PPOL 3000 Medical Policy & the American Health Care System (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course is designed to create understanding of the medical, legal, ethical and public policy issues at each stage of the life cycle. The costs of health care delivery systems are outstripping our ability to pay, yet the demand for new medical technologies continues unabated. Questions must be answered about these costs and demands. In many ways, the health care delivery system presents some of our most vexing public policy dilemmas.

 PPOL 3115 Economics for Public Policy I: Aggregates and Production (4 qtr. hrs.)
The tools and techniques of economics are essential for policy analysis.  This course provides an intensive and comprehensive introduction to the field of economic analysis, with a specific emphasis on the applicability of economics to public policy and problem solving within the field of policy analysis.  Topics include: supply and demand; gross domestic product; business cycles; classical and neo-classical economic theory; Keynesianism and Keynesian equilibrium; the "Chicago School;" fiscal policy; inflation; stimulation of aggregate demand; employment and unemployment equilibrium; creation of money; the Federal Reserve system; national debt; the financial sector; public and private debt. Prerequisite: sophomore standing; PPOL 2000 strongly recommended.

PPOL 3116 Economics for Public Policy II: Choices and Competition (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course is the sequel to PPOL 3115.  Core topics include: consumer choice; choices in the public and private sector; the role of private self-interest; the role of governmental self-interest ("public choice"); utility maximization; price elasticity of demand; short and long-run costs; competition; monopoly; efficiency; oligopoly; antitrust policy; positive and negative externalities, such as taxes and regulations; effects of governmental uncertainty; market distortions; trade policy; profitability; productivity; the economics of health care and environmental regulation; leading and lagging indications of economic activity; creation of economic policy; "theory" vs. "applied" considerations. Prerequisites: PPOL 3115 and sophomore standing;  PPOL 2000 strongly recommended.

PPOL 3118 Public Policy-Money & Finance (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course is about money--the fuel that powers American society. Students will develop a sophisticated understanding of the American financial system, while coming to terms with the relationship between money, markets, and government. Student will learn key concepts in public finance, along with the operation of financial instruments like stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. Students who take this course will understand monetary and fiscal policy, taxation, exchange rates, and the vital role of credit.

PPOL 3125 Power and Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course focuses on the historical development of American 20th Century policy trends and will emphasize (1) the creation of the regulatory state, beginning in the late 1890s and accelerating through the Progressive Era; (2) the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the rise of entitlement culture; (3) World War II, the rise of the military-industrial state and the suburbanization of the 1950s; (4) the Civil Rights Revolution, the New Frontier and Great Society of Kennedy and Johnson--together with the value changes of the 1960s; (5) the Regan Era and the conservative challenge to big government; and (6) the policy dichotomies and uncertainties.

PPOL 3230 Analytical & Critical Skills (4 qtr. hrs.)
Students gain the tools necessary to analyze competing points of view using empirical techniques and statistical inference. Students also learn the history and development of scientific method; how to distinguish between speculation, theory, fact, and opinion; hot to identify the validity of data; how to identify the intentional obfuscation of issues; and how to evaluate one's own prejudices and vulnerability to argument.

PPOL 3250 Evidence & Logic in Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course provides a focus for Public Policy majors on actual decision-making process within the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.  Consideration is given to: (1) the role of evidence, empirical analysis, and logic; (2) the role of politics; (3) the role of party affiliation and ideology in the decision-making process; (4) the role of key actors and agencies and the distribution of responsibility; (5) the role of outside experts, such as think tanks and journalists; and (6) the influence of lobbyists and other "rent seekers." Students consider such critical examples of decision-making as: the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; the decision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq; congressional decisions relating to "health care reform" in 2009 and 2010; and the executive branch decisions involving the financial crisis of 2008, including the emergency implementation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).  Students write a detailed policy memorandum to a member of the executive branch or to a congressional leader, containing a situational analysis and action recommendation pertinent to a significant "real time" policy controversy.

PPOL 3280 The Presidency: Primaries (4 qtr. hrs.)
The 2008 Presidential campaign is the first "open" presidential race in 56 years and features the first woman, African American, Hispanic, and Mormon contenders for the Presidency.  This course will follow this historic race through the primaries, caucuses and conventions process and explore how the foundation of the races' public policy is set.  Students will go inside the critical earlier primaries and caucuses and learn how Presidential candidates create public policy ideas, convey those ideas to distinct electorates and use those ideas to distinguish themselves from other candidates.  The class will study how presumptive nominees prepare for the general election, the party conventions and how they "re-tool" their policy ideas for presentation to the national electorate.

PPOL 3281 The Presidency: General Election (4 qtr. hrs.)
The 2008 Presidential campaign is the first "open" Presidential race in 56 years and features the first woman, African American, Hispanic, and Mormon contenders for the Presidency.  This class will follow in real time the fall campaign of the Presidential race.  Students will build on the primary and caucus class and review the general election as it unfolds during the fall.  Students will see the impact and influence of public policy on the fall campaign and how it shapes the Presidential race.

PPOL 3282 The Presidency: Policy Making (4 qtr. hrs.)
The 2008 Presidential campaign is the first "open" presidential race in 56 years and features the first woman, African American, Hispanic, and Mormon contenders for the Presidency.  Students discover and analyze how U.S. Presidents create, convey, and implement their public policy ideas and agendas.  This discovery and analysis will be done by the following, in a close, in-depth and investigative fashion, the first 60 days of the next President and the public policy decisions, strategies, and actions taken by the President and his/her administration.

PPOL 3450 Political Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3460 Legislative Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3470 Congressional Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3701 Topics in Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3706 Faith and Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
The influence of faith and religion has been a constant companion in the creation of American public policy.  The persuasion has ebbed and flowed, but it has always played a steady and influential role.  "Faith and Public Policy" will review the role faith has played and is playing in American public policy. Whether it's the powerful Religious Right, the role of the African American church in public policy or the emerging Religious Left, the arena is always evolving.  Students will leave the course with a clearer understanding of the role faith plays and has played in policy, the impact of faith in creating current policy and the role faith will play in future elections.

PPOL 3880 Private Sector Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3890 Honors Research Project (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3991 Independent Study (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 3992 Directed Study (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 4100 The American Public Policy System
This course establishes a solid foundation for subsequent study of public policy by focusing on three specific foundational areas: an intensive examination of the inputs of the policy process, including problem definition, social values, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, legislation and regulations, and events; an assessment of a variety of policymaking models; and a survey of the modern history of American public policy. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4400 Analytical and Critical Skills
Provides the tools to analyze competing (and often ideological) points of view using empirical techniques and statistical inference as a key to creating better public policy based on evidence. Case studies are drawn from the current legislative and regulatory environment and provide opportunities to construct a course of action based on the use of logically consistent arguments and on the persuasive use of facts and empirical data. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4501 Great Issues Forum (2 qtr. hrs.)
The Great Issues Forums are unique short courses devoted to a single policy issue and taught by a nationally-recognized authority in the area.  These courses will occur on a periodic basis, with at least two forums to be offered each academic quarter.  Participation in these courses is required for graduate students in the MPP program.  Each course will be taught on an intensive workshop basis, over the course of two or more days, for example, all-day sessions on Friday and Saturday.  Specific topics will be determined by the immediacy of the policy issue and its relevancy to the curriculum of the MPP.

PPOL 4502 Issues Forum II (2 qtr. hrs.)
The Great Issues Forums are unique short courses devoted to a single policy issue and taught by a nationally-recognized authority in the area.  These courses will occur on a periodic basis, with at least two forums to be offered each academic quarter.  Participation in these courses is required for graduate students in the MPP program.  Each course will be taught on an intensive workshop basis, over the course of two or more days, for example, all-day sessions on Friday and Saturday.  Specific topics will be determined by the immediacy of the policy issue and its relevancy to the curriculum of the MPP.

PPOL 4504 The Policymaking Environment (2 qtr. hrs.)
This forum aims to provide MPP students with a robust understanding of the essentials of the policymaking process in the United States. We will be examining in sequence three basic topics: 1) The political values and principles that establish the parameters for the policymaking environment; 2) The set of governmental and non-governmental actors who participate in policymaking and how they relate to each other; and 3) What policymaking models can help to explain the way policy is made by those actors.

PPOL 4506 The American Fiscal Future: Solvency, Security, and Sovereignty in the 21st Century (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course provides the opportunity for students to gain a comprehensive understanding of American fiscal policy, the derivation of the social welfare state, the consequences of debt and deficits for American public policy and social stability, and the policy alternatives to current dysfunctional policies.

PPOL 4600 Regulatory Policy
This course opens with a brief exploration of the economic, jurisprudential and constitutional foundations of regulatory policy and the administrative process. Key topics include regulation by legislation versus regulation by agency action; agency rule making; agency adjudication; and deregulation. Emphasis is placed on the competing roles of government and nongovernmental stakeholders. Students complete a cost-benefit analysis of the administrative performance at an independent federal regulatory agency. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4700 Public Management and Budgeting
This course provides an in-depth look at public management and budgeting, including strategic planning for outcomes and policy objectives; budget construction and methodologies, such as line item budgeting, zero-based budgeting, program budgeting and performance budgeting; principles of structural balance, including revenues, expenditures, funds and proper reserves; and managing with flexibility, competition and accountability. The course also focuses on the intervening role of taxpayer initiatives, transparency, lobbying, media and politics. At the end of the course, students propose and defend a budget before a panel of budget experts selected from state and local government. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4701 Topics in Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
Various topics in public policy are covered. Topic subjects to change each term as deemed appropriate with local, regional and federal policy issues and regulation changes. Prerequisite: PPOL 4100.

PPOL 4806 Decision Making in Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
Provides a new perspective on the process of decision-making in the public and private sectors.  Viewed from the perspective of a significant paradigm shift, the "rational model" of policy-making is contrasted with emerging theories based on a view of human nature that is unpredictable, idiosyncratic, and context-based.  Case studies are drawn from the current financial crisis and from the ongoing debate over economic stimulus and recovery.  Additional examples are provided from the New Deal era, the Vietnam war, Watergate, and from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

PPOL 4807 The Public Policy Implications of Retiring the Baby Boomers (4 qtr. hrs.)
The first baby boomers start drawing Social Security in 2008, and they they start turning 65 in 2011. American Retirement Policy has long undertaken three major obligations with regard to the elderly: Social Security, Health Care and Long Term Care. The shock of 76 million baby boomers impacting these three systems (and related programs like Veteran's programs, Military retirement, Federal Civil Service Retirement, etc.) will be profound. Your generation will soon be running a nation of 50 Florida's. This class will look at the public policy options of these three programs. We will also look at the politics of retirement policy, the demography of the next 50 years, tax policy in an aging society, how other developed countries are handling similar problems, and we will develop a comprehensive plan for meeting these multiple challenges.

PPOL 4808 Health Care Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
No prerequisites.  The purpose of this course will be to explore the assumptions, the history, the development and the current practices of the U. S. health care systems.  What are its strengths and what are its weaknesses? How do we explain its paradox of excess and deprivation? We will spend some limited time examining other nation's health care systems for comparative purposes.  The course will cover a broad range of topics and will explore a systems approach to health, obtaining an understanding of the integration of the public and private sector, free-market and government regulation; the effects on the doctor/patient relationship, the new health care demands, the search for quality, the role of new technologies and the changing ethical standards.  Such a course cannot be designed to describe a functional world of health care delivery for even as the description is being formulated, the practical and functional aspects of that world are changing.

PPOL 4810 Building a Sustainable America (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course has a viewpoint: endless economic and population growth are sustainable.  Opposing viewpoints are welcomed, even encouraged, but the purpose of this class is to start developing a new, more sustainable agenda for America.  No trees grow to the sky and no geometric growth curves are sustainable.  The first census in 1790 found four million Europeans living in North America. (Estimate of Native Americans vary widely.)  That means that between 1790 and 1990, America had six doublings of its population (4, 8, 32, 64, 128, 256).  Note that two more doublings would give us one billion Americans.  Sustainable?  Desired Public Policy?  Similarly, U.S. and world economic growth has been growing exponentially.  America's GDP is now 13 trillion dollars and there are serious questions whether the world's eco-systems can provide 6.5 billion people (the current world population) anything close to an American standard of living.  Nor can the eco-system tolerate economic growth at historic rates.  Many thoughtful observers think that a whole new phase of human development has been reached, call it the Sustainability Revolution, which will have as profound impact on human history as did the Industrial Revolution.  Our globe is warming, our glaciers are melting, our oceans are expanding, our coral dying, our rainforest dying, our deserts creeping, our water-tables falling: we seem to be headed to a time of convergence.  For the first time in history, humankind has itself become a geological force.  New public policy solutions need to be brought forth and debated.  We will attempt to do exactly that.

PPOL 4811 The Strategy of Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
Public Policy is formed in many ways: legislation, court rulings, initiative campaigns, executive orders, and regulations, not to mention many other subtle instruments that are often invisible to the public.  All of these tools make analyzing policy a difficult task, and they make choosing the right strategy for getting a policy implemented even more complicated.  How is it that policy makers choose to implement their policies?  Are any options more effective than others?  To understand the policy process in the U.S., policy analysts must understand the institutions that exist in government.

 
PPOL 4812 Supreme Court & Public Policy (4 qtr. hrs.)
This course, which is specifically designed for graduate students in public policy, provides the necessary professional background for students to understand the role of the Supreme Court of the United States in the formulation of public policy.  Central to the course are the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which are the key to understanding the vast expansion of Supreme Court power since the New Deal.  The course also provides a basis for the student to understand the constitutional basis for administrative regulation, as well as freedom of expression issues inherent in the 1st Amendment.

PPOL 4820 What Works in Public Policy - and What Doesn't (4 qtr. hrs.)
The goal of this course is to analyze the implications for public policy of significant public policy failures and successes. Selected major public policy initiatives are examined with a view toward judging their ultimate success or failure and the reasons for these outcomes. There is an emphasis on discussing unintended consequences and the role of modern economic theory. The role of ideology and politics in policy outcomes is also a focus. Policy areas that are evaluated include: Social Security and Medicare; the decline of the cities; federal fiscal and tax policy; and deregulation of financial markets.

PPOL 4900 Public Sector Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)
Students will gain hands-on experience with policy issues in a variety of settings.

PPOL 4910 Private Sector Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)
Students will gain hands-on experience with policy issues in a variety of settings.

 PPOL 4920 Non-Profit Sector Internship (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)
Students will gain hands-on experience with policy issues in a variety of settings.

PPOL 4991 Independent Study (1 to 10 qtr. hrs.)
Students will work in collaboration with faculty from the Institute for Public Policy Studies to complete an independent study project.

PPOL 4992 Directed Study (1 to 5 qtr. hrs.)

PPOL 4200 Microeconomics for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 1/3)
Economics is about choice, and microeconomic theory begins with how consumers and producers make choices. Economic agents interact in markets, so the courses examine the role markets play in allocating resources. Theories of perfect and imperfect competition are studied, emphasizing the relationship between market structure and market performance. This is a course aimed at developing an understanding of microeconomics models. It focuses on how economists use theory to explain and predict the effects of public policy on individuals and market equilibrium, with application to current policy examples. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4300 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy Analysis (Quantitative Series 2/3)
The objective of this course is to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to categorize, describe, analyze and interpret data that can inform public policy decision making and contribute to our understanding of the impact of public policies. This course emphasizes the application of statistical concepts and methodologies to the analysis of social issues in public policy, including the limitations of quantitative methods in generating answers to social policy questions. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

PPOL 4500 Cost-Benefit Analysis (Quantitative Series 3/3)
The aim of this course is to build on the quantitative tools acquired in the previous two quantitative courses (Microeconomics and Quantitative Methods) by using them to do real policy analysis. This course enables the student to balance the qualitative and quantitative aspects of policy analysis and to utilize the cost-benefit approach to recommend a course of action. 4 qtr. hrs. each.

For More Information
The graduate program in public policy's website offers the most current information on courses, requirements, and faculty and student news. Go to the Public Policy website  for more information on the program.

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