PA 660: Administration and Public Policy Development Spring 2014
Where and When: Calexico Campus Campus Room LA 003: W 5:30 – 8:10 p.m.
Professor: Kelley Crockett PhD.
Office: East Faculty Bldg Calexico Campus 109/ E-Mail: kcrockett@mail.sdsu.edu
Office hours: W 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or by appointment
Course Description and Purpose
Description from Graduate Bulletin: “Social, political, and administrative problems involved in government
program development and change.” This course is a graduate level survey of the development
processes, implementation strategies and ongoing administrative challenges of public policies at the
federal, state and local levels. Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making will form the basis
for consideration of past and present policy successes and failures and the influence of individuals,
groups and organizations on those outcomes. Students will analyze the role of the public administrator in
the policy cycle, especially in terms of democratic participation, accountability and decision-making.
Course Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course students will have:
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Applied models of public policy making.
Surveyed literature that examines policy development and challenges to implementation.
Analyzed citizen and special interest participation in the policy cycle.
Utilized critical thinking skills via application of policy evaluation strategies and impact
assessment tools of ongoing policies and programs designed to meet the mandates of law.
Texts
There is one required text as well as articles that will be made available on Blackboard
Kraft, M., and Furlong, S., Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives Sage Press 4th Edition 2013
Birkland, T., Focusing Events, Mobilization, and Agenda Setting Journal of Public Policy 18:1 (1998)
Browne, W., Organized Interests and Their Issue Niches: A Search for Pluralism in a Policy Domain The
Journal of Politics Vol 52 No 2 (1990)
Comfort, L., Risk, Security and Disaster Management Annual Review Political Science 8 (2005)
Fawcett, S., and Wright, P., Evaluating: Introduction Policy Studies Journal 8:7 (1980)
Ostrom E., and Ostrom V., Public Choice: A Different Approach to the Study of Public Administration
Public Administration Review March/April (1971)
Sabatier, P., and Mazmanian, D., Conceptual Framework: The Implementation of Public Policy Chapter 2:
University Press (1979 updated in 1989)
Walters, L., and Aydelotte, J., and Miller, J., Putting More Public in Policy Analysis Public Administration
Review Vol 60 No. 4 (2000)
Course Requirements
Student preparation and participation is mandatory. Excessive absences, late arrivals or leaving early,
lack of reading, lack of participation during class discussions or distracting others will result in an inability
to satisfactorily master the content of the class. If you must be absent be sure and get the notes from a
classmate.
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Assessment
A midterm exam, a written policy brief with an abbreviated synopsis and oral presentation, an 6-8 page
research paper and a blog presentation of it, an online discussion of a relevant news article on a policy,
participation in discussing all other posted news articles and in giving constructive criticism on policy
briefs presented by your peers, and a few in class exercises are required for this course. Please note that
this is a technology-integrated course. Students are responsible for turning in assignments into
Blackboard.
Course Grading
Midterm Exam
Internal policy brief
Oral presentation of policy brief
Online synopsis of policy brief
Policy news article
Research Paper
Blog presenting paper highlights
Participation
20%
20%
5%
10%
5%
20%
10%
10%
Midterm Exam
This will be a short answer, true/false and multiple-choice exam.
Internal Policy Brief
Each student will propose a policy change or a new policy for a public or non-profit organization –
preferably one in which he or she works currently or has previously been employed in. The Brief should
introduce the background of the organization, painting a picture of the organizational context, identifying
the problem needing to be addressed through policy, and surmising who the internal actors are who act
as power brokers in policy agenda setting within the organization.
The policy change or new policy must be clearly formulated in the Brief and interested parties or persons
identified who will either try to legitimize or criticize the proposal. The Brief should include a plan
(including a timeframe) for implementation and parameters (impressionistic versus systematic) for
evaluation (how will you know if the policy mitigates the problem?). The Brief should include an analysis
of how the organization could be prepared for the policy change and how it might respond. The Brief
should be accompanied by an addendum (one page or less) that reviews what theories, concepts or
models presented in class or in the textbook were helpful in composing the Brief. The Brief and
addendum should be written in narrative form and be no longer than 6 pages. Due March 12, 2014.
Oral Presentation and Online Synopsis of Policy Brief
Students will present an abbreviated synopsis of their policy proposal to the class and upload the
synopsis to the discussion board in Bb. The synopsis may use bullet format to help with brevity. After oral
presentation and group in class discussion each student will post at least one constructive statement of
feedback online for the presenter within 24 hours of the presentation.
News Article Presentation
Students will present to the class via Blackboard under their discussion thread a current (within three
weeks) news article (electronic only (please include the link) from a well known news source such as the
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New York or LA Times, Washington Post etc., or think tank, or interest group newsletter that deals with a
policy issue at the state or federal level. Your analysis should consist of a short narrative of one or two
paragraphs that describes the relevance of the news piece to public policy agenda setting,
implementation or evaluation and a reflection about the source itself in terms of bias or potential for
special interest propaganda. All other students will read the news article and your analysis and make a
pithy but thoughtful comment on it. A thoughtful comment may include reference (s) to the policy
generation cycle, actors in the process, failure or success in reaching the targets of the policy and/or
future implications. Due dates will be assigned. If another student has already posted that same exact
article then it is the responsibility of the student to find a different one. You may post your article and
narrative up to two weeks prior to your assigned date. Please be prepared to briefly discuss your news
article in class.
Research Paper
Students will be responsible for a six to eight page paper that discusses a public policy area. Policy areas
will be assigned. Students must use and refer to at least TWO peer reviewed journal articles in their
paper on their policy area. The journal articles must be uploaded to Bb no later than March 5, 2014.
These journal articles should be current (written after 2010) and should serve as resource information for
your paper, not form the basis of an article summary in lieu of a research paper. An examination of a
policy area must include: background leading to policy direction, specific federal or state policies typical of
the policy area and whether they mirror or branch from other federal or state policies, implementation
strategies and who is responsible for oversight, funding issues, basic principles – desired outcomes and
confounding issues, process of passage of policies in this area and future recommendations for policy
direction change or continuation. The paper will be turned in online in Bb by 5 p.m. on April 16th, 2014.
Higher points will be given to those papers that reflect:
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An analysis of the policy area in general and specifically what problem(s) or issue(s) led to the
development of the cluster of policies which are intended to address them.
An understanding of who has helped to set the agenda for the policy area and who benefits from
the policy area’s stance.
A discussion on challenges and support, fiscal and popular that the policy area experiences.
Current trends or changes that affect the policy area.
Final persuasive paragraph that analyzes the policy area in terms of effectiveness.
Adherence to the format of no more than six to eight pages long, double spaced using 12 pt font
with 1 inch margins all around.
Use of academic language and third person narrative.
Blog Presenting the Paper
Students will use the blog tool in Blackboard to present the highlights of their paper. The blog feature
allows multiple entries over time or a single entry and allows visual media to be added in order to provide
a deeper understanding of the policy area researched. Blogs are due by 5:00 p.m. on April 16, 2014.
Plagiarism and Cheating
You must cite (use APA style) the author and the source of any quotes or any paraphrase of someone
else’s work in your paper. Those who do not cite quoted work may receive a fail on the paper and a
warning or referral for possible suspension, probation or expulsion.
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Accommodations
Students who need accommodations of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability please contact me
after you have contacted the Student Disability Services at 760.768.5509.
Course Outline and Reading Schedule
Jan 22: Introduction to Public Policy
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Read Putting More Public in Policy Analysis article by Walters, Aydelotte and Miller (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Models for Policy Analysis” & Key Concepts of Public Policy and Systems Model
of Analysis”
Jan 29: Policy Context
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 1-30
Read Conceptual Framework: The Implementation of Public Policy article by Sabatier and
Mazmanian (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Context of Policy Analysis”
Feb 5: Government and Policy Actors
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 34-58
Read Focusing Events, Mobilization, and Agenda Setting article by Birkland (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Intergovernmental Interference: Federalism”
Feb 12: Government Institutions and Policy Groups
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 58-70
Read Organized Interests and Their Issue Niches: A Search for Pluralism in a Policy Domain
article by Browne (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Courts in Policy and Special Interest Groups”
Due: Online synopsis of policy brief by 5:00 p.m.
Oral presentations in class of policy brief
Feb 19: Understanding Public Policy Making
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 75-85
Read Public Choice: A Different Approach to the Study of Public Administration by Ostrom and
Ostrom (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Elitism” and “Public Choice”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
Oral presentations in class of policy brief
Feb 26: Defining the Problem in Policy Analysis
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 85-109
Lecture in class “Defining the Problem”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
Oral presentations in class of policy brief
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Mar 5: Policy Analysis and Rationality
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 113-119
Lecture in class “ Policy Analysis and Rationality”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
Oral presentations in class of policy brief
Due: Journal Articles posted online by 5:00 p.m.
Mar 12: Policy Incrementalism
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 119-141
Lecture in class “Incremental and Non-incremental Policymaking”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
Due: Internal Policy Brief by 5:00 p.m.
Mar 19: Decision Making
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 147-217
Read Evaluating: Introduction article by Fawcett and Wright (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Decision Making in Policy” and “Policy Evaluation”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
Mar 26: Politics Analysis and Policy Choice
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 497-519
Read Risk, Security and Disaster Management article by Comfort (on Bb)
Lecture in class “Policy in Times of Emergency”
Presenting Policy News Online discussion
March 31 – April 5: Spring Break
Apr 9: Midterm Exam
Apr 16: Economic and Budgetary Policy and Education
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 222-269 and pp 363 -395
Lecture/Class Discussion
Due: Research Paper and Blog by 5:00 p.m.
Blog Presentations
Apr 23: Health Care, Welfare and Social Security Policy
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 275-357
Lecture/Class Discussion (Discuss movie: “Up in the Air” with George Clooney)
Blog Presentations
Apr 30: Environment and Energy Policy
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 403-446
Lecture/Class Discussion
Blog Presentations
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May 7: Foreign Policy and Homeland Security
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Read Public Policy and Politics pp 453-488
Study Session for Policy Comprehensive Exam Topics
Blog Presentations
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