This course explores how to develop and implement strategies that drive policy change. You will learn how to analyze various approaches to changing policy, consider context for the change (timing, climate for change, opposition) and then identify the most viable option to use to influence policy change. This class is about influencing change versus the mechanics of designing policy. Students will review different influence models, discuss which ones work best in various situations, and identify how influence models connect to campaigns that influence legislative and institutional policy. You will better understand policy change efforts by reviewing examples and learning the central elements of a successful endeavor. Finally, students, in teams, will choose their own adventure and create their own policy change strategy.

An introduction to public policy analysis and the role of rigorous research in the policymaking process. Fundamentals of the policymaking process; evaluation and design of research to inform policy decisions; effective team work to analyze issues and make policy recommendations; writing and speaking effectively to policymakers; analysis of research briefs and articles to evaluate the validity of their designs, conclusions, and potential use to policymakers.

Occasional or experimental offerings.

Provides an overview of basic quantitative analysis techniques that are common in public policy analysis. Students will be trained to design high quality research and conduct statistical analyses. By the end of the course, students will be able to carry out basic statistical analyses, evaluate the statistical analyses in research reports and journal articles, and communicate clearly the results of analyses to both professional and general audiences.