STIA 452: INNOVATION SYSTEMS FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH
Science and technology are now seen not only to have a profound connection to our health and daily life, but also to the society's economic growth and its corresponding ability to generate societal wellbeing. This course will examine the science, technology and health innovation system, with a particular focus on public policy and the federal government's role in that system. It will review the innovation-based competitive challenges now facing the U.S. economy in both services and manufacturing sectors, comparative efforts in other nations, the varied models for how federal science and technology mission agencies are organized, the growth of public-private partnership models, the appropriate limits on the governmental role and the cluster theory of regional innovation-based development. Emphasis will be placed on examining the organization and role of medical science innovation agencies. The mechanisms through which government obtains the science advice that is increasingly important to public policy will be discussed. The class will close with a review of proposals for improving the government-related elements of the innovation system. Professor Bonvillian. (also a course in the Health Policy track).

 

PPOL 527: RISK ASSESSMENT
This course focuses on human health risk assessment and covers the following set of interrelated steps used in assessing environmental and human health risk: hazard identification, dose-response, exposure assessment and risk characterization. The risk assessment process is examined through case examples involving the human health consequences and regulatory approaches to chemical pollutants such as lead, mercury, dioxin and particulate matter; biological pollutants that result in food contamination; and broader issues such as global warming. The course features discussion of the kind and quality of information used to evaluate risk, the impacts of cascading conservatism, and the influence of science policy perspectives on risk assessment results. The course emphasizes issues rising under the environmental laws administered by the Environmental Protection Agency but gives attention also to related issues managed by other federal agencies. Professor Patton. (Also a course in Health Policy track)

 

PPOL 562: THE PUBLIC POLICY OF COMMUNICATIONS IN GREATER WASHINGTON, DC. The goal of the course is to examine the public policies, legal and political structures that currently determine communication in communities by examining specific laws and media in the Greater Washington D.C. region. Rather than looking at media as a consumer product, a means of entertainment or as a business, this course will focus on the political relationship between citizens and media/telecommunications companies. The course will particularly focus on newspapers, radio and television broadcasters, cable companies, and the local and national entities that regulate them. The course will require readings to explore the constitutional and regulatory structures that determine the character of this political relationship, and the theories behind these structures, but the focus will be on how public policy is shaped by the interaction of local and federal regulators with industry leaders. Professor Lloyd.

 

PPOL 600: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Historically, economic growth has been accompanied by serious environmental degradation, a grave concern in developing countries where most households are too poor to avoid pollution and many depend directly on forests, grazing lands, and water resources for subsistence. In this course we will draw on economic theory to analyze the extent to which environmental degradation accompanying economic development is inevitable, and to provide an overview of policies that can be used to mitigate it in developing countries. We will pay special attention to the institutional setting in which policies implemented. Specific issues to be studied include common property resource management, bio-diversity conservation, climate change policies, clean technological change, and controlling pollution from microenterprises. Staff. (also an International Policy & Development track course)

 

PPOL 605: ENERGY POLICY
The course examines energy policy and issues from an applied microeconomics perspective. Particular attention is paid to the institutional features of the energy industry and the reasons for and effects of major pieces of energy legislation. The class also examines issues in sustainable energy development and international energy markets. Professor Hunger.

 

PPOL 610: ECONOMICS OF REGULATION AND DEREGULATION
This course explores in depth the theoretical and practical rationales for economic regulation, regulatory reform, and deregulation and applies them to a number of key industries. These industries include telecommunications, energy, and transportation. The course begins with an assessment of the market failures that have historically motivated regulatory intervention, goes on to examine the differing theories of regulation, explores how different regulatory regimes and mechanisms are implemented, and evaluates the economic and legal aspects of regulatory reform. Professor Moss.

 

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 course in Education, Social, & Family Policy track)

 

PPOL 613: ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the theory and tools of environmental economics. This primarily amounts to analyzing and understanding two concepts: 1) economically efficient environmental protection and 2) cost-effective environmental protection. More specifically, we will evaluate within an economic framework the optimal level of pollution control, the potential for market failure with respect to the environment, the role of benefit-cost analysis in establishing environmental regulations, the practices and potential pitfalls of risk analysis, and the methods of achieving cost-effective regulations for specific environmental problems. In addition to examining economic theory, we will also evaluate existing policies aimed at addressing environmental concerns. Professor Gayer.

 

PPOL 614: URBAN SPRAWL AND THE ENVIRONMENT
In the latter half of the 20th Century, the earlier, seemingly moderate and often planned movement from urban areas into the suburbs accelerated dramatically. Environmental, transportation, tax, design, housing and energy policy choices of public (including local government) and private (including developers and architects) decision-makers enhanced the ability of people to redefine the culture of suburban living and to alter materially rural space with residential and commercial development. In many cases, whether deliberately and carefully planned or not the consequence was the same: urban sprawl. In some cases, those public and private choices also exacerbated or yielded deterioration, despair and civil disturbance in our cities, including Washington, D.C. The continued increase in the use of the motor vehicle not only strained land use policies but elevated in the public consciousness the physical and human effects on, and the often distinctive culture within, both places. The intersection of these values, law and land use choices continues to be felt acutely and contentiously into this century in urban and suburban life. The purpose of the course is to provide students, through readings, discussion and practical experience, with an historical and analytical framework for thinking about the value of urban settings, and how public and private land use choices in both urban and suburban settings are or could be made. No exam. Professor Proto.

 

PPOL 620: ANTITRUST & PUBLIC POLICY. The course is designed to familiarize you with the relationship between antitrust law and microeconomics (a prerequisite) and important related public policy issues. The course should provide you with the tools to think analytically and critically about antitrust issues. Throughout, we will use examples from the telecommunications, energy, consumer products, computer technology, health care and media industries. We will cover major topics pertaining to monopolies, mergers, and joint ventures, including: antitrust legislation, unilateral and coordinated exercise of market power, horizontal and vertical competitive issues, remedies for anticompetitive conduct, and efficiencies. Current public policy topics in antitrust will factor heavily into the course material, including: how political and economic factors have shaped antitrust policy, trends in enforcement, antitrust, the role of antitrust in industries transitioning from regulation to competition, and state/federal issues. Professor Moss.

 

PPOL 630: ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY
The environmental policymaking process has several distinctive features: extensive interest group activity; considerable congressional and presidential interest in particular policy disputes; a highly visible regulatory agency (the EPA) staffed by skilled professionals from diverse disciplines; extensive reliance on state governments for regulatory enforcement; and frequent resort to judicial review, with the very real prospect of judicial reversal. This course examines all of these phenomena, as well as recurring tensions among theories of overhead democracy, pluralist democracy, direct democracy, and synoptic rationality.  Professors Gormley , Webster.

 

PPOL 664: TAX POLITICS & POLICY: HOW SHOULD WE PAY FOR A CIVILIZED SOCIETY?
How progressive should the tax system be? Should the tax system reward good behavior and punish bad? Should it provide subsidies to achieve social objectives, such as decent childcare, affordable housing, or access to health care? How should married couples and families be taxed? Should death be a taxable event? Should we tax the amount people earn or the amount people spend? The objectives of this course are: (1) to understand how the tax system got the way it is today; (2) to understand the major tax policy issues that drive the current political debate; and, (3) to understand the implications of alternative tax policy choices for the future. PREREQUISITE: Students must have already taken, or be concurrently enrolled in, Public Finance (PPOL 503) or its equivalent. Professor Burman. (also a course in the Public & Nonprofit Management Track)

 

PPOL 688: HOMELAND SECURITY. This course is intended to provide a broad and deep understanding of a very large subject: the defense of the homeland against violent attack. The goal is to provide students a thorough understanding of the policy, strategy, legal and organizational issues and challenges associated with the defense of the U.S. homeland, the efforts underway to meet those challenges, and the range of means and methods that are or could be brought to bear on this subject. Professor Carafano. (also a course in the Public & Nonprofit Management Track)

PPOL 705: EUROPEAN UNION POLICYMAKING. This module provides a thorough introduction to the policy process governing the European Union. The students will learn about the institutional framework of the European Union consisting of the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Council, the European Parliament, and the European Court of Justice. The course will familiarize students with the norms and principles governing the interplay of these institutions during the policymaking process. The relationship between the European Union and its member states will receive particular attention. The course will also provide insight into how political parties, interest, and advocacy groups make their voices heard within the European political system. Examples will be drawn from and applications made to a variety of policy fields including environmental, agricultural, regional, and social policy. Comparisons will be drawn with the United States in order to understand commonalities and differences between the two political systems. Other current topics covered in less detail include the EU enlargement process and its implications, the EU as a global actor, and the adoption of a European Constitution. Staff.

 

PPOL 709: CONFLICT & DEVELOPMENT. This module will explore the nexus between violent intrastate conflict and development. It will examine some of the key conceptual frameworks advanced to understand conflict and will explore specific themes which have preoccupied researchers and policy practitioners in recent years. The course will not turn you into a conflict specialist, but is rather designed to provide a broad overview of some of the key themes that preoccupy conflict practitioners and policy makers in the development field. The emphasis is on the development nexus, rather than the important diplomatic, political or military aspects. Professor Bannon.