Results for PUBLPOL

Public Policy 1 is an introduction to the wide range of fields and methods used in Public Policy analysis including economics, political science, social psychology, justice, ethics and organizations. The course will have weekly speakers who will provide examples of policy analysis from a variety of perspectives. Attendance mandatory.

This course introduces the theories of consumers, producers, and markets, and uses these concepts to understand how people make complex economic decisions in the real world. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with core microeconomic models and be able to use them with real-world applications related to government spending, taxation, and welfare programs. The goal of the course is for students to learn how microeconomists think and approach economic problems. Prerequisites: ECON 1 and MATH 20 or equivalent.

The seminar will provide an introduction and discussion of the impact of public policy on personal finance. Voters regularly rate the economy as one of the most important factors shaping their political views and most of those opinions are focused on their individual bottom lines. In this course we will discuss the rationale for different public policies and how they affect personal financial situations. We will explore personal finance issues such as taxes, loans, charity, insurance, and pensions. Using the context of (hypothetical) personal finance positions, we will discuss the public policy implications of various proposals and how they affect different groups of people, for example: the implications of differential tax rates for different types of income, the promotion of home ownership in the U.S., and policies to care for our aging population. While economic policy will be the focus of much of the course, we will also examine some of the implications of social policies on personal finance as well. There will be weekly readings and several short policy-related writing assignments.

How do I translate my interests and skills into a career in public service and social impact? This course will introduce you to a wide range of roles that help shape public policy and civic life, including government, education, nonprofits, social enterprises, and arts/media. It can be taken for one or two units. For one unit, you participate in a weekly, interactive speaker series designed to give you a sense for what different public service careers are like. Each week, guests describe their organizations and roles, highlight key intellectual issues and policy challenges, discuss their career paths, and describe skills crucial for the job. For a second unit, you participate in a hands-on weekly session designed to help you translate this knowledge into action. You will identify roles and organizations that might be a good match for you, build your network through informational interviewing, receive career coaching, and acquire the tools you need to launch your job or internship search. This course is intended for all students and all majors. Course content will be relevant to students soon entering the job market as well as those facing choices about courses of study and internships. Class sessions will be 60 minutes. This course is co-sponsored by the Haas Center for Public Service, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and Stanford in Government. Students taking the course for one unit (Tuesday lecture) must enroll in the -01 course option, and students taking the course for two units (Tuesday lecture and Thursday seminar) must enroll in the -02 course option. IR approved.

This course is designed to give Stanford undergraduates an introduction to civil-military relations, leadership development, and operational aspects of American foreign policy. Admitted undergraduates will be mentored by a distinguished leader from the Air Force, Army, CIA, Coast Guard, FBI, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, or State Department for the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters of the 2023-24 academic year. Participation in all three quarters is required. These military leaders, diplomats, and intelligence professionals are part of the Hoover Institution's National Security Affairs Fellows program. The scheduled class time will be used for group activities, lectures from the National Security Affairs Fellows on their experiences in the U.S. government, small group meetings with mentees and mentors, and special sessions with senior American foreign policy leaders. At the end of each quarter, students write short reflection papers. No expertise in international affairs is necessary to apply and all majors are welcome. Selection is based on academic excellence, extracurricular leadership, and interest in international affairs. The program is directed by Dr. Amy Zegart. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to hoovernsaf@stanford.edu by September 6, 2023.

Justice, as we use the term in this class, is a question about social cooperation. People can produce much more cooperatively than the sum of what they could produce as individuals, and these gains from cooperation are what makes civilization possible. But on what terms should we cooperate? How should we divide, as the philosopher John Rawls puts it, "the benefits and burdens of social cooperation"? Working primarily within the Anglo-American philosophical tradition, we'll discuss different answers to this big question as a way to bring together some of the most prominent debates in modern political philosophy. We'll study theories including utilitarianism, libertarianism, classical liberalism, and egalitarian liberalism, and we'll take on complex current issues like reparations for racial injustice, the gender pay gap, and responses to climate change. This class is meant to be an accessible entry point to political philosophy. No experience with political science or philosophy is required or assumed, and we will spend time on the strategy of philosophy as well: understanding how our authors make their arguments to better respond to them and make our own.

The U.S. is in the midst of an inequality explosion. The upper class has become unimaginably rich. Extreme racial discrimination and animus remain at the center of the American story. Abject poverty persists amidst so much wealth. A de facto caste system ¿ in which opportunities to get ahead depend on a birth lottery ¿ is firmly in place. The historic decline in gender inequality, which many had thought would continue on until full equality was achieved, has stalled out across many labor market indicators. Why is this happening? And what should be done about it? A no-holds-barred exploration of America¿s inequality problem.

The transition from high school to college. K-16 course focusing on high school preparation, college choice, remediation, pathways to college, and first-year adjustment. The role of educational policy in postsecondary access. Service Learning Course (certified by Haas Center).

This course examines the profound role race plays in American politics. Topics covered include the construction of political identity among Asian, Black, Latino, Native, and White Americans; the politics of immigration and acculturation; and the influence of racial identity on public opinion, voting behavior, the media, social movements, and in the justice system. We will tackle questions such as: What makes a political campaign ad 'racist?' Why did Donald Trump's support among Black, Latino, and Asian voters increase from 2016 to 2020? Are undocumented immigrants really more likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens? How can we measure whether there is racial bias in policing? What do we even mean when we use the terms 'race' and 'ethnicity' - and how have the definitions of identity groups evolved over time? Throughout, students will be pushed to carefully evaluate data-based claims, critically analyze their own assumptions, and bring to bear empirical evidence to support their arguments in an inclusive learning environment. Prior coursework in Statistics or Economics strongly recommended.

As society faces major challenges, democracies and "free-market" capitalism appear to be in crisis. This interdisciplinary course will explore the complex interactions between corporations, governments, and individuals, drawing on insights from the social sciences, business, and law to understand how institutions and collective actions translate to a set of rules and to outcomes for people and nature. The course aims to help students become savvier in their interactions with our economic and political systems and understand the governance issues that are critical to whether and how well institutions in the private and public sectors serve us. Topics include financial decisions, financial markets, banks and institutional investors; corporations and corporate governance; political economy and the rule of law as it applies to people and to organizations, and the role and functioning of the media. We will connect the material to specific issues such as climate change and justice, and discuss current events regularly throughout the course. Students will have the opportunity to explore a situation of their choosing in more depth through group final projects. Visitors with relevant experiences will regularly enrich our class discussion.

Introduces students to the interdisciplinary intersection of data science and the social sciences through an in-depth examination of contemporary social problems. Provides a foundational skill set for solving social problems with data including quantitative analysis, modeling approaches from the social sciences and engineering, and coding skills for working directly with big data. Students will also consider the ethical dimensions of working with data and learn strategies for translating quantitative results into actionable policies and recommendations. Lectures will introduce students to the methods of data science and social science and apply these frameworks to critical 21st century challenges, including education & inequality, political polarization, and health equity & algorithmic design in the fall quarter, and social media, climate change, and school choice & segregation in the spring quarter. In-class exercises and problem sets will provide students with the opportunity to use real-world datasets to discover meaningful insights for policymakers and communities. This course is the required gateway course for the new major in Data Science & Social Systems. Preference given to Data Science & Social Systems B.A. majors and prospective majors. Course material and presentation will be at an introductory level. Enrollment and participation in one discussion section is required. Sign up for the discussion section will occur on Canvas at the start of the quarter. Prerequisites: CS106A (required), DATASCI 112 (recommended as pre or corequisite). Limited enrollment. Please complete the interest form here: https://forms.gle/8ui9RPgzxjGxJ9k29. A permission code will be given to admitted students to register for the class.

Focuses on U.S. health care policy. Includes comparisons with health care policy in other countries and detailed examinations of Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and proposed reforms. Examines health policy efforts at state and local levels. The course includes sessions on effective memo writing as well as presentation and the politics of health policy and reform efforts. HUMBIO students must enroll in HUMBIO 122A. Graduate students must enroll in PUBLPOL 156. **Enrollment will be decided via application. Applications will open on Aug. 30 at 6:00 p.m. and close on Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. To apply, visit https://forms.gle/thzX6CYjvRvaz5Ra8 **

In virtually every major U.S. city, the lack of affordable housing or homelessness (or both) constitutes the most urgent concern to residents. Amid ample hang-wringing by politicians, pundits, and the press, the human toll of the housing affordability crises has only worsened. This class will focus on solutions to this crisis. Solutions abound, but implementing them at scale requires understanding--and navigating--the legal, economic, and political constraints faced by decision makers. It's in large cities where we see the problem most acutely, but where we also see America's most innovative solutions. So, this class--taught by the former mayor of one of America's dozen largest cities-- will have a decidedly urban focus. While the local entitlement and development process will provide a starting point, the class will also delve into key elements of state and federal policy and law that shape the local responses to these crises. An eclectic set of sources --studies, court opinions, consultant reports, economic meta-analyses, news accounts and an occasional guest lecturer--will support class discussion. The class will be taught with a bias against the ideological, eschewing progressive or conservative "quick fixes," and emphasizing problem-solving, pragmatism, an openness to opposing viewpoints, and a willingness to acknowledge the trade-offs in every approach. Students will be expected to persuasively advocate for specific solutions--in class discussion and in writing--and to demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of those solutions. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Written Assignments. This class is limited to 35 students, with an effort made to have students from SLS (25 students by lottery) and up to 10 non-law students by consent of the instructor. This course is cross-listed with LAW 7128.

Applies the principles of economic analysis to historical and contemporary urban and regional development issues and policies. Explores themes of urban economic geography, location decision-making by firms and individuals, urban land and housing markets, and local government finance. Critically evaluates historical and contemporary government policies regulating urban land use, housing, employment development, and transportation. Thematic focus on impacts of the pandemic and long-term work-from-home employment patterns on urban form, density, and fiscal policies.

Two of the biggest challenges humanity has to face ? promoting human health and halting environmental degradation ? are strongly linked. Gains in health metrics in the last century have coincided with dramatic and unsustainable planetary-level degradation of environmental and ecological systems. Now, climate change, pollution, and other challenges are threatening the health and survival of communities across the globe. In acknowledging complex interconnections between environment and health, this course highlights how we must use an interdisciplinary approach and systems thinking to develop comprehensive solutions. Through a survey of human & planetary health topics that engages guest speakers across Stanford and beyond, students will develop an understanding of interconnected environmental and health challenges, priority areas of action, and channels for impact. Students enrolling in just the lecture should enroll for 3 units. Students enrolling the lecture and weekly discussion sections should enroll for 4 units.

May be repeated for credit.

Small student teams conduct policy analyses requested by government and nonprofit organizations. With guidance from the instructor and client organization, each team researches a real-world problem and devises implementable policy recommendations to help address it. The project culminates in a professional report and presentation to the client organization. Cardinal Course certified by the HAAS Center for Public Service. Prerequisites: core courses in Public Policy or consent of instructor.

Honors students conduct original research for their policy-related Honors thesis. The course is designed to help students make progress on their theses and improve their analytical, research, and communication skills.

The transition from high school to college. K-16 course focusing on high school preparation, college choice, remediation, pathways to college, and first-year adjustment. The role of educational policy in postsecondary access. Service Learning Course (certified by Haas Center).

Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (SE Lab) - Global & Planetary Health is a Collaboratory workshop for students/fellows to design and develop innovative social ventures addressing key challenges in health and the environment, especially in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030). Your mandate in identifying problems and designing solutions is broad and flexible! SE Lab is open to students and fellows across Stanford and combines design thinking exercises, short lectures & case studies, workshops, small group teamwork, presentations, guest speakers, and faculty, practitioner and peer feedback to support you and your team in generating and developing ideas and projects that will change the world! Join SE Lab with an idea or simply the desire to join a team. Enrollment limited to 30.

This course introduces the theories of consumers, producers, and markets, and uses these concepts to understand how people make complex economic decisions in the real world. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with core microeconomic models and be able to use them with real-world applications related to government spending, taxation, and welfare programs. The goal of the course is for students to learn how microeconomists think and approach economic problems. Prerequisites: ECON 1 and MATH 20 or equivalent.

This course offers hands-on learning of effective writing and presentation techniques for audiences that include policy makers, decision stakeholders, interest groups, the media, and the public. Class time will be spent learning lessons in rhetoric, analyzing multiple written genres (memo, op-ed, policy brief, media communications), participating in peer review, and practicing presentation strategies (elevator pitch, press conference, media interview, board meeting, formal presentation). Course texts include sample memos, op-eds, and white papers, as well as rhetoric handouts and videos. Students will draft, revise, and submit writing for policy audiences in the compilation of a final portfolio. Students will also produce oral and multimedia arguments, individually and in teams. Students will be responsible for timely peer review and short presentations on course materials. Enrollment limited.

The Public Policy Graduate Practicum is a two-quarter sequence that serves as the Master's capstone course. In the Practicum, students work in teams to apply and further develop analytical tools acquired in the program to perform policy analysis on real-world projects for government and non-profit clients.

Restricted to students writing a master's thesis in Public Policy. May be repeated for credit.

For Public Policy MA students writing a thesis. Sessions go through the process of selecting a research question, finding relevant bibliography, writing a literature review, introduction, and study design. Each student works on their own project, with frequent written submissions and oral presentations, receiving and providing timely feedback.

Weekly colloquia speaker series required for M.P.P. and M.A. in Public Policy students. Open only to Public Policy graduate students; permission number required to enroll.

How should we judge the fairness of social institutions? This is the basic question of justice, and it is a crucial topic for students of public policy. Justice, the philosopher John Rawls famously argued, is the "first virtue of social institutions ... laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust." Justice is an ethical question about how we as moral beings ought to treat one another, but it is also a profoundly practical question. All human endeavors require large-scale coordination of our actions, which we achieve through laws and institutions. But law without justice is merely mass coercion, neither desirable nor sustainable. In this class we examine some of the most influential theories of fairness in social cooperation, including utilitarianism, social contract theory, liberalism, socialism, and libertarianism, and talk through how we can use these theories to analyze, evaluate, and (re)design public policy. Key questions include: Under what conditions is inequality of wealth and income problematic, and why? What are rights, and why do they matter? How should we balance the needs of individuals against the claims of groups? This class is also meant to provide students with the critical tools to identify and remedy injustices. No experience with political theory is required or assumed, and students will learn the skills of how to do political theory and how to incorporate it into policy work as part of the course. Open only to graduate students; permission number required to enroll.

Qualified Public Policy students obtain employment in a relevant research or industrial activity to enhance their professional experience consistent with their degree programs. Prior to enrolling students must get internship approved by the Public Policy Program. At the start of the quarter, students must submit a one page statement showing the relevance of the employment to the degree program along with an offer letter. At the end of the quarter, a three page final report must be supplied documenting work done and relevance to degree program. Meets the requirements for Curricular Practical Training for students on F-1 visas. May be repeated for credit.

The social and psychological processes involved in asking and answering questions via questionnaires for the social sciences; optimizing questionnaire design; open versus closed questions; rating versus ranking; rating scale length and point labeling; acquiescence response bias; don't-know response options; response choice order effects; question order effects; social desirability response bias; attitude and behavior recall; and introspective accounts of the causes of thoughts and actions.

Instructor and program consent required prior to enrollment.