printer friendly pagePUBLPOL 19Q: Measuring the Performance of Governments in the U.S. (ECON 19Q)
Spending by federal, state, and local governments accounts for about one-third of U.S. GDP and governments employ more than one-in-seven workers in the U.S. For most U.S. residents, government is represented by a complicated web of federal, state, and local policies. There is an increasingly contentious debate about the proper role of the government and regarding the impact of specific government policies. This debate is rarely grounded in a common set of facts. In this seminar, we will explore how each level of government interacts with U.S. residents through government services, public programs, taxes, and regulations. We will examine financial results for different levels of government while considering the net effects of government intervention on the health and economic well-being of individuals and families. Particular attention will be paid to certain sectors (e.g. education, health care, etc.) and to certain groups (e.g. those in poverty, the elderly, etc.). Along the way we will accumulate a set of metrics to assess the performance of each level of government while highlighting the formidable challenges of such an exercise. Prerequisite:
Econ 1.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
PUBLPOL 51: Microeconomics for Policy (IPS 204A, PUBLPOL 301A)
Microeconomic concepts relevant to decision making. Topics include: competitive market clearing, price discrimination; general equilibrium; risk aversion and sharing, capital market theory, Nash equilibrium; welfare analysis; public choice; externalities and public goods; hidden information and market signaling; moral hazard and incentives; auction theory; game theory; oligopoly; reputation and credibility. Undergraduate Public Policy students may take
PublPol 51 as a substitute for the
Econ 51 major requirement. Economics majors still need to take
Econ 51. Prerequisites:
ECON 50 and
MATH 51 or equiv.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Bulow, J. (PI)
;
Kang, Z. (TA)
PUBLPOL 103C: Justice (ETHICSOC 171, PHIL 171, POLISCI 103, POLISCI 336S, PUBLPOL 307)
Focus is on the ideal of a just society, and the place of liberty and equality in it, in light of contemporary theories of justice and political controversies. Topics include financing schools and elections, regulating markets, discriminating against people with disabilities, and enforcing sexual morality. Counts as Writing in the Major for PoliSci majors.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Reich, R. (PI)
;
Basu, J. (TA)
;
Kaufman, B. (TA)
...
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Instructors:
Reich, R. (PI)
;
Basu, J. (TA)
;
Kaufman, B. (TA)
;
Lenczewska, O. (TA)
;
Schwartz, A. (TA)
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 118: Disasters, Decisions, Development in Sustainable Urban Systems (ESS 118, ESS 218, GEOPHYS 118X, GEOPHYS 218X, GS 118, GS 218, POLISCI 224A)
CEE 224X of the CEE 224XYZ SUS Project series is joining forces with D3: Disasters, Decisions, Development to offer D3+SUS, which will connect principles of sustainable urban systems with the challenge of increasing resilience in the San Francisco Bay Area. The project-based learning course is designed to align with the Resilient By Design | Bay Area Challenge (
http://www.resilientbayarea.org/); students will learn the basic concepts of resilience and tools of risk analysis while applying those mindsets and toolsets to a collective research product delivered to the RBD community. Students who take D3+SUS are encouraged to continue on to
CEE 224Y and
CEE 224Z, in which teams will be paired with local partners and will develop interventions to improve the resilience of local communities. For more information, visit
http://sus.stanford.edu/courses.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Hilley, G. (PI)
;
Leckie, J. (PI)
...
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Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Hilley, G. (PI)
;
Leckie, J. (PI)
;
Ouyang, D. (PI)
;
Suckale, J. (PI)
;
Watson, L. (TA)
PUBLPOL 123: Thinking About War (PUBLPOL 223)
Introduction to the ideas, important writers, and policy decisions about warfare. Topics include: what causes wars, great strategists of warfare, whether nuclear weapons require different strategy than conventional war, fostering innovation, what creates stable peace, and what warfare feels like to those who fight it. Each class session is organized around a question; first half of each session will explore concepts, second half will apply them in a historical case or policy decision.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
Instructors:
Schake, K. (PI)
PUBLPOL 133: Political Power in American Cities (AMSTUD 121Z, POLISCI 121, URBANST 111)
The major actors, institutions, processes, and policies of sub-state government in the U.S., emphasizing city general-purpose governments through a comparative examination of historical and contemporary politics. Issues related to federalism, representation, voting, race, poverty, housing, and finances.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Nall, C. (PI)
;
Yoder, J. (TA)
PUBLPOL 156: Health Care Policy and Reform
Focuses on healthcare policy at the national, state, and local levels. Includes sessions on international models, health insurance, the evolution of healthcare policy in the U.S., key U.S. healthcare topics (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, public employee retiree health care), the role of technology, reform proposals (single payer, national health care, consumer-based systems, regulated markets, state and local reform efforts), efficiency/cost drivers and prospects for future policy. The course includes sessions on effective memo writing and presentation of policy proposals.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
PUBLPOL 198: Directed Readings in Public Policy
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 1-5
| Repeatable
for credit
PUBLPOL 199: Senior Research
May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 1-15
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors:
Clerici-Arias, M. (PI)
;
Greely, H. (PI)
;
Klausner, M. (PI)
...
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Instructors:
Clerici-Arias, M. (PI)
;
Greely, H. (PI)
;
Klausner, M. (PI)
;
Nation, J. (PI)
;
Reich, R. (PI)
;
Schneider, M. (PI)
;
Stedman, S. (PI)
;
Sweeney, J. (PI)
;
Wara, M. (PI)
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