Policy Formation and Implementation
NYU Wagner School of Public Policy
Fall 2015
Professor Neil Kleiman
Course Meetings: Tuesday 4:55 – 6:35
Course Location: Bobst LL150
Office Hours: Puck Building Room 3040C by appointment (I respond to all e-mails within
24 hours so a response is often immediate and a meeting can always be schedule with a
week’s notice); e-mail: nk1222@nyu.edu
COURSE GOALS
The goal of this course is to deepen our understanding of the policy lifecycle: policy
formation, implementation, evaluation and institutionalization. This course is designed
with a particular emphasis on the role of political actors, institutions and the context within
which they operate. From interest groups to mayors and the role of the media we will
continually ask: how and why do some issues gain traction with policymakers (and the
public) and others ignored? Why do policies change during implementation and how can
they be improved at each stage of the policy process? We will examine how public policy is
crafted, negotiated and enacted. It is a complicated story – one worth untangling and
mastering.
This course will provide the conceptual tools needed for analyzing the environment in
which policy is made. We will integrate a number of cases in our discussion and consider
the strategic angle by which policy is developed and implemented. Specifically, a ‘client
perspective’ will be employed. We will track a few policies in real-time throughout the
semester and you will be assigned to one with a directive to critically assess the policy and
provide strategic recommendations back—to the client. The live cases we will likely
assessing include: federal urban development policy; expansion of a youth employment
strategy; and addressing inequality through the New York City Parks system. The case and
client perspective should improve integration of the course material and enhance
professional presentation skills. Taken together, you should leave the course with a strong
set of policy analysis tools, skills and research products for your professional portfolio.
Research Inputs You Will Employ:
 Desk Research: Web and media searches
 Interviews and discussion: In-class discussion; interviews of
professionals in the field
 Scholarly: Academic articles, books and other peer-reviewed literature
Research Outputs You Will Produce:
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Policy Memo
Visualizations
Project track/matrix document
Policy report
Team analysis of a real-time policy challenge
REQUIRED BOOKS & READINGS: All course readings will be made available on the NYU
Classes site. Note, the course readings will be light, but there is an expectation that you will
be building your own body of supporting literature throughout the semester.
ASSESSED VALUATION:
Participation: 25%
Policy Memo: 15%
Stakeholder Maps: 10%
Service Memo: 15%
Final Policy Report: 25%
A premium is placed on class participation. You are expected to come to every class having
completed the assigned readings and ready to engage. Students will be called on and there
will be opportunities to make presentations.
Late assignments are not accepted. This is not to penalize anyone but to create a
fair and equal policy for all students. Any extra time that one student is given over another
creates an unfair disadvantage.
Class Absences are taken seriously: Class participation and attendance is critically
important. You must attend all class sessions. If for any reason you are unable to make class
you must e-mail the professor as soon as you know of a coming absence.
Accommodations: Any students requiring accommodations should contact me to make
proper arrangements. Please be prepared to share your documentation from the NYU
disabilities office regarding appropriate accommodations.
Academic Honesty: This course follows NYU’s policy on plagiarism. The academic
community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter with serious
consequences. In short, don’t cheat.
September 8
Welcome!
Course expectations; perspectives and assignments
Class discussion: Who’s your client?
Course Cases
September 15
Readings:
Process/Agenda setting
Kingdon, Pages 71-98; 116-144; 165–82
September 22
The Cases
In-class presentations from course case representatives
September 29
No class
October 6
Public Opinion & Media
Readings:
Lawrence Jacob and Suzanne Mettler, “Why Public Opinion Changes: The
Implications for Health and Health Policy”
Baumgartner, Linn and Boydstun, “The Decline of the Death Penalty: How
Media Framing changed Capital Punishment in America”
Shirky (2011) “The Political Power of Social Media” from Foreign Affairs
October 10
Brunch at Professor’s House
Role of ideas: Research, think tanks and foundations
Readings:
Michklethwait & Wooldrich (2004), The Right Nation: Conservative Power in
America, Ch 6.
Andrew Rich (2004), Think Tanks, Public Policy and the Politics of Expertise. Pages
1-6; 204-220.
Collective Impact. Kania and Kramer (2011) “Collective Impact” in Stanford Social
Innovation Review.
October 13
No Class
**Policy memo due via e-mail 5:00 PM
October 20
No Class
October 27
Interest groups, stakeholder analysis and power maps
Bryson, When do stakeholders Matter
Varvasovsky and Brugha “How to do (or not to do..) A Stakeholder Analysis
November 3 The Federal Government; Is the President Still Relevant?
Readings:
Kingdon, Ch 2
Remnick (2014) “Going the Distance” from The New Yorker
**Stakeholder maps V1 due via e-mail 5:00 PM
November 10 State Government
Readings:
Rivlin (1992), Reviving the American Dream. Ch 1, pages 122-125.
Donahue, Pages 16-30, 159-169.
Bruce Katz white paper on federalism
November 17 Local Government
Readings:
Peterson, City Limits. Ch 2.
Judd and Swanstrom (1994), City Politics. Pages: 1-8, 44-47, 91-99.
Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy. Ch 1 & 2.
November 24: Implementation
Sabatiet and Mazmanian, “The Implementation of Public Policy”
Elmore, “Backward Mapping”
**Stakeholder maps V2 due via e-mail 5:00 PM
December 1
Evaluation; Institutionalizing and Hard Wiring Policy
Weiss, The Interface between Evaluation and Public Policy
Ellen Schall, Public Sector Succession: A Strategic Approach to Sustaining Innovation
http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/January_2011_Wagner_
Thought_Leadership.pdf
** Service Memos V1 due 5:00 PM
December 8
Putting it Together
Critical discussion of the assigned class cases and additional ones we will assess together
December 15 Presentations
December 22 Presentations
**Service memos V2 due 2:00 PM
**Final Policy reports due Dec 24 at 5:00 PM