printer friendly pagePUBLPOL 31SI: State Health Policy: Making (or Breaking) Healthcare
You are now the governor of a major state, and it's your responsibility to build a health reform agenda. What are the major problems in your state? What policy levers are available to you to fix them? What evidence do you need to compare different policies? This course evaluates major trends and changes in state health care policies through the course of seven lectures and three speakers and culminates in a final memo where you propose and justify a specific health policy reform. Course staff are available to support you in contacting and pitching your proposed reform to a relevant policymaker.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1-2
PUBLPOL 73: Energy Policy in California and the West (CEE 263G, ENERGY 73, POLISCI 73)
This seminar provides an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies and Western energy organizations in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures, in California, the West and internationally. The course covers three areas: 1) roles and responsibilities of key state agencies and Western energy organizations; 2) current and evolving energy and climate policies; and 3) development of the 21st century electricity system in California and the West. The seminar will also provide students a guideline of what to expect in professional working environment.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 2 units total)
PUBLPOL 100: Hoover Institution National Security Affairs Fellows Mentorship Program
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 August 30, 2024.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 3 units total)
Instructors:
Zegart, A. (PI)
PUBLPOL 101: Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (AMSTUD 123X, POLISCI 102, PUBLPOL 201)
American democracy faces a series of unprecedented challenges. This course will identify the greatest areas of weakness in the American political system, make sense of the most pressing threats facing democracy, and contemplate how democracy can be strengthened. With this them - in defense of democracy - in mind, we will examine several questions: What guiding principles, norms, and institutions organize and structure American politics, and how do they affect the health and effectiveness of American democracy? What do patterns of political participation and representation in the United States tell us about the health of our democracy? How do partisan and social identities breed hostility and antagonism among the mass public? How does information from the media and other sources advance or frustrate democratic outcomes? What does increased violence - political, racially motivated, or otherwise - reveal about the trajectory of democracy in the United States? This is a course built on the science of politics, and our aim is to bring the scientific study of politics to bear on these pressing questions.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors:
Bonica, A. (PI)
;
Jefferson, H. (PI)
;
Brown, R. (TA)
...
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Instructors:
Bonica, A. (PI)
;
Jefferson, H. (PI)
;
Brown, R. (TA)
;
Fikejs, E. (TA)
;
Sturdivant, M. (TA)
;
Tanigawa-Lau, C. (TA)
;
Yamaya, S. (TA)
PUBLPOL 105: Empirical Methods in Public Policy (PUBLPOL 205)
Methods of empirical analysis and applications in public policy. Emphasis on causal inference and program evaluation. Public policy applications include health, labor and saving. Assignments include hands-on data analysis, evaluation of existing literature, and a final research project. Objective is to obtain tools to 1) critically evaluate evidence used to make policy decisions and 2) perform empirical analysis to answer questions in public policy. Prerequisite:
ECON 102B. Public Policy students must take the course for a letter grade. Priority for enrollment will be given to Public Policy students. Non-Public Policy majors must receive instructor permission to enroll.
Terms: Win, Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
PUBLPOL 119: AI, Autonomy, and the Future of Warfare (INTLPOL 265, PUBLPOL 219)
The introduction of artificial intelligence and autonomy into warfare will have profound and unforeseen consequences for national security and human society. This course prepares future policymakers and industry leaders for the complex debate surrounding the developmental, legal, ethical, and operational considerations of creating machines with the ability to apply lethal force. Students will gain a detailed and multi-perspective understanding of the associated opportunities and risk by lectures and discussions with expert guest speakers and a cohort of students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. There will be two days of class each week. One day is a lecture session and the other is a discussion session. The lecture session will occasionally have guest lecturers with recent real-world experience in the topic and is intended to expose students to current knowledge and perspectives. The following discussion session will be an opportunity to digest, and reflect on, the ideas from lecture, but will also be a chance for group work on graded assignments. No experience in the content is necessary. Varying perspectives are essential in any conversation on this topic. Undergrads also welcome.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
Instructors:
Boyd, B. (PI)
PUBLPOL 149: The Political Economy of Tax Evasion (POLISCI 249R)
Taxation is a phenomenon as old as the state itself. So is tax evasion. Throughout its history, noncompliance with the fiscal burden imposed by the government has taken many forms and meanings. In most cases, evasion is a crime and a policy issue. In some, it is also a consequential political act, from the Boston Tea Party initiating the American Revolution to the Poll Tax Riots marking the end of the Thatcher era in 1990 UK. In all instances, noncompliance concerns the heart of the social contract between citizens and the state, underpinning the functioning of most modern societies. This course adopts a comparative and international political economy approach to tax noncompliance and enforcement. In the first part, we will explore the issue of tax evasion from a fundamental economic and policy perspective. Why do taxpayers decide to shirk? How do tax authorities curtail noncompliance? In the second part, we will analyze the political dimension of tax evasion. What are the political ca
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Taxation is a phenomenon as old as the state itself. So is tax evasion. Throughout its history, noncompliance with the fiscal burden imposed by the government has taken many forms and meanings. In most cases, evasion is a crime and a policy issue. In some, it is also a consequential political act, from the Boston Tea Party initiating the American Revolution to the Poll Tax Riots marking the end of the Thatcher era in 1990 UK. In all instances, noncompliance concerns the heart of the social contract between citizens and the state, underpinning the functioning of most modern societies. This course adopts a comparative and international political economy approach to tax noncompliance and enforcement. In the first part, we will explore the issue of tax evasion from a fundamental economic and policy perspective. Why do taxpayers decide to shirk? How do tax authorities curtail noncompliance? In the second part, we will analyze the political dimension of tax evasion. What are the political causes and consequences of tax fraud? Under what conditions do governments increase enforcement? Answering these questions, the class will consider different levels of governance ¿ national, subnational, and international ¿ as well as different settings ¿ post-industrial capitalist societies, low-income countries, and war-ridden contexts.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Paci, S. (PI)
PUBLPOL 153: Energy, Clean Innovation & Sustainability
This Writing in the Major (WIM) course for Public Policy will focus on identifying innovative solutions to address energy, environmental, and infrastructure challenges in North America and clearly communicating these strategies to decision-makers. Clean innovation through technological, business, policy and social innovation is needed to advance a carbon neutral future in the region. This transformative process, along with the energy, water, urban, transport and digital innovation cycle, is full of business opportunities. Our course will leverage Stanford's Silicon Valley ingenuity and California's policy leadership in advancing climate and sustainability policy as a source of inspiration to articulate pertinent and pragmatic solutions to the longstanding and emerging cross-country energy and environment policy issues present in North America. We will also analyze the challenges that electoral political cycles and constant evolution of the institutional context for energy and environme
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This Writing in the Major (WIM) course for Public Policy will focus on identifying innovative solutions to address energy, environmental, and infrastructure challenges in North America and clearly communicating these strategies to decision-makers. Clean innovation through technological, business, policy and social innovation is needed to advance a carbon neutral future in the region. This transformative process, along with the energy, water, urban, transport and digital innovation cycle, is full of business opportunities. Our course will leverage Stanford's Silicon Valley ingenuity and California's policy leadership in advancing climate and sustainability policy as a source of inspiration to articulate pertinent and pragmatic solutions to the longstanding and emerging cross-country energy and environment policy issues present in North America. We will also analyze the challenges that electoral political cycles and constant evolution of the institutional context for energy and environmental cooperation present among the three members of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In addition, this course will satisfy the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement for Public Policy. As such, this course focuses on crafting policy memos, reports, and presentations about one individual topic and one group topic. Students will craft a concise policy memo, a longer report, and both an elevator pitch and long-form presentation about a sustainability topic of their choice. Additionally, students will work in a small group to address a clean energy transition challenge for a real-world client: Lithium Valley and the California Energy Commission (CEC). Teams will write a one-pager and a policy report, in addition to delivering a mid-quarter and final presentation, on a chosen Lithium Valley policy challenge for the CEC.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Perez Henriquez, B. (PI)
PUBLPOL 155: Data Science for Social Impact (COMM 140X, DATASCI 154, EARTHSYS 153, ECON 163, MS&E 134, POLISCI 154, SOC 127)
You have some experience coding in R or Python. You've taken a class or two in basic stats or data science. But what's next? How can you use data science skills to make the world a better place? If you're asking those questions, then "Solving Social Problems with Data" is for you. In this class, you'll work in four areas where data are being used to make the world better: health care, education, detecting discrimination, and clean energy technologies. You'll work with data from hospitals, schools, police departments, and electric utilities. You'll apply causal inference, prediction, and optimization techniques to help businesses, governments, and other organizations make better decisions. You'll see the challenges that arise when analyzing real data ¿ for example, when some data are missing, or when the randomized experiment gets implemented wrong. You'll get ideas for an impactful and meaningful senior thesis, summer internship, and future career. Concretely, you'll have weekly proble
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You have some experience coding in R or Python. You've taken a class or two in basic stats or data science. But what's next? How can you use data science skills to make the world a better place? If you're asking those questions, then "Solving Social Problems with Data" is for you. In this class, you'll work in four areas where data are being used to make the world better: health care, education, detecting discrimination, and clean energy technologies. You'll work with data from hospitals, schools, police departments, and electric utilities. You'll apply causal inference, prediction, and optimization techniques to help businesses, governments, and other organizations make better decisions. You'll see the challenges that arise when analyzing real data ¿ for example, when some data are missing, or when the randomized experiment gets implemented wrong. You'll get ideas for an impactful and meaningful senior thesis, summer internship, and future career. Concretely, you'll have weekly problem sets involving data analysis in R or python. You'll learn and apply techniques like fixed effects regression, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, regularized regression, random forests, causal forests, and optimization. Class sessions will feature active learning, discussions, and small-group case studies. You should only enroll if you expect to attend regularly and complete the problem sets on time. Prerequisites: Experience programming in R or python, or willingness to learn very quickly on your own. A basic statistics or data science course, such as any of the following:
DATASCI 112,
ECON 102 or 108,
CS 129,
EARTHSYS 140,
HUMBIO 88,
POLISCI 150A,
STATS 60 or 101,
SOC 180B, or MS&E 125.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Allcott, H. (PI)
;
Nobles, M. (PI)
;
Charles, S. (TA)
...
more instructors for PUBLPOL 155 »
Instructors:
Allcott, H. (PI)
;
Nobles, M. (PI)
;
Charles, S. (TA)
;
Dong, F. (TA)
;
Louis, R. (TA)
;
Portocarrero Rodriguez, C. (TA)
;
Upadhyay, R. (TA)
PUBLPOL 163: Introduction to Land Use Policy and Planning (AMSTUD 163, EARTHSYS 168, URBANST 163)
Through case studies with a focus on the San Francisco Bay Area, guest speakers, selective readings and interactive assignments, this survey course seeks to demystify the concept of land use for the non-city planner. This introductory course will review the history and trends of land use policies, as well as address a number of current themes to demonstrate the power and importance of land use. Students will explore how urban areas function, how stakeholders influence land use choices, and how land use decisions contribute to positive and negative outcomes. By exploring the contemporary history of land use in the United States, students will learn how land use has been used as a tool for discriminatory practices and NIMBYism. Students will also learn about current land use planning efforts that seek to make cities more sustainable, resilient and equitable to address issues like gentrification, affordable housing, and sea level rise.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Rich, D. (PI)
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