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P11.0029: The Intersection of Politics and Public Service
Waverly 367
Mondays, 4:55 PM - 7:25 PM
Professor Douglas Band
Spring 2015
Contact Information
Professor:
Doug Band
Douglasjband@gmail.com
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm and by appointment
TA:
Assignment for the First Class
For the first class meeting, please write a one page paper answering the
following questions;
Why are you taking this class?
Provide a few lines on you, where you are from and tell me a little bit
about yourself.
Provide as much information as possible on any and all public service,
civic engagement or volunteering of any kind that you have done in
your life and why you decided to do it.
Email your paper to Professor Band prior to the first class
douglasjband@gmail.com
Course Description and Objectives
Description: This course is designed to explore the vital intersection of politics—primarily
in the U.S. system—and public service. Each class will cover a general topic
area, with a focus on the practical work of politics, ideas about public service,
and the interplay of the two. Substantive policy topics will be integrated into
the course across the semester. Several classes will feature invited speakers
who are or were involved with policy issues or public-service ideas under
study (speakers are, of course, subject to change).
Objectives:
Through this course you will develop a nuanced understanding of public
service and an appreciation for its many forms. Ideally, your inclination to
include service in your life’s aspirations will also be further inspired.
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Expectations
Behavior:
Be engaged. Respect our guests. Respect one another.
Writing:
Your writing should be clear, concise, precise and grammatically correct.
If you are interested in writing support I encourage you to take advantage of
the free services NYU’s writing center. To learn more visit its website at:
http://www.nyu.edu/cas/ewp/html/writing_center.html
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Readings (and various other texts such as videos etc…)
About:
There will be no required textbook for this course. Most readings are
available to the public for free online. When otherwise we will arrange for
access to course materials on blackboard or in hard copy. Additionally, at the
beginning of each class we will discuss current events as they relate to the
class thus you should come prepared and up to date with what is going on in
the world around you.
Suggested Reading
The Meditations of Marcus Arelius
The one book I strongly recommend is Meditations, there are many versions,
choose the one that most suits you. There are several reasons why I
recommend this book which we will discuss in class. However, from
Wikipedia, “a central theme to Meditations is to analyze your judgement of
self and others and developing a cosmic perspective. As he said "You have the
power to strip away many superfluous troubles located wholly in your
judgement, and to possess a large room for yourself embracing in thought the
whole cosmos, to consider everlasting time, to think of the rapid change in
the parts of each thing, of how short it is from birth until dissolution, and
how the void before birth and that after dissolution are equally infinite".[3] He
advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came
from nature, and so everything shall return to it in due time. It seems at some
points in his work that we are all part of a greater construct thus taking a
communitarian approach rather than having an individualist perspective.
Another strong theme is of maintaining focus and to be without distraction
all the while maintaining strong ethical principles such as "Being a good
man".[4] His Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory
affections, a skill which will free a man from the pains and pleasures of the
material world. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others
is to allow his reaction to overpower him. An order or logos permeates
existence. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to live in harmony
with the logos. This allows one to rise above faulty perceptions of "good" and
"bad".
Note:
Additional readings may be added on an ad hoc basis as the semester
progresses. When such readings are added you will receive an email with
instructions on access. Also, we will have regular guest speakers for which
pertinent readings according to lecture topics will be assigned a week prior
to class.
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Assignments
Percent of Final Grade
Memos (400-500 words each):
30%
5 memos; 6% each (individual)
or 4 memos and participation in a voluntary
class service project (details to be announced
in class)
Team Project (1 per semester):
55%
1-2 page project overview memo 5% (team)
15-Minute Presentation, 20% (team)
10-page Proposal, 20% (team)
4-5 page Reflection, 10% (individual)
Class Participation:
15% (includes Background memo)
Memos
About:
Memos are designed to help you think actively about the course content,
readings, and the forms of public service. Please make sure that your memos
include an attempt to tie the specific topic to the larger theme of the course:
the Intersection of Politics and Public Service (i.e. what are some of your
takeaways). We encourage you to write these memos regularly but you are
only required to write 5 memos (or 4 with a service project); there will be
flexibility about which weeks to write them. Some specific memos will be
required; most weeks you will choose one of the following three options:
1. A critique of the readings for that day’s class
2. A reflective memo on the previous week’s class
3. A reflective memo about service you performed the previous week
Format:
Regardless of whether you have written memos before you should follow the
guidelines posted on NYU Classes for memo writing.
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Team Project
About:
This class project will be your opportunity to gain a working understanding
of the role that NGOs play in the sphere of politics and public service. You
will work in teams, with the support of your teaching staff, to prepare a
proposal for a) a new NGO or b) a new effort at an existing NGO. You will
then present this work to the class and write a short reflective paper.
Note:
Teams will be based on topical preferences; you will select those from a list
to be provided in class, and we will form teams of 4-5 students accordingly.
Presentation: In one of the last two weeks of class, each team will present your proposal to
the class and a panel of invited experts, in no more than 15 minutes. Guest
experts will provide constructive critiques after each team presents, in a
‘design review’ format. You will have ample opportunities to rehearse your
presentation before this critique session.
Note: On the day of your presentation, you will email PowerPoint slides
accompanying your presentation to the course TA (at na1100@nyu.edu) at
least three hours before the beginning of class.
Proposal:
Each team will submit a 10-page proposal on the last day of class.
Reflection:
4-5 page reflections should include but not necessarily be limited to:
 A brief summary of your proposal
 A summary of your team’s work process
 ‘Plus-delta’ review: your assessment of the team and presentation’s
strengths (plus), as well as what you would change (delta) to improve the
process and presentation.
 The main lessons and takeaways that you learned from the presentation
project and process overall
Service Project
About:
Details to be announced in class
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Class Participation
About:
Attendance at all classes, given our limited time together, is essential: if you
must be absent, let me or the TA know in advance. Please arrive in class
prepared to discuss central themes for each week, as outlined in course
readings. That said, it is as much your time as it is mine and your fellow
students and as such, I do not take attendance. The class is successful based
on the collective added value of each and every one of you and all that you
bring to each minute we are together.
Late Assignment Policy
About:
All assignment due dates are made clear in this syllabus. Extensions will be
granted only in case of emergency, out of respect to those who abide by
deadlines despite equally hectic schedules. Late submissions without
extensions will be penalized 1/2 letter grade per day (e.g., B+ to B).
Students with Disabilities
About:
Any students requiring accommodations should be in contact with me to
make proper arrangements. Please be prepared to submit your
documentation from the NYU disabilities office regarding appropriate
accommodations.
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Week by Week
Week 1:
Introduction, Personal Story & Course Overview
February 2, 2015
Objectives:
In this class we will get to know one another, cover philosophy behind this
class and provide you with a birds eye view of what to expect.
Topics:
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Discussion about the first assignment
Prof. Band on where politics, post-presidency, non-profit world meet
How diligence, loyalty, principles, and ethics pay off
Overview of the semester
Course framework, assignments and expectations
Project Step: Think about which areas of public service you care about most.
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Week 2:
The Idea of Public Service
February 9, 2015
Objectives:
Consider what Public Service looks like today.
Topics:
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How does democracy, fair institutions, enforcement of laws, and
transparency create confidence in our system?
How is public service defined in founding documents?
Service today vs. intentions of framers
American exceptionalism – is the U.S. commitment to public service
different than other nations?
Immigration, “The American Dream” and public service
Project Step: Figure out teams. Assess the environment around that problem. Map existing
efforts to address it. Identify a gap or need.
Readings:
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Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the Individual in
Public Services (Intro. to 30th-anniv. ed., 2010).
Paul Light, A Government Ill-Executed (2009), introductory section
Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 1: General Introduction (1787)
James Madison, The Federalist No. 51: The Structure of the Government
Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different
Departments (1788)
Bill Whittle, What We Believe, Part 7: American Exceptionalism (Nov.
2010) [Video ~12 minutes]
Fred Riggs, “Public Administration in America: The Exceptionalism of a
Hybrid Bureaucracy.”
Howard Zinn, The Power and the Glory: Myths of American
exceptionalism (Boston Review, 2005)
Michael Scherer and Michael Duffy, "The Role Model" (Time, February 7,
2011)
February 16, 2015 – No Class – President’s Day
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Week 3:
Practicing Public Service
February 23, 2015
Objectives:
Explore what we each mean when we think of public service.
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Why serve, and who are you serving?
What is public service? Who is a public servant?
Political service vs. military service vs. community service
Service vs. policy vs. aid
Volunteer vs. compensation and the tradeoffs of foregoing the private
sector
Option 1, 2 and 3
Project Step: Identify the core problem you want to address and why
Readings:
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Herbert Hoover. 1928. “Principles and Ideals of the United States
Government.” October 23, 1928
Jeffrey Sachs, “Why Must the Poor Be Sick? Paul Farmer Legacy” (Natural
History, 2004).
John Della Volpe, “From Facebook to Government: Can Millennials
Increase Government Popularity?” Governing, Sept. 2010.
Chris Gordon, “Is Military Service Public Service?” NBC, Oct. 25, 2010
Paul Farmer, “Challenging Orthodoxies: The Road Ahead for Health and
Human Rights” (Health and Human rights, v10, no. 1)
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Week 4:
Getting to Washington: Campaigning and Governance
March 2, 2015
Objectives:
Help you understand what it takes to get elected to office
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Conscience, Constituents and Constitution
How to create a successful campaign?
How is good campaign structured?
How does one rebound?
How to build the right team? Successful staffing?
Option 1, 2, or 3
Project Step: Vision/Mission (what the ideal world would look like/ how you plan to move
us towards that)
Readings:
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Jeremy Jacobs, “The Curious Case of Scott Brown” (Campaigns & Elections,
April 2010)
Justin Levitt, “Confronting the Impact of Citizens United” (Yale Law &
Policy Review, Vol. 29, 2010)
Kushin, M. J., & Yamamoto, M. Did social media really matter? College
students’ use of online media and political decision making in the 2008
election. Mass Communication & Society, 13(5), 608-630. (2010)
Edward-Issac Dovere, "Spin Doctor" (City Hall, Nov. 17, 2009)
Mark Jacobson, "Anthony and the Giant" (New York Magazine; May 3,
2009)
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Week 5:
Government: Navigating Washington
March 9, 2015 – Guest - Doug Schoen
Objectives:
Help you understand the policymaking process and the players beyond
elected officials
Topics:
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Memo Due:
An insider’s view of the White House and how decisions get made
Congress and legislatures, federal and local
How do governments at all levels communicate, legislate, and service
people effectively?
Career politicians and strategists
The price of bureaucracy: do elected officials and aides get lost in
machine?
Is the physical size of government too large to function properly?
Option 1, 2 or 3
Project Step: Strategy -- Assess your resources (or strengths) and your obstacles
(weaknesses) [both personal and potential partner based]. And your
Opportunity and Threats. Include whether you would be independent or
work with existing NGO, government agencies, or for-profit companies and
why.
Readings:
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Week Off:
Alexis de Tocqueville. 1835. “Political Associations in the United States,”
in Democracy in America, Chapter 12
Douglas E. Schoen, The Power of the Vote (2007), Chapter 8: The Stealth
Campaign and the Resurrection of the Clinton Presidency
Stephen Skowronek, “The Conservative Insurgency and Presidential
Power: A Developmental Perspective on the Unitary Executive.” (Harvard
Law Review, 2010).
Paul Light, A Government Ill-Executed, Chapter 1: For the Public Benefit
Salena Zito, “Obama, Senate seats & 2012” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
February 27, 2011)
March 16 - Spring Break
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Week 6:
Government & Public Service Delivery
March 23 (Doug out of town)
Objectives:
Helping you explore how and whether your government is performing well
Topics:
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Memo Due:
How do different levels of government work together to deliver “public
service”
Do the costs outweigh the benefits?
Does the government represent the populous?
Project overview memo & Midterm feedback memo.
Project Step: Meet, Iterate your strategy.
Readings:
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Zeke J Miller. 2013. “The Bipartisan Call to Bring Back the Smoke-Filled
Room,” Time Magazine Online, August 6, 2013
Mark C. Taylor, End the University as We Know It (New York Times, April
26, 2009)
Phil Izzio, Economists Want Policy Makers to Back Off Now (Wall Street
Journal, Aug. 13, 2010)
Charles W. Anderson,The Place of Principles in Policy Analysis (American
Political Science Review, vol 73, no. 3 (September 1979). Pp. 711-23
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Week 7:
Philanthropy and Public Service
March 30, 2015
Objectives:
Exploring the nature of philanthropy, especially in the distinctive US context
Contrasting philanthropic approaches to public problems with other forms of
public service
Topics:
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Memo Due:
What is Philanthropy?
Major companies and philanthropic aims
Do all corporations have a responsibility to be philanthropic?
Is CSR meaningful or just PR?
Private sector innovations: “triple bottom line” businesses and social
entrepreneurship; impact investing
Option 1, 2 or 3
Project Step: Draft your Program Theory (with a Logic Model): connect inputs, activities,
outputs, outcomes and impacts. Name your assumptions.
Readings:
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Aneel Karnani, “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility”, Wall
Street Journal. August 2010
Aaron Hurst. “Is Business the New Charity.” Stanford Social Innovation
Review. June 26, 2012
Matthew Bishop, Philanthrocapitalism
John Elkington, The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social
Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World
Special Report, Just good business: A survey of corporate responsibility
(The Economist, January 17, 2008)
“Steve Jobs, World’s greatest Philanthropist,” Dan Pallotta
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Week 8:
Limitations of Government Service
April 6, 2015
Objectives:
Helping you consider the boundaries of what government can and should do
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Does the bureaucratic machine hamper and slow service?
Haiti, Katrina, child poverty, the tsunami
Growth of entitlements and how to pay for them
Is a government job a “job created”?
Privatization of government responsibilities and programs – impact of
outsourcing
Devolution started by Reagan continued by WJC: successful until
economic crisis, now being reversed by Obama
Should government be responsible for public service?
Option 1, 2, or 3
Project Step: Iterate program logic model
Readings:
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James Madison. 1787. “The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard against
Domestic Faction and Insurrection,” Federalist, Number 10. Daily Advertiser,
November 22, 1787.
Todd Woody, Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power (New York Times, Dec. 21, 2009)
Kevin Hassett, Bury Keynesian Voodoo Before It Can Bury Us All: Kevin
Hassett (Bloomberg, Aug. 22, 2010)
Peter Duffy, “Lessons from Haiti: How Food Aid Can Harm”, (The Atlantic,
Aug. 2010)
Amy Liu, A Disaster Worse than Katrina (Brookings – Up Front Blog, Jan 23,
2011)
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Week 9:
Voluntarism and the Public Sector
April 13, 2015 – Aria Finger
Objectives:
Helping you understand how US nonprofits and government entities can
succeed amidst declining social capital
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Teach for America, Peace Corps, Americorps, etc.
The Military and America’s defense spending
Occupy movement and its influence on policy and institutions
Option 1, 2 or 3
Project Step: Work on project
Readings:
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Nancy Lubin and Aria Finger. “Radical Focus and Driving Demand for
Scale.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. May 28, 2014.
Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone, selections
Reingold & Lenkowsky, “The Future of National Service” (2010).
Alina Tugend, The Benefits of Volunteerism, if the Service is Real (New
York Times, July 30, 2010)
Oliver Zunz, Philanthropy in America: A History (Politics and Society in
Twentieth-Century America), selections
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Week 10:
Relationship between Government and the Private Sector
April 20, 2015
Objectives:
Exploring the intersection of government and business
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Public-private partnerships
Private dollars financing campaigns
Influence of private sector and demands on public servants
Government-sponsored enterprises: what role to Fannie Mae, Freddie
Mac play? What about the postal service?
Have recent government takeovers changed relationship between politics
and public service?
Option 1, 2 or 3
Project Step: Consider -- How will you measure impact? What is your growth plan?
Readings:
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Michael Porter and Michael Kramer, “Philanthropy’s New Agenda:
Creating Value.” Harvard Business Review
Kevin Hassett, Post Office Shows Where U.S. Is Headed: Kevin Hassett
(Bloomberg, Oct. 11, 2010)
Caroline Baum, Obama Goes Postal, Lands in Dead-Letter Office: Caroline
Baum (Bloomberg, August 17, 2009)
Price Waterhouse Coopers, “Public-Private Partnerships: The US
Perspective” (2010).
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Week 11:
Funding the Public Sector
April 27, 2015 (2 Classes combined)
Objectives:
Helping you understand how nonprofits and policymakers are supported and
influenced by private and public finance in further detail
Topics:
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Memo Due:
Campaign finance—should the system be reformed?
The nonprofit grant-making process
Are individuals and/or private entities responsible for supporting the
public sector?
What strategies can be employed to garner more money to serve those
who need it most?
Option 1, 2 or 3
Project Step: Work on your project.
Readings:
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Looking for Allies in Washington, (New York Times, January 14, 2012)
Jeffrey Tobin, “Money Talks”, (The New Yorker, April 11, 2011)
Luther Ragin, Jr. “Is Grantmaking Enough? A Case for Mission-Related
Investing”, (PODCAST: Stanford Social Innovation Review, March 5, 2006
Outside’ Actors: Interest Groups, Think Tanks and Public Opinion
Objectives:
Exploring the role that interest groups, think tanks, media, and the public’s
view play in the policymaking process and in framing public service
Topics:
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Memo Due:
How do these actors shape policy?
How are these organizations perceived outside of the beltway?
The importance and necessity of unions?
How does the public shape (and fail to shape) policy?
What is the role of the media? The internet?
Technology and social media: how has Twitter, Facebook, etc. changed
public service and politics? How do they assist with and inhibit?
How has access to information changed the way political campaigns and
NGOs are run?
Option 1, 2 (is a public service academy a good or bad idea), or 3
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Project Step: Work on Presentations
Readings:
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Matt Grossman. 2012 The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups,
Public Representation and American Governance. (Stanford University
Press, 2012). Introduction only
Harvard University Leadership Speaker Series: Geoffrey Canada [Video ~
90 minutes]
Dan Pallotta – Harvard Business Review
Enterprising Nonprofits: Chapter 1: Social Entrepreneurship J. Gregory
Dees, Miriam Haas, and Peter Haas
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Week 13:
The US & Global Public Service
May 4, 2015 – Project Presentations Day
Objectives:
Helping you to think about what service looks like around the world and to
consider the many forms of aid.
Topics:
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Humanitarian aid – does it work? Does money go into the right hands?
Modern development initiatives (USAID, etc.)
Shaping international institutions and governments
What is the global view of service? (Values other nations place on it).
Global expansion of NGO sector
Project Step: Presentations! Work on written proposal.
Readings:
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William Foster, “Should Nonprofits Seek Profits”, Harvard Business
Review
Daniel Pipes, Palestinians Don’t Deserve Additional Aid (The New York
Sun, Dec. 21, 2004) [Case Study]
Gideon Rachman: “Think Again: American Decline, This Time It’s For
Real” (Foreign Policy, Jan./Feb. 2011)
Richard Battistoni et. al., “Acting Locally in a Flat World” (Journal of
Higher Education Outreach and Engagement Vol 13(2), June 2009)
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Week 14:
Looking Ahead
May 11 2015 – Project Presentations Day
Objectives:
Explore the possibility of reforming the U.S. (and global) systems of public
policy and service. Wrap up the course and identify major takeaways.
Topics:
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The modern version of public service and its role in our future
Public salaries vs. median private compensation
The CGI model: non-partisan, cross-sector, innovative solutions to world’s
most pressing challenges
The financial crisis: has the world changed forever or is it a temporary
alteration to politics and public service?
Exposure and optics
Doing well and doing good
Project Step: Presentations! Submit written proposal. Work on your reflective paper.
Readings:
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Bill Clinton, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change The World. Chapter One:
The Explosion of Private Citizens Doing Public Good
Sustainable value: How the world's leading companies are doing well by
doing good. Christopher Laszlo Stanford: Stanford Business Books. Laszlo,
C. (2008).
Website: Proposal for a U.S. Public Service Academy
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Post-Term: Reflections
May 17, 2013 by 3PM
Project Step: Submit individual reflection papers
Memo Due:
Option 2 or 3