printer friendly pagePUBLPOL 106: Law and Economics (ECON 154, PUBLPOL 206)
This course explores the role of law in promoting economic welfare. Law has many meanings and many aspects, but some version of it is essential to cooperative human interaction and thus to civilization itself. Cooperation often is a positive-sum or welfare-enhancing activity, while competition among individuals, in contrast, is often zero- or negative-sum. Law, among its other functions, can serve as a mechanism to harmonize private incentives to achieve cooperative gains, to maintain an equitable division of those gains, and to deter "cheating." Economic analysis of law focuses on the welfare-enhancing incentive effects of law and law enforcement and on law's role in reducing the risks of cooperation by setting expectations of "what courts or the state will do" in various contingencies. Prerequisite:
Econ 50. Undergraduate Public Policy students are required to take this class for a letter grade and enroll in this class for five units.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
PUBLPOL 107: Public Finance and Fiscal Policy (ECON 141)
What role should and does government play in the economy? What are the effects of government spending, borrowing, and taxation on efficiency, equity and economic stability and growth? The course covers economic, historical and statical analyses and current policy debates in the U.S. and around the world. Policy topics: Fiscal crises, budget surpluses/deficits; tax reform; social security and healthcare programs and reforms; transfers to the poor; public goods and externalities; fiscal federalism; public investment and cost-benefit analysis; and the political economy of government decision-making. Prerequisites:
ECON 51,
ECON 52 (can be taken concurrently).
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Boskin, M. (PI)
PUBLPOL 115: Practical Training
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.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 1-5
| Repeatable
for credit
PUBLPOL 120: Social Science Field Research Methods and Applications (ECON 121, PUBLPOL 220)
This course teaches the basics of the design, implementation and interpretation of social science field research. Building on a basic knowledge of statistical methods and economics, the course first introduces observational field research and compares it with experimental field research. Significant attention will be devoted to explaining what can and cannot be learned each type of field research. The details of designing both types of field research projects will then be discussed. The basics theory of the design of statistical experiments will be introduced and applied. Topics covered include sample size selection, power and size of statistical hypothesis tests, sample selection bias and methods for accounting for it. Examples of best practice field research studies will be presented as well as examples of commonly committed errors. Practical aspects of field work will also be covered, including efficient and cost-effective data collection, data analysis, teamwork, and common ethical considerations. Students can apply to participate in a course project designing a field research project and implementing it in a developing country context during four weeks of the summer. Prerequisites: either
ECON 1 or 1A or 1V and either
STATS 60 or
Econ 102A or equivalent.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Wolak, F. (PI)
PUBLPOL 121: Policy and Climate Change
Science and economics, including recent findings. History and evolution of local, state, regional, national, and international policy. California's recent landmark climate change bill. Future policy prospects, emphasizing national and international levels.
Last offered: Autumn 2010
PUBLPOL 121L: Racial-Ethnic Politics in US (AMSTUD 121L, CSRE 121L, POLISCI 121L)
This course examines various issues surrounding the role of race and ethnicity in the American political system. Specifically, this course will evaluate the development of racial group solidarity and the influence of race on public opinion, political behavior, the media, and in the criminal justice system. We will also examine the politics surrounding the Multiracial Movement and the development of racial identity and political attitudes in the 21st century.
Stats 60 or
Econ 1 is strongly recommended.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
PUBLPOL 122: Biosecurity and Bioterrorism Response (BIOE 122, EMED 122)
Overview of the most pressing biosecurity issues facing the world today. Guest lecturers have included former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Special Assistant on BioSecurity to Presidents Clinton and Bush Jr. Dr. Ken Bernard, Chief Medical Officer of the Homeland Security Department Dr. Alex Garza, eminent scientists, innovators and physicians in the field, and leaders of relevant technology companies. How well the US and global healthcare systems are prepared to withstand a pandemic or a bioterrorism attack, how the medical/healthcare field, government, and the technology sectors are involved in biosecurity and pandemic or bioterrorism response and how they interface, the rise of synthetic biology with its promises and threats, global bio-surveillance, making the medical diagnosis, isolation, containment, hospital surge capacity, stockpiling and distribution of countermeasures, food and agriculture biosecurity, new promising technologies for detection of bio-threats and countermeasures. Open to medical, graduate, and undergraduate students. No prior background in biology necessary. 4 units for twice weekly attendance (Mon. and Wed.); additional 1 unit for writing a research paper for 5 units total maximum. PLEASE NOTE: This class will meet for the first time on Wednesday, March 30.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, GER:EC-GlobalCom
Instructors:
Trounce, M. (PI)
PUBLPOL 124: What's Wrong with American Government? An Institutional Approach (POLISCI 120C)
How politicians, once elected, work together to govern America. The roles of the President, Congress, and Courts in making and enforcing laws. Focus is on the impact of constitutional rules on the incentives of each branch, and on how they influence law. Fulfills the Writing in the Major Requirement for Political Science majors.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Bonica, A. (PI)
;
Stanton, T. (PI)
PUBLPOL 125: Law and Public Policy
This course investigates the relationship between law, politics and public policy in the United States. What is the proper role of judicial decision-making in a democratic system? How do lawyers, judges and other legal actors impact society and shape policy? In turn, how is law impacted and shaped by social forces and movements? We will explore these questions in the context of longstanding debates on policy issues such as economic inequality, racial justice, voting rights, environmental regulation, gun control, sexual identity, immigration and refugees. The course will be taught as a seminar. Discussion will involve the close reading and interpretation of judicial opinions, legislation and other legal texts, interdisciplinary scholarship, and film.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci
PUBLPOL 126B: Curricular Public Policies for the Recognition of Afro-Brazilians and Indigenous Population (AFRICAAM 126B, CSRE 126B, EDUC 136B, EDUC 236B)
Recently two laws in Brazil (10639/2003 and 13465/2008), which came about due to intense pressure from Black and Indigenous social movements throughout the 20th century, have introduced changes in public education curriculum policies. These new curriculum policies mandate that the study of Afro-Brazilian, African, and Indigenous histories and cultures must be taught at all educational levels including at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. As part of this mandate, educators are now directed to incorporate considerations of ethnic-racial diversity in relation to people's thinking and experiences. These policies aim to fight racism as well as other forms of discrimination, and moreover, encourage the building of more equitable pedagogies. This course will discuss past and current policies and practices in Brazilian education from the point of view of different social projects organized by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Brazilians, Asian-Brazilians, as well as Euro-Brazilians. It will also focus on Latin American efforts to promote equity in education, as well as to articulate different points of view, and reinforce and build epistemologies that support the decolonization of thinking, behaviors, research and policies. As part of this process, the course will study the experiences of people demanding these new public policies in terms of the extent to which they were able to influence institutional structures and to establish particular policy reforms. The course will also analyze theoretical frameworks employed by opponents of these movements to resist policies that might challenge their privileged place in society. In doing this, the course will offer theoretical and methodological avenues to promote research that can counter hegemonic curricular policies and pedagogical practices. The course will be fully participatory and oriented towards generating ongoing conversations and discussion about the various issues that arose in Brazil in relation to these two recent laws. To meet these goals, we will do a close reading of relevant scholarly works, paying particular attention to their theoretical frameworks, research designs, and findings.
Last offered: Winter 2015
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