Last updated: May 10, 2015
Faculty of Social Sciences
\
Introduction to Public Policy and Administration
71-114-18
Mr. Hanan Haber
Class : BA Mandatory
Year: 2015-2016 / 5776 )‫)תשע"ו‬
Semester: 1st +2nd
weekly hours: 2
Credit points: 2
Site course: http://lemida.biu.ac.il/course/view.php?id=16074
Office hours: After class, 13:30-14:30
Office: Building 109, room 6 (Lauterman)
Email: hanan.haber@mail.huji.ac.il
A. Aims of this course
This course is about the theoretical foundations of public policy and public administration. The first
part of the course is about theories of public policy: how policy is made, how it changes, and how it
is institutionalized. The second part of the course is about theories of public administration, the
structure and function of bureaucracy, both past and present. The main goal of this course is to give
students the conceptual and theoretical tools to understand and analyze public policy and
administration.
B. Content of the course
Teaching methods:
The course will consist of frontal instruction, classroom discussion, and group discussions. A
portion of the class will be devoted to student-led presentations of case studies, intended to bring
together the theoretical material with policy issues from the Israeli context. The course will include
the use of various multimedia items, depending on our progress.
A detailed program of the course:
Semester A': Introduction and theoretical framework: theories of public policy process (First
Semester)
The rational approach and its critics (classes 1-4)
1. The rational approach: the stages model
2. Bounded rationality and ‘muddling through’
3. Agenda setting, the policy window and the three streams
4. Punctuated equilibrium
Influences on the policy process (classes 5 – 8)
5. Interest groups
6. Public opinion
7. Mass media
8. Political parties
1
Institutional theory (classes 9-11)
9. Institutional Theory: an introduction
10. Explaining policy stability: Historical institutionalism and path dependence
11. Explaining policy change
12. Conclusion of the first semester: Explaining public policy change in practice
13. Conclusion and review of the first semester
Semester B': Theories and issues in public administration (Second semester)
Introduction to bureaucracy, past and present (classes 1-4)
1. Introduction: Weber’s bureaucracy
2. New public management
3. The regulatory state
4. Regulatory agencies and the reputational approach
Leadership and bureaucratic politics (classes 5-6)
5. Political control of the bureaucracy?
6. Politicians, Managers, and Street-level Bureaucrats
Ethics, dysfunctions, and public service motivation (classes 7-9)
7. Goal displacement
8. Blame avoidance
9. Public service motivation
10. Public budgeting
11. E-Government
Public administration in Israel
12. The functioning of the Israeli civil service
13. The budgeting process in Israel
14. Conclusion of the course, discussion and review for the test
C. Course Requirements
This course requires attendance and active, reading based participation. During the year, the
students will present a test case in class and lead a discussion tying the theoretical issues studied
with concrete policy issues from the Israeli context. The presentation will be accompanied by a
written hand-in. Instructions on how to carry out this task appear below. The written hand-in is due
on the day of presentation. At the end of the year there will be an exam, which will cover both the
reading material and the discussions in class. The exact order of classes may vary during the year,
depending on our progress. Students must follow the course website for updates and
announcements. If you are met with problems in this or other respects, please contact the lecturer
as soon as you can.
Guidelines for the test case
Throughout the year, each student will be required once to present a test case and lead a discussion
in class (typically 30 minutes in length), tying the theoretical issues discussed in that week’s reading
material, with a specific policy case(s) from the Israeli context. Presentations will be carried out
every week (unless otherwise specified). Each presentation is to be accompanied by a written paper,
of a maximum of 1000-1500 words in length. The written assignment is due on the day of
2
presentation, before class begins. The schedule for presentation will be set up at the beginning of
each semester.
The objective of this requirement is to engage the class in thought and discussion about the
theoretical questions arising from the reading material. The test case should present an overview of
the case chosen (based on information collected by the presenter based on both primary and
secondary sources, when available), and raise several theoretical questions for the class to discuss,
based on the information provided in the presentation.
The written portion of this assignment should include an extended, written version of the overview
of the case presented and the questions chosen for discussion, and a clear, reasoned explanation of
the thought process behind the preparation of the test case. This should include explaining the case
choice, the method of inquiry, and an explanation of the significance of the questions raised for
discussion, as well as their connection to the reading material.
Further instruction on this assignment will appear on the course website.
Requirements / assignments
The final grade will consist of:
(1) Analysis of a test case, in writing and in a presentation in class: 30% (passing grade: 60)
(2) Exam at the end of the second semester: 70% (passing grade: 60)
D. Reading list (all items are required reading, unless otherwise stated)
The reading list may change, in accordance with our progress
Required reading for the exam:
First Semester:
The rational approach and its critics (classes 1-4)
1. The rational approach: the stages model
Jann, W., & Wegrich, K. (2007). Theories of the policy cycle. In F. Fishcer, G. Miller, & M. Sidney
(Eds.), Handbook of public policy analysis (pp. 43–62). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. (Optional
reading)
352.34 HAN 2007 (1159274)
2. Bounded rationality and ‘muddling through’
Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The science of “muddling through.” Public Administration Review, 79–88.
Ejournal (132250)
Or
Simon, H. A. (1955). A behavioral model of rational choice. The quarterly journal of economics,
69(1), 99-118.
Journal + Ejournal (132311)
3. Agenda setting, the policy window and the three streams
Kingdon, J. W. (2003). Agendas, alternatives, and public policies. New York: Longman Classics in
Political Science.
Read: Chapter 1, pp. 1-20
320.973 KIN a (24869)
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4. Punctuated equilibrium
Jones, B. D., & Baumgartner, F. R. (2012). From there to here: Punctuated equilibrium to the
general punctuation thesis to a theory of government information processing. Policy Studies
Journal, 40(1), 1-20.
Ejournal (437577)
Influences on the policy process (classes 5 – 8)
5. Interest groups
Baumgartner, F. R., & Leech, B. L. (2001). Interest niches and policy bandwagons: Patterns of
interest group involvement in national politics. Journal of Politics, 63(4), 1191-1213.
Journal + Ejournal (118968)
6. Public opinion
Gilens, M., & Page, B. I. (in press). Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups,
and average citizens. Perspectives on Politics.
https://www.princeton.edu/~mgilens/Gilens%20homepage%20materials/Gilens%20and%20Page/G
ilens%20and%20Page%202014-Testing%20Theories%203-7-14.pdf
Ejournal (575571)
7. Mass media
Van Aelst, P., & Walgrave, S. (2011). Minimal or massive? The political agenda-setting power of
the mass media according to different methods. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 16(3),
295-313.
Ejournal (1215240)
8. Political parties
Imbeau, L. M., Pétry, F., & Lamari, M. (2001). Left-right party ideology and government policies:
A meta-analysis. European Journal of Political Research, 40(1), 1-29.
Journal + Ejournal (146252)
Institutional theory (classes 9-11)
9. Institutional Theory: an introduction
Hall, P. A., & Taylor, R. C. (1996). Political science and the three new institutionalisms. Political
studies, 44(5), 936-957.
Ejournal (131637)
10. Explaining policy stability: Historical institutionalism and path dependence
Pierson, P. (Ed.). (2001). The new politics of the welfare state. Oxford University Press.
Read: conclusion, pp. 410-456
EBook (2391012)
11. Explaining policy change
Mahoney, J., & Thelen, K. (2010). A theory of gradual institutional change. In J. Mahoney, & K.
Thelen (Eds.), Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency, and Power (pp. 1–37).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
N/A
12. Conclusion of the first semester: Explaining public policy change in practice
Béland, D., & Shinkawa, T. (2007). Public and private policy change: Pension reform in four
countries. Policy Studies Journal, 35(3), 349-371.
Ejournal (437577)
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13. Conclusion and review of the first semester
Second Semester:
Introduction to bureaucracy, past and present (classes 1-4)
1. Introduction: Weber’s bureaucracy
Weber, M. (2009). From Max Weber: essays in sociology. Routledge.
Read: pp. 196-204.
301.04 WEB f (9811) – 1948 edition
2. New public management
Pollitt, C., & Dan, S. (2011). The impacts of the New Public Management in Europe: a metaanalysis. Paper presented at the EGPA Conference, Bucharest. Retrieved from:
http://repub.eur.nl/pub/40668/COCOPS%20WP%203.pdf
3. The regulatory state
Majone, G. (1997). From the positive to the regulatory state: causes and consequences of changes in
the mode of governance. Journal of Public Policy, 17(02), 139-167.
Journal + Ejournal (119021)
4. Regulatory agencies and the reputational approach
Carpenter, D. (2002). Groups, the media, agency waiting costs, and FDA drug approval. American
Journal of Political Science, 46(2), 490-505.
Ejournal (119231)
Or
Maor, M., Gilad, S., & Bloom, P. B. N. (2013). Organizational reputation, regulatory talk, and
strategic silence. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 23(3), 581-608.
Ejournal (437518)
Leadership and bureaucratic politics (classes 5-6)
5. Political control of the bureaucracy?
Lamb, C. M., & Nye, A. W. (2012). Do presidents control bureaucracy? The Federal Housing
Administration during the Truman-Eisenhower era. Political Science Quarterly, 127(3), 445–467.
Ejournal (131635)
6. Politicians, Managers, and Street-level Bureaucrats
May, P. J., & Winter, S. C. (2009). Politicians, managers, and street-level bureaucrats: Influences
on policy implementation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 19(3), 453-476.
Ejournal (437518)
Ethics, dysfunctions, and public service motivation (classes 7-9)
7. Goal displacement
Bevan, G., & Hood, C. (2006). What’s measured is what matters: targets and gaming in the English
public health care system. Public administration, 84(3), 517-538.
Ejournal (132248)
8. Blame avoidance
Hood, C. (2011). The blame game: Spin, bureaucracy, and self-preservation in government.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Read: chapter 1, pp 3-23.
EBook (2391016)
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9. Public service motivation
Perry, J. L., Hondeghem, A., & Wise, L. R. (2010). Revisiting the motivational bases of public
service: Twenty years of research and an agenda for the future. Public Administration Review,
70(5), 681–690.
Ejournal (132250)
10. Public budgeting
Jones, B. D., Baumgartner, F. R., Breunig, C., Wlezien, C., Soroka, S., Foucault, M., Walgrave, S.
(2009). A general empirical law of public budgets: A comparative analysis. American Journal of
Political Science, 53(4), 855–873.
Ejournal (119231)
11. E-Government
Ahn, M. J., & Bretschneider, S. (2011). Politics of e-government: E-government and the political
control of bureaucracy. Public Administration Review, 71(3), 414–424.
Ejournal (132250)
12-13. Public administration in Israel: the functioning of the Israeli civil service and the
budgeting process
Galnoor, I. (2010). Public management in Israel: Development, structure, functions and reforms.
Taylor & Francis.
Read: lesson 12: Chapter 4, pp 43-54; Lesson 13: chapter 8, pp. 83-96.
N/A
14. Conclusion of the course, discussion and review for the test
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