PADM-GP 2411
Policy Formation
NYU Wagner School of Public Policy
Spring 2014
Professor Carrie Nordlund
Course Meetings: Thursday 6:45-8:25 GCASL 275
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11-12, Puck Building and by appointment
Email: nordlund@nyu.edu
The goal of this course is to deepen our understanding of how American public policy is
developed. This course is designed with a particular emphasis played by political actors,
institutions and context. From interest groups to mayors and the role of the media in foreign
affairs we will continually ask: how and why do some issues gain traction with the American public
(and decision makers) and others ignored? We will examine how public policy is crafted,
negotiated and enacted. It is a complicated story – one worth understanding.
The goal of this course is to provide policy specialists with conceptual tools for analyzing the
environment in which policy is made. This course employs analytic frameworks used by political
scientists to explain the policy making process. We will integrate a number of topical issues in our
discussion and consider the strategic angle by which policy is formed.
REQUIRED BOOKS & READINGS: All course readings are available on Classes
ASSESSED VALUATION:





Participation: 15%
Midterm: 25%
Policy Memo: 15%
Policy Formation paper: 25%
Final: 20%
Late assignments are not accepted. This is not to penalize any one 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.
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.
**Any student behavior deemed inappropriate by the professor may impact your final grade.*
Part I: Policy Formation
January 30
Welcome!
February 6
Readings:
Theories of policy development
Rubin (2007) “The Great Unraveling: Federal Budgeting 1998-2006” from
Public Administration Review
Skocpol (1992) Introduction and Conclusion from Protecting Soldiers and
Mothers
February 13
Readings:
American Federalism: Politics of Pot
Bowling and Pickerill (2013) “State of American Federalism 2012-13” from Publius:
The Journal of Federalism
Pickerill and Chen (2007) “Medical Marijuana Policy and Virtues of Federalism”
from Publius: The Journal of Federalism
Keefe (2013) “Buzzkill” from The New Yorker
February 20
From Research to Policy: Success?
**POLICY MEMO DUE IN CLASS**
Readings:
McConnell (2010) “Policy Success, Policy Failures and Grey Areas in Between”
from Journal of Public Policy
Scott (1993) “From Research to Policy: The Cigarette Excise Tax” [case study]
Part II: Political Institutions
February 27
Readings:
Is the President still relevant?
Rudalevige (2002) Ch 1 and 2 from Managing the President’s Program: Presidential
Leadership and Legislative Policy Formulation
Remnick (2014) “Going the Distance” from The New Yorker
Watch 2014 State of the Union Address
March 6
Readings:
State Governors – how much power?
Newton and Adams (2009) “State Immigration Policies: Innovation, Cooperation,
Conflict” from Publius: The Journal of Federalism
Erikson, Wright and McIver (1989) “Political Parties, Public Opinion and
State Policy in the United States” from The American Political Science Review
Smith (2011) “The Gamer” from New York Magazine
March 13
Readings:
NYC Politics: Homelessness
Shinn, Weitzman, Stojanovic et al. “Predictors of homelessness among families in
NYC” from Journal of Public Health
New York Times (2013) “Invisible Child” series
Frazier (2013) “Hidden City” from The New Yorker
March 20
SPRING BREAK
March 27
**MIDTERM** in class
April 3
Readings:
Media Effects
Gilens (2000) excerpts from Why Americans Hate Welfare
Kellstedt (2000) “Media Framing and the Dynamics of Racial Policy Preferences”
from American Journal of Political Science
April 10
Readings:
Public Opinion
Haider, Markel, Joslyn (2001) “Gun Policy, Opinion, Tragedy and Blame
Attribution: The Conditional Influences of Issue Frames” from Journal of Politics
Page, Shapiro, Dempsey (1987) “What Moves Public Opinion” from
The American Political Science Review
April 17
Readings:
Interest Groups
Burstein and Linton (2002) “The Impact of Political Parties, Interest Groups,
Social Movement Organizations on Public Policy: Some Recent Evidence and
Theoretical Concerns from Social Forces
Camobreco and Barnello (2008) “Democratic Responsiveness and Policy Shock:
The Cases of State Abortion Policy” from State Politics and Policy Quarterly
Part III
Policy Context
April 24
Environmental Policy and Activism
**POLICY FORMATION PAPER DUE IN CLASS**
Readings:
Bullard and Johnson (2000) “Environmental Justice: Grassroots Activism and Its Impact
on Public Policy Decision Making” from Journal of Social Issues
Bullard (1983) “Solid Waste Sites and the Black Houston Community”
from Sociological Inquiry
Juffer (1988) “Dump at the Border” from Progressive
May 1
Readings:
Can Social Media Influence Policy?
Howard and Hussain (2011) “The Role of Digital Media” from Journal for Democracy
Shirky (2011) “The Political Power of Social Media” from Foreign Affairs
Dewey, Kaden, Marks, Matsushima, Zhun (2012) “The Impact of Social Media on
Social Unrest in the Arab Spring” read pages 3-11 and 32-45
May 8
Last day of class
Final Examination due Thursday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m.