638: INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH: A DEMOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE
The efforts of societies to improve health conditions and increase the length of life have comprised a major ongoing social revolution of the past 200 years. Our work this semester is a wide-ranging survey of social, economic, demographic and public health perspectives on that movement. Lectures, readings, and class discussions cover the social history of health in past times, belief systems about the causes of disease and illness, the evolution of major cause of disease over time, the ecology and etiology of major infectious and chronic diseases, measurement issues, social and economic consequences of changes in mortality and health, and programs designed to affect health conditions. Professor Weinstein. (Also a course in the International Policy & Development track and the Health Policy track.)

 

PPOL 660: FAMILY DEMOGRAPHY & POLICY ISSUES
This course is designed to bring a demographic perspective to bear on family change and family policy in the U.S. The objective is to identify the demographic processes that lie behind the dramatic social changes that have occurred in the past quarter century and to analyze the role that government has played and can play in affecting the course of family life. Thus, three questions will be used to focus each of the content areas covered in the course: 1) what are the trends and what demographic processes underlie them?, 2) what role has public policy played in shaping these trends?, and 3) what role can public policy play in shaping future trends? Professor Morrison.

 

PPOL 718: GLOBALIZATION & INTERNATIONAL LABOR STANDARDS
This module is designed to provide students with an understanding of international labor standards, specifically child labor, forced labor, employment discrimination and freedom of association and collective bargaining. For example, wanting ILS in trade agreements is a political issue, while wanting developing countries to implement them is a development issue. With increased international economic interdependence over the past half century, conditions in the workplace and treatment of workers have become more global. Globalization has become more contentious and raised a number of economic issues to the forefront for policymakers to consider. For example, anti-globalization and other demonstrations at high-level international meetings are becoming more commonplace. Expanded open trade has increased the size of the world economic pie; however, how this pie is being sliced up remains an issue. We will examine the role of the international labor standards in this controversy. Professor Bednarzik. (also a course in the International Policy & Development, and the Environmental & Regulatory Policy tracks)

 

PPOL 719: INTERNATIONAL LABOR POLICY. The module in International Labor Policy (ILP) is designed to provide students with an understanding of the way international organizations influence the development of domestic labor policy. This is not a comparative labor policy course, although some country labor policy comparisons may be made to emphasize how it was developed. Globalization has raised a number of labor issues to the forefront for policymakers to consider. We will examine the role of the international institutions in dealing with them. Site visits and student participation will contribute to our understanding of the methods and policy processes involved in international institutions guidance in the development of labor policy. Students should carry away from this endeavor an understanding of how labor policy is formulated and developed in today's world economy. Professor Bednarzik. (also an International Policy & Development track course).

 

PPOL 720: HOUSING POLICY. Housing is the single biggest expenditure in the budgets of most American families, and for many with low incomes, unaffordable housing costs create profound hardship and insecurity. But housing is more than a roof over our heads; it defines where we live, where our kids go to school, and whether we feel safe when we come home in the evening. For middle-class Americans, housing is a primary source of wealth accumulation. And the development of new housing shapes the sprawling growth of urban regions. Thus, though often overlooked, housing policy plays a critical role in the well-being of families and communities. This module will provide an overview of housing policy goals, tools, and performance in the U.S. over the last seven decades. Readings and discussions will explore a broad definition of what it means for housing policy to succeed, and will review the evidence on the effectiveness of three basic programmatic approaches: rental assistance, homeownership assistance, and regulatory policies. In addition, each student will develop and defend a housing strategy, targeted to a particular neighborhood, city, or region, defining a hierarchy of housing policy objectives and a combination of programmatic initiatives to achieve these objectives. Professor Turner.

 

PPOL 721: IMMIGRATION & EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
The objective of this course is to discuss immigration to the United States in the context of employment policy, with comparisons to other major receiving countries. Immigration touches on a large number of issues that are directly related to employment policy. Perhaps at the forefront is the question of whether or not immigrants, legal and illegal, displace U.S. workers? If displacement occurs, are low- or highly-skilled workers most impacted, or those in particular regions or industries? And how does immigration policy address these concerns? Do current policies meet legitimate labor shortages and minimize adverse impacts? What training and employment programs exist to help workers get jobs? Students should leave this course with a better understanding of the linkage between immigration and the labor market and the roles that immigration and employment policies can play. Professor Bednarzik. (also a course in the International Policy & Development track) (This module is 1.5 credits)

 

LAWJ 408-05: SOCIAL WELFARE LAW AND POLICY SEMINAR.
This seminar focuses on antipoverty policy issues that underlie the body of law in the area of social welfare. The class begins with a look at the statutory framework and the published policy literature, including relevant demographic data. Students will then present their papers for class discussion and comment. Students' papers will consider the antipoverty aspects of policy, including issues of both policy formation and implementation, concerning such problems as: employment; education; early childhood development; family support services; housing; neighborhood and community development; health care; disability; racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination; racial isolation and concentrated poverty; and income maintenance. Students may work in pairs if they wish to do so. Empirical work on current or recent social problems, policy formation processes, and/or implementation experience in particular communities is strongly encouraged. Professor Edelman.