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Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

THREE ESSAYS ON CONSUMPTION TAXATION IN INDONESIA , Partomuan Transparenter Juniult

THREE ESSAYS ON RURAL EDUCATION: DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES FOCUSED ON FEDERAL RURAL DEFINITIONS AND POLICY CHANGES , Kyung Ha Oh

A Multilevel Jurisdictional Analysis of the Impact of Walmart on Host Communities , Matt Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

THREE ESSAYS ON GOVERNANCE, INEQUALITY, AND SOCIAL EQUITY , Sarah Ausmus Smith

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Two Essays on Governments Devolving Fiscal Authority to Lower-Level Actors , Jinsol Park

Three Essays on Tax Compliance in Indonesia , Himawan Saputro

ESSAYS ON EVASION AND ENFORCEMENT IN VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) , Syed Jawad Ali Shah

COLLABORATIVE COMPETITION IN HOMELESS SERVICES: THREE ESSAYS ON FEDERAL-LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS , Andrew Alfred Sullivan

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Home Rule, Local Autonomy, And Municipal Government Behavior , Xin Chen

Move or Improve? Place, Policy, and Educator Labor Markets , Cory Curl

Essays on Economic Development Policies , Hakyeon Lee

EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH TO DRUG CRISIS , Jiebing Wen

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL RESOURCE DEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY ON THE INCREMENTAL BUDGETING THEORY AND PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM WITHIN A BUDGETARY CONTEXT , Barrak Ghanim Algharabali

THE DECISION TO DECENTRALIZE GOOD PROVISION IN THE UNITED STATES: A STUDY IN CLEAN ENERGY POLICY , Whitney Michelle Davis

THREE ESSAYS ON WELFARE POLICIES IN AMERICAN STATES: EXPLAINING AMERICAN WELFARE STATES IN THE POST-WELFARE REFORM ERA , Hyokyung Kwak

THREE ESSAYS ON MUNICIPAL STRUCTURE AND GOVERNMENT FISCAL MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES , Wenchi Wei

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

THE ALLOCATION OF STATE APPROPRIATIONS AND STUDENTS ACROSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION , Joshua L. Bush

STATE SUBSIDY COMPOSITION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: POLICY AND IMPACTS , Alex Eugene Combs

THREE ESSAYS ON FINANCIAL COLLABORATION IN THE GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT SECTORS , Saerim Kim

A MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX FOR THE UNITED STATES , Nate Kratzer

USING PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES TO UNDERSTAND CITIZEN ATTITUDES TOWARD GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND COLLABORATIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR , Jue Young Mok

THREE ESSAYS ON LOCAL PUBLIC FINANCE , Thomas Daniel Woodbury

THREE ESSAYS ON PUBLIC FINANCE AND PUBLIC POLICY: FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND POLICY REINVENTION IN U.S. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS , Jinhai Yu

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Applying a Positive Theory of Organizations: A Closer Examination of State Environmental Protection Agencies , Emily Bedwell

Three Essays on Interaction in Public Management , Seungjin Choi

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The 2004 Moroccan Moudawana Reforms: Outcomes for Moroccan Women 

The 2008 Economic Stimulus Payments and Durable Consumption 

2012 LABOR REFORM IN MEXICO AND ITS IMPACT IN THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL LABOR MARKETS 

2015 District of Columbia Earned Income Tax Credit Expansions and Poverty Reduction for Adults Without Qualifying Children 

287(g) and public safety : determining the effects of local immigration enforcement on crime 

A Comparison of Hospital Capacities between Single-Payer and Multi-Payer Healthcare Systems among OECD Nations 

A Hedonic Analysis of School Quality Valuation under the Universal Lottery System in Washington, D.C. 

A State Comparison to Understand Medicaid Delivery System Effects on Access and Use of Preventative Services 

A State Level Analysis of Variation in Healthcare Quality and Outcomes Across Veterans Health Administration Facilities 

A Tale To Tell? What Happened When Parts of the Voting Rights Act Were Repealed 

A Woman’s Place is in Journalism: An Analysis of What Shapes Female Media Representation 

Abortion Laws and Public Health: What are the Health Implications of Parental Involvement Laws on Birth Outcomes? 

Abortion Policy After Roe: How Legalization Impacted Income of Future Cohorts 

Abortion, Gay Rights, and Redistricting: How Midterm Voters Are Persuaded (Or Not) To Vote 

ABSTINENCE AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION IN GHANA: HOW INFLUENTIAL IS THE MEDIA? 

Access to Care in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 

Access to Finance: The Effect of Financial Constraints on Private Firms' Performances in China 

Access to Mainstream Financial Services: Does Being Banked Help Smooth Consumption Volatility? 

The Achievement Gap Between Government and Private Schools in Pakistan 

"Acting White" and the Black-White Achievement Gap 

PhD Dissertations in Public Policy

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Public Policy Dissertations Collection

This collection contains open access and campus access dissertations, made possible through Graduate Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The full content of open access dissertations is available to all, although some files may have embargoes placed on them and will be made available as soon as possible. The full content of campus access dissertations is only available to those either on the UMass Boston campus or with a UMass Boston campus username and password. Click on the "Off-Campus UMass Boston Users" link on the record page to download Campus Access publications. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this dissertation through resources like Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global or through Interlibrary Loan.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

Finding the Blind Sports: An Exploration of the Complexity and Diffusion of Police Body Camera Policies , Stephanie Lessing

Dissertations from 2023 2023

Public Transit Funding Through Real Estate: Opportunities for Agency Reform , George Chichirau

E-Quality: An Analysis of Digital Equity Discourse and Co-Production in the Era of COVID-19 , Kelsey E. Edmond

Dissertations from 2022 2022

Caged Animals: The Reproduction of Social and Educational Inequalities in Indian Secondary Schools , Vishakha Agarwal

Assessing Without Proficiency: The Impact of Standardized Testing on English Learners in Massachusetts , Michael Berardino

The Impact of ADHD Diagnosis on the Experiences of People Involved in the Justice System , Sarah Kuck Jalbert

Opening the Halls of Power: Implementing a Community Organizing Approach to Parent Engagement in New York City’s Community Schools , Andrew R. King

Essays on Race, Class, Hospital Cultural Competence and COVID-19 Disparities , Rumel Mahmood

Dissertations from 2021 2021

Sustainable Investing in U.S. Private Sector Workplace Retirement Plans: A New Institutionalist Perspective , Bridget Bearden

Assessment of Housing Mismatch: Learning from Slum Communities in Small Cities of India , Namesh Killemsetty

Stayers and Leavers: Using Care Work Theory and The Functional Taxonomy to Understand Turnover among Family Child Care Providers , Colleen Fay Manning

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Potty Politics: Investigating the Policymaking Processes of Sanitation Service to the Urban Poor in Delhi , Tanushree Bhan

Doctor-Patient Communication by Email: Trends, Determinants, and Effects of Digital Disparities on Email Use and the Association between Email Use and Quality of Communication in Health Care , Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic

Housing First: Defining and Analyzing a New Treatment Paradigm for Homelessness in the United States , Caitlin A. Carey

How Universal are Democratic Values? A Study of the Urban Middle Class’s Valuation of Core Democratic Ideals in a Hybrid Regime , Priyanka Kabir

How Does Grading Schools Impact Florida’s Teachers and Students? The Need for a New Approach to School Accountability , Luke Aubry Kupscznk

What does Social Agency have to do with it? Positive Pathways to Adulthood for Groups of Opportunity Youth and College Students in Rhode Island , Perri S. Leviss

Innovation Through Popular Diffusion: Seeking Social Equity Through Cannabis Legalization in Massachusetts , Jeffrey Moyer

Participate for Peace: The Impacts of Participatory Deliberative Democracy on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in Central America , Marcia D. Mundt

Women’s Pathways to Political Leadership in Kenya: Institutional and Cultural Factors Impacting Women’s Political Leadership in County Level Government , Rose A. Nyaondo

Using Lenses to Understand Policy Failures: The Case of the 2012 Census in Chile , M. Angélica Pavez

Lost in Translation: Understanding Education Policy Implementation in Nepal , Sushmita Subedi

The Role of Massachusetts Cultural Council in State Cultural Policy: Institutionalism, Policy Goals, and Perceived Outcomes in the Arts and Culture , Hsin-Ching Wu

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Welfare Reform and the Health of Low-Income Single Mothers: The Impact of Policies Under the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunities and Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) , Allyson L. Baughman

To Adopt or Not to Adopt: Factors Impacting States’ Pursuit and Implementation of ACA’s Home and Community-Based Programs , Lisa Kalimon Beauregard

Place, Preferences, and Policy: An Analysis of Funding Education Along the Urban-Rural Divide , Kattalina Berriochoa

Crafting the Government Mobile Application: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Public Value Creation as it Relates to Citizen Engagement and Participation in the Development of Government Smart City Mobile Application , Sean M. Mossey

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Carbon Pricing in a Complex Adaptive System , Merritt Randall Hughes

Beyond the Tower of Babel: Finding a Better Path to Reconciling and Uniting Namibians, A Case Study of Windhoek Surburbs/Townships , Ndumba J. Kamwanyah

The Effect of Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion on Disparities in Access to Care and Health Status , Hyunjung Lee

Tobacco Advertisements and Compliance at the Point of Sale: The Case of Massachusetts , Omobukola Usidame

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Understanding Romani Deprivation in Serbia: From Symbolic Inclusion Prescriptions to Meaningful Pathways to Economic Integration , Marija Bingulac

Regional P20 Councils: Addressing the Education Pipeline through Regional Learning and Cross-Sector Collaboration , Elaine K. Donnelly

Understanding How State Legislators Define Problems: The Case of High and Rising Healthcare Costs in Massachusetts , Monica C. Garlick

Civil Society Organization Practices to End Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities in Mexico , Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez

Understanding University Graduates’ (Un) Employability in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Cameroon , Alvine Murielle Tchuathi Sangang

Performance Management and Decision-Making in State Agencies: The Case of Massachusetts , Ryan M. Whalen

Dissertations from 2016 2016

'Whose Goals Am I Meeting?' Policy and Practice Dilemmas in Adult Basic Education (ABE) in the Era of Accountability , Alma Hallulli Biba

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Frontline Youth Workers: Meaning-Making and Street-Level Policy , Sarah Hogue

Mind the Gap: The Integration of Physical and Mental Healthcare in Federally Qualified Health Centers , Karen R. Monaghan

The Politics of Official English: Exploring the Intentions and the Outcomes behind English-Only Policies in the United States , David Gonzalez Nieto

Dissertations from 2014 2014

Weighing the Benefits and Risks Associated with Proprietary School Attendance for Low-Income Single Mother Students , Carolyn L. Arcand

Constructing the American Dream: How Beliefs Influence Decisions about Homeownership , Rachel Bogardus Drew

A Longitudinal Look at Social Protection: Does Unequal Receipt of Employment-Based Benefits Lead to Health Disparities, thus Limiting Earnings Mobility? , Amy B. Helburn

Economic Development in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Cluster: Shared Prosperity or a Big Tradeoff? , Brandynn Holgate

An Analysis of the Influence of the Supervisory Agency in Determining Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation Grades , Howard Payton

A Fresh Perspective: Public Choice Theory and the Massachusetts Legislator , John F. Quinn

Engaging Youth: Linking Design and Implementation Choices of Out-Of-School Time Programs in Boston to the Development of Political Engagement Attitudes in Youth Age 14 to 18 , Felicia M. Sullivan

Dissertations from 2013 2013

Producing Space: Block-By-Block Change in a Gentrifying Neighborhood , Jen Douglas

Microfinance: A Tool for Financial Access, Poverty Alleviation or Gender Empowerment ? - Empirical Findings from Pakistan , Ghazal Mir Zulfiqar

Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Economic Relationships Between Institutions of Higher Education and Municipalities , Dale H. Allen

Corruption, Democracy, Inequality and Economic Growth: Exploring the Theoretical and Empirical Relationship in South America, 1995-2008 , Danny García

Health Reform Challenges: Understanding Low-Income Massachusetts Residents Who Remain Uninsured , Michael Tutty

Dissertations from 2011 2011

Interpersonal Conflicts in Hospitals: Their Fingerprints, Consequences and Resolution , Talia Berman-Kishony

Knots of Knowledge: How Community-Based Organizations Advance Social Change , Jennifer Cohen

Youth Employment and Unemployment in Developing Countries: Macro Challenges with Micro Perspectives , Berna Kahraman

It's not so Simple: Understanding Participant Involvement in the Design, Implementation, and Improvement of Cash & Counseling Programs , Erin E. McGaffigan

Legal Experiences of Women Survivors of Domestic Violence: A Need for Policies that Address the Justice Gap , Kimberly Ann Puhala

The Value of Getting Out: The Impact of School Leaders' International Experiences , Shelley Tinkham

Dissertations from 2010 2010

Alignment of Community Preferences, Economic Development Goals, and Policy: Considering Economic Development Goals, Their Expression, and Their Execution in Economically Struggling Communities , Rebecca Lynn Moryl

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Research Methods for Public Policy

• Open Access
• First Online: 19 October 2022

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• Susan Mbula Kilonzo 3 &
• Ayobami Ojebode 4  

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This chapter examined the nature of public policy and role of policy analysis in the policy process. It examines a variety of research methods and their use in public policy engagements and analysis for evidence-informed policymaking. It explains qualitative methods, quantitative methods, multiple and mixed-method research. Other issues addressed include causal research in public policy, report writing and communication and related issues in public policy research.

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Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysis: Case Study Research Strategy

Perspectives on Policy Analysis: A Framework for Understanding and Design

Social Research and Public Policy: Some Cautionary Notes

Introduction.

As implied by the topic, this chapter focuses on research methods applied or applicable in public policy research. Though the overriding focus is on specific research methods, we deemed it necessary to preface these with a brief discussion of the nature of public policy research and the nature of policy-engaged research problem or question. These are then followed by the specific research approaches or traditions and methods as applied to public policy. Given that public policy research deals with issues that have important implications for the society, the mixed-method research is often preferred as a means of arriving at findings and conclusion concrete and reliable enough to serve as a basis for policy. For this reason, we devoted a section to mixing methods in public policy research. This chapter is thus divided into four sections:

Nature of public policy research

The policy-engaged research problem or question,

Specific public policy research approaches and methods, and

Mixing methods in public policy research.

In the first section, we focus on the definitive characteristics of the kind of research that supports or evokes public policy, especially the solution-orientation of such research. In the second section, we focus on what it means for research to be policy-engaged—which is different from being policy-relevant. We propose the nature and source of a good problem or question for policy-engaged research and its basic design. In the third section, we focus on the two broad traditions of research: qualitative and quantitative traditions, and the specific methods under these traditions. We explain how these methods are used in public policy research using both hypothetical and existing examples. In the last section, we discuss mixing research methods in public policy research, stressing the reasons for it and summing up the process of doing it.

Nature of Public Policy Research

Public policy research is one whose primary aim is to understand or explain social, political, economic, cultural and other issues that are significant to the society and which require the intervention or attention of policy actors. In providing an understanding of such issues, the research also presents itself as a trustable basis for the actions and interventions of these policy actors. It must, therefore, be a piece of research based on sound evidence, produced out of convincing rigour and woven from start to finish around a societal issue of concern.

In addition to being thorough and trustable, public policy research must also go beyond describing a problem or situation into engaging the how and why of things (Osifo 2015 : 149) for it to establish causality with reference to a given problem and the options of addressing such a problem. Descriptive studies do sometimes provide an important basis for policy; however, causal studies often interest and command the attention of policy actors more than descriptive ones do.

A good public policy research is sensitive to both the policy and political agenda. These two environments or elements determine action or inaction. Howlett ( 2012 : 451) argues for an approach that encourages absorption of research outputs at two levels: enhancing instrumental arguments about policy programme content and ensuring a deeper political engagement experience.

Though policy makers do not entirely depend on research to make decisions on policy options (Edwards 2004 ; UK Cabinet Office 2009 ), the role of research, and specifically field-based research, in public policy remains critical (Mead 2005 ; Young 2005 ). Since scholarly research competes with expert knowledge, domestic and international policy, stakeholder consultations and evaluation of previous policies, among other sources (UK Cabinet 1999), evidence generated from research that is meant to inform public policy needs a strong basis for argument on the problem under scrutiny, as well as a variety of policy options from field evidence.

Recent studies show that research in policymaking over the last four decades plays a less direct role than is often assumed and expected (Howlett 2012 ). Nevertheless, the role of research in public policy is not to be downplayed, and as Mead ( 2005 : 535) explains, field research is essential to realistic policy research that ties governmental action to good outcomes. However, we need to take cognizance of the fact that, as Tierney and Clemens ( 2011 ) argue, many of today’s most pressing policy issues are extraordinarily complex and will benefit from carefully conceived and analysed studies utilizing multiple methodological approaches. Public policy researchers should understand this complexity of policy problems. This complex web determines, to a great extent, what forms of research and/or research methods a researcher should consider.

Literature shows that in the history of public policy research, statistical evidence was very important (Mead 2005 ). Studies meant to inform policy were therefore mostly, if not always, survey-based (Mead 2005 ). Survey-based research, as Mead ( 2005 : 544) shows, is good at generating accurate depictions of the clientele served by a given policy. Social problems and their correlates can be clearly captured. Earlier approaches to policy research favoured output that could be generalized across settings that were validated and reliable. In those early approaches, quantitative research, especially survey, was given priority. Qualitative research did not so much move into policy arena and research evidence from qualitative studies did not seem to find a place in policy discussion tables (Tierney and Clemens 2011 : 59).

Over the years, survey-based approach has been criticized for its narrow economistic approach because social problems are complex. The argument is that survey-based policy research projects onto its subjects, the psychology assumed by the quantitative researcher. Simply put on its own, the approach lacks the ability to explain why and how complex social problems arise, and what public policies would best be suited to address them in their complexity. Surveys, for instance, may not give the full range of information required to account for the behaviours of the poor, needy and dependent persons in certain circumstances. These people, though challenged by certain economic factors, can survive in difficult circumstances, but the how and why of their survival would be beyond the easy reach of survey. Thus, as Mead ( 2005 ) argues, there is need for a more complex and robust approach that incorporates those factors that are beyond the statistics. We argue that for a public policy research to claim authenticity of findings that capture the attention of policy makers, and subsequently inform the policy process, an integration of research methods, that is, mixed-method design, is important.

Public policy research is meant to provide solutions to social and public problems that are in many ways complex. Establishing causes and effects of these problems run beyond analysis of existing policies. Mead ( 2013 ), for instance, argues:

[Where] texts in public policy devote attention to both policy analysis and political analysis; they fail to capture the intimate connection between them. The two subjects appear as separate worlds, when they are really two sides of the same coin. The texts do not consider that political constraints should really be part of policy argument or that the policy-making process can sharply limit what best policy means. And in research on public policy, there is even less sense of policy and politics shaping and reshaping each other. Typically, the usual division prevails where economists recommend best policy while political scientists explain what government does. (p. 393)

These views relate to the policy and politics dichotomy, and how political analysis is good in reshaping policy analysis (Mead 2013 : 392). While it is important to pay attention in public policy research to how these two influence each other, it is also important to pay careful attention to the stakeholders. Good research methods for public policy should engage stakeholders in the research process to enhance the use of the research findings and recommendations for effective policies. Besides the policy makers, policy actors include the public, which is always at the receiving end of the end products of public policy research are important. Consultations with them at most, if not all levels, help researchers to articulate policies that include their ideas or address their concerns (Oxman et al. 2009 ) and result in the good policy performance.

The Policy-Engaged Research Problem/Question

With reference to their level of policy engagement, public policy research in Africa can be categorized into three: public policy-appended research, commissioned policy research and public policy analysis. Public policy-appended research is the most common of the three. For most African researchers, there is a mandatory section of their article or thesis that presents policy recommendations. In that section, researchers attempt to point out how their research findings can be applied to real-life policy situations and consequently change those situations for the better. Efforts are made by experienced researchers to ensure a close fit between the recommendations and the findings that precede it in the article or thesis. As common as this genre of public policy research is, it is a flawed approach for many reasons. The approach treats policy not as the centre of the research but as an appendage. Put differently, the researcher decides her or his research problem and question and decides on the methods most suitable for this. At the conclusion of the research, she or he then turns to policy actors with recommendations. Since the research was not informed by a policy need or gap, it can hardly fit into the existing agenda and conversations among policy actors. It neither speaks the language of policy actors nor considers their priorities. The researcher would not have attempted to include policy actors at most, if not all, stages of the research, and as we will discuss shortly, there are consequences of not doing this. It also assumes that policy actors (i.e. policy makers, civil society and other stakeholders, including citizens) are on the lookout for policy recommendations from researchers and can wade through the different sections of the research to find these recommendations. As Oyedele, Atela and Ojebode ( 2017 ) opined, this is hardly so. The researcher’s research is her or his business, not that of the policy actors. As a result, policy actors do not access the tonnes of policy recommendations made by researchers.

Commissioned public policy research projects are initiated by government agencies and non-governmental organizations to address specific policy or implementation problem. The driving research question and the nature of the expected findings are articulated by the commissioning organization. A critical objection to this genre of public policy research is researcher’s autonomy on crucial fronts. To what extent can a researcher turn out findings that conflict with the political aspirations and public image of the funding government or its agency? How can the researcher be sure that his or her findings are not spun or twisted in favour of government? Therefore, while the findings and recommendations of this genre of public policy research are likely to be more easily accepted by policy actors than the findings of public policy-appended research, there is usually a cloud of doubt around its objectivity and integrity.

A third genre of public policy research deals with policy analysis . These studies take on an existing policy and subject its components to critical analysis often conjecturing whether it would produce expected results. They explore inconsistencies, systemic barriers and feasibility of a policy, and then draw conclusions as to why a policy works or does not. They may serve as formative or summative studies depending on when they are conducted in the life cycle of a policy. The challenge of this approach to public policy research has been that the researcher/analyst is basically tied to the outcomes of policies in existence—policies that he or she did not play a role in formulating.

The foregoing genres of public policy research are, at best, only partially policy-engaged. They may be policy-relevant, but they are not policy-engaged. So, the questions for us here are: What is policy-engaged research? How does it differ from policy analysis, commissioned public policy research and public policy-appended research? What is it that the other three misses out that policy-engaged research is good for? And how do we then design research in a way that the methods used are relevant in informing the public policymaking processes?

A policy-engaged piece of research derives its roots from the questions that are being asked in policy circles. As a response to current public policy issues, it is driven by a research question that explores, extends or clarifies a policy question or problem. Policy-engaged research therefore means bringing on board the stakeholders relevant in the development of a given public policy (Lemke and Harris-Wai 2015 ), whether their role is interest or influence. This means that there is an all-round way of understanding the problem that the policy is intended to solve and the politics surrounding the decision-making process.

It is important for a researcher to understand in policy-engaged research, is the need to tailor the research in a way that the policy options suggested are practical. This is because, a policy attempts to solve or prevent a problem, or scale up progress, and policy actors are interested in “what works”. In other words, they are keen about what causes an outcome or makes things happen. A piece of public policy research would, therefore, do well if it were causal, rather than descriptive.

There are two fundamental characteristics of a public policy research problem or question: First, it should explore cause, outcome, and/or causal mechanism in relation to an existing policy or a policy action it intends to propose. In exploring these, the researcher can tease out the specific factors that are responsible for a certain policy problem/issue (outcome) and have conclusive findings from which to confidently suggest specific points of intervention in a policy progression. For instance, if the researcher discovers that misinformation is the cause of vaccine rejection, then he or she knows better than to suggest increased procurement of vaccines but would rather suggest media campaigns or community meetings to increase citizens’ awareness of that vaccination. If, in exploring the mechanism between misinformation and rejection, she discovers that misinformation leads to cognitive dissonance which then leads citizens to seek clarification from traditional birth attendants who then counsels them to abstain from vaccination and whom they then obey by rejecting the vaccination, she is further equipped to make pointed suggestion on which point in the chain to focus intervention or “tweaking”. Public policy research without such causal information can easily become a shot in the dark.

Second, the public policy research problem should resonate with the questions that policy actors are asking as well as the questions that they should be asking. While it is important for the public policy research question to evolve from policy questions, it is also important to note that policy questions are sometimes wrong or inadequate. Put bluntly, policy actors sometimes do not ask the right questions. It is, therefore, important for the researcher to identify these policy questions and give them the needed redirection. Policy actors, for instance, may be asking if the gap between male and female children about access to education is narrowing or widening following the adoption of an affirmative action policy in favour of the girl child. Whereas this is an important question, it is not likely to reveal information that is specific enough to be a basis for the right adjustment of the policy. It is not only simply descriptive but also narrow and unworthy of much research. The researcher should push harder with questions of cause, outcome and causal mechanism about the male-female disparity in access to education in this case. Has the policy produced a narrowing of the gap? If not, why has it not? What skills or resources are lacking that account for this lack of narrowing? Or what historical, religious or cultural factors combine or act alone to ensure continuity of the gap despite the policy? The public policy research question may not be the exact one that policy actors are asking, but it is indeed a vital extension and reflection of the policy question.

When we have public policy research problems that are unrelated to the problems that policy actors have, the consequence can be predicted. We will come up with findings that may be scientifically sound but unattractive to policy actors. Such findings will have little or no uptake. This approach speaks to the disconnection which a vast amount of literature points out—the disconnection between researchers and policy makers (Edwards 2004 : 2; Young 2005 : 730–1; Saetren 2005 ). When we ask public policy research questions that are not causal, the consequence can as well be predicted—our findings will not be convincing or informing enough to move policy actors to targeted action. Ultimately, questions that are not in line with the policy makers, and non-causal questions, render our research simply as just another piece of research for its sake.

A research question largely dictates its own research design. The type of research question we advocate above implies an iterative approach that begins with policy actors and finally returns to them. It also implies a specific kind of methods. It is a back-and-forth movement that considers the concerns of the actors as the fulcrum. In addition to being iterative, the design is also causal. The stages given below may apply (Fig. 4.1 ).

Approach to designing policy research

The way in which research is designed determines the ability of the researcher to claim causal conclusions (Bachman 2007 ). This is important for it gives indication to policy makers on what influential factors lead to what outcomes. If this is not known, making relevant policy decisions is always not possible.

Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Public Policy Research

In this section, we explain the commonly used qualitative and quantitative research methods for public policy.

Qualitative Methods in Public Research

Briefly stated, qualitative methods aim at providing deeper perspectives, attitudes, perceptions and contextual insights that surround the issue under investigation as experienced and understood by those living through it. The outcome of qualitative methods is usually the verbalized thoughts and viewpoints of the subjects of investigation rather than numbers or statistics. The following are some of the research methods used in qualitative research. Note that each of these methods applies a wide range of tools to collect data.

Historical and Archival Research

Libraries and archives store historical information in many forms including diaries, pictures, documents, minutes and artefacts, among others. These mean that they might have been stored as primary or secondary data. Historical or archival information that can be considered as primary is that which was collected from the author or field and stored in its original form without undergoing any form of analysis and change. Such may include minutes, diaries, pictures, artefacts, personal memoirs, autobiographies and others of the same nature. Any historical information that has gone through any studies or analysis then becomes secondary data. These may include journals, books and magazines, among others.

When a researcher wants to use historical and archival data, the aim is to research on the past and already existing information. However, historical and archival research does not always mean deriving data from the archives. A policy researcher may design a historical study in which they endeavour to visit the field and collect data from knowledgeable individuals concerning a certain historical issue of policy concern. They may partly engage documents from archives or libraries to historicize, contextualize and corroborate the issue under research. It is also the nature of many parliamentary researchers to “mine” data from parliamentary libraries/archives, some of which contain data that is classified as primary data.

Historical data is important in public policy, for it helps researchers situate their arguments within existing narratives, contexts and prior solutions suggested for policy problems. Roche ( 2016 ) argues that making assumptions about the ease with which historical research can be done is misleading. He advises that knowledge of context and a sequential approach should be given ascendance in the researcher’s priority. The researcher should be aware of chronology of information to clearly provide a coherent picture of the policy issue at hand. This implies that the past information should be relatable to the most current. With the advent in technology, most data are now digitalized, and as such, it is easy to get information from the Internet.

Archives are used to store vital government records such as personal letters, diaries, minutes, logbooks, plans, maps, photographs, among others, that easily qualify to be analysed as primary data (Roche 2016 : 174). Roche ( 2016 : 183–4) notes the challenge of fragmentation and partial availability of archival documents. He further alludes to technical challenges of the clarity of some of archival data. He cites examples of materials that were handwritten a while back and which may be ineligible. Historical and archival research apply both desk-based methods and interview techniques of data collection. Photography can also be used.

Ethnographic Methods

Ethnographic approach to research studies communities in their natural setting to understand their activities, behaviour, attitudes, perspectives and opinions within their social surrounding (Brewer 2000 ). To do so, ethnography entails close association with the research communities and sometimes participation in their activities (Brewer 2000 : 17). In fact, the commonly used methods of data collection in ethnography are participant (and sometimes non-participant) observation. The former allows for the researcher to get involved in the activities of the communities, while the latter is designed for the researcher to observe from the periphery. As Brewer argues, it is this day-to-day involvement in people’s activities that enable the researcher to make sense of the social worldviews of the research participants.

Non-participant observation describes a research situation where a researcher does not take part in the processes, events or activities that he or she is observing but removes himself or herself from the happenings to critically observe from a distance. This has challenges especially if the observed become aware of intrusion and subsequently alter their behaviour (Hawthorne effect). Sometimes the researcher may structure the observations or decide to use unstructured observations. The two differ in the sense of planning on the observation activities. For the structured type, the researcher has in mind what they want to observe and as such have a list and indications of what they would like to see. Take, for instance, a study on access to water meant to contribute to a water policy. A researcher may choose to observe how (many) times is water served at certain water points; how many people queue for the water in each of these servings; and this is likely to tell the researcher whether the water points are enough or otherwise. In unstructured observation, the researcher gets into the field with a research idea but without the specifics of that nature of data they expect from the field. Qualitative interview methods such as oral interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) may apply where necessary during ethnography. Note taking is often applied as well.

Phenomenology

This method focuses on lived experiences of a given phenomenon by an individual or a group of individuals. Individuals can describe their views and opinions about the phenomenon in question (Johnson and Christensen 2014 ). Research on fertility issues can target women who either have or do not have children, depending on what the researcher wants to unearth, with individual women providing their lived experiences on the issue under investigation. Phenomenology is also applicable when writing biographies (an account of someone’s life written by someone else). Generally, life histories, personal testimonies and experiences are best collected through this method. This implies that oral in-depth interviews and desk-based methods of data collection are important in understanding the stories in question.

Narrative Method

A narrative is a story that structures human activity to give it some form of meaning (Elçi and Devran 2014 ). Research that applies the narrative method encourages the research participants to tell their stories around a certain issue. The researcher listens to the stories and uses them to make informed analysis on the issue at hand. A researcher concerned about experiences of people living in zones of conflicts may ask questions that elicit stories of the victims or perpetrators of violence and present these in narrative form. Researchers who use phenomenology method often apply use of narratives, but not always. Phenomenological research may not rely on story telling alone. A researcher may use desk-based method to gain perspectives of the target communities as well.

Case Studies

A case study is an intensive analysis of a small number of phenomena (events, actors, activities, processes, organizations, communities, among others) in each context. Though one can use a mix of qualitative or quantitative data within a case study, meaning that case studies can also take quantitative route, a case study is always a detailed analysis of the relationships between the contextual factors and a visible occurrence. Case studies are therefore considered when there is need for detailed information on the issue(s) under investigation. A single case study aims at providing details on the variables of interest. A comparative case study has two or more cases (what literature refers to as small-N) for the purpose of making comparative causal explanations. A researcher uses comparative case studies when they want to tease out the similarities and/or differences between or among the cases, usually for the purpose of explaining causation.

Action Research

Action research is problem-solution focused. It falls under the category of applied research and subsequently, uses practical approach to solve an immediate problem. In this case, the researcher works together with a community or practitioners to identify a challenging issue within the community that requires a possible solution. They formulate the problem together and design the research in a way that the aim is to work towards getting a solution to the problem. Once the data collected is analysed and recommendations given, a plan of action is drawn and applied to the problem that the research was designed for. The community (and researcher) reflects on the effectiveness of the solutions applied to take appropriate measures. In a nutshell, Huang ( 2010 : 99) explains that action research proceeds from a praxis of participation guided by practitioners’ concerns for practicality; it is inclusive of stakeholders’ ways of knowing and helps to build capacity for ongoing change efforts. This form of research requires money and time. As Huang ( 2010 ) notes, action research can take a qualitative, quantitative or mixed-method perspective. Various methods of data collection including oral interviews, surveys, community mapping, observation, among others, may be applied in action research.

Grounded Theory Research

A researcher may apply two approaches, inductive or deductive, to do research. The deductive approach means that one has a theoretical basis from where hypotheses can be formulated and tested. Inductive approach, on the other hand, is grounded or bottom-up. The researcher in this case starts by making observations that then provide him or her with patterns from where conclusions and theory can be drawn. Grounded research therefore moves from the point of poor or no theory up to where a researcher can deduce an informed hypothesis and towards theory building, all from the observations and analysis made from data. It is similar with other qualitative methods in the use of the various methods of data collection including oral interviews, observation and use of all forms of documents (Strauss and Corbin 1994 ).

Quantitative Methods in Public Policy Research

Quantitative research generates numerical data using such research instruments as the questionnaire, tests, code sheets for content analysis and similar other sources. The data is then subjected to mathematical or statistical analysis (Muijs 2004 ).

Literature divides quantitative research methods into two—experimental and non-experimental methods. Experimental methods are the quantitative approaches that are mainly concerned with manipulation situations with an aim of establishing cause and effect. Bachman ( 2007 : 151) argues that “the experimental design provides the most powerful design for testing causal hypotheses about the effect of a treatment or some other variable whose values can be manipulated by the researchers”. Experiments allow us to explain causality with some confidence because of the use of treatment and control. The basic and elementary type of experimental research involves setting up two groups (treatment and control groups) and introducing change to the treatment but nothing to the control. The effect of the change is measured in the differences in the behaviour or performance of the two groups after the treatment.

Experimental research has been criticized for their weakness in reflecting reality in that they take people out of their natural settings into a laboratory or pseudo-labs. Despite this, they can make important input to policymaking. For instance, micro-level policies on classroom instruction and curriculum have been largely influenced by experimental research.

Non-experimental methods do not manipulate. They are aimed and providing a descriptive picture of what is being studied. Non-experimental methods, as Muijs ( 2004 ) indicates, are more varied and may range from surveys to historical research, observations and analysis of existing data sets (applied quantitative methods). We will briefly look at the experimental and non-experimental quantitative research in the following sections.

Experimental Methods

The different types of experiments can range from randomized control trials (RCTs) to quasi-experiments, and sometimes, natural experiments.

Randomized Control Trials (RCTs)

In their simplest form, RCTs involve assigning individuals, groups, communities or settlements to experimental/treatment and control groups. The experimental group receives treatment—school feeding—while the control group receives no treatment (no school feeding). The difference in school attendance rates between these groups could then be attributed to the treatment, that is, school feeding. If statistics shows that attendance increases in the treatment group but stays the same or decreases in the control group, other things being equal, the researcher can make claims about school feeding causing increase in school attendance. Randomized control trials are expensive and are usually beyond the budget reach of most researchers. Public policy researchers therefore embark on other forms of experimental methods generally described as quasi-experimental methods.

Quasi-experiments

There is an unending controversy as to what constitutes a quasi-experiment. Given the little profit accruing from such a controversy, we would take a simple definition of that concept: any experiment that mimics as closely as possible the advantages of RCT (Muijs 2004 : 27). In quasi-experiments randomization is not possible (Muijs 2004 ). This makes it difficult to eliminate bias. The experimental group is already determined—they are the ones enjoying or experiencing the treatment of concern to the researcher. What the researcher does is to compare this group with another that is not experiencing the treatment. Often, the treatment is a government programme or some other kind of intervention out of the researcher’s control. Where it is possible to have another group to compare with, the researcher might work with data before treatment comparing that with data after treatment.

Take, for instance, the introduction of government-funded public examinations in some Nigerian prisons in 2019. Would the incidence of violence reduce in prisons because of this policy? A few years into the policy, a researcher might compare incidence of violence in Prison A where the policy is being implemented with Prison B where it is not being implemented. Or, where, for certain reasons that two-prison comparison is not possible, she might compare data on the incidence violence in Prison A before the policy with data on the incidence of violence in the same prison after the policy has been implemented.

Quasi-experiment templates consider space (spatial variation) and time (temporal variation) as important aspects that influence setting up of experimental research designs. Gerring ( 2007 ) and other scholars provide a variety of these templates. For instance, a researcher might be interested in explaining if and how a certain programme or policy, say a school feeding programme, increases students’ performance in national examinations. She can select two local government areas or sub-counties—one with a school feeding programme and the other without—and then compare school performances of students in both sub-counties and local government areas in national examination. It is important to ensure that the two cases (i.e. sub-counties or local government areas in this example) are similar in all other factors that might influence students’ performance in a national examination, the only difference being the presence of a school feeding programme in one and its absence in the other. The data can be collected by a variety of means—questionnaire, secondary data such as attendance registers, observation guide or any other that suits the research objective and question. A fruitful study of this type does not stop at showing that students in local government A where there is a school feeding programme perform better than their counterparts in local government B. That would be an interesting finding, but it leaves a lot unsaid. Rather, it should press on with an explanation of the causal mechanism—the pathway or trajectory by which the school feeding programme leads to better grades. This implies that what is largely categorized as quantitative study may require aspects of qualitative data to allow the researcher to get a complete picture of the issue under investigation.

Ojebode et al. ( 2016 ) attempted to explain the (in)effectiveness of community-based crime prevention practices in Ibadan, Nigeria. They selected two communities—one with a successful community-based crime prevention programme and another with a clearly unsuccessful one. These communities are similar in all the factors that matter to community-based crime prevention—population, ethnic mix, youth population, socio-economic status, and both have community-based crime prevention practices. Their puzzle was: why did the practice work so well in one community and fail so woefully in the other despite the similarities in these communities. Through different rounds of data collection and different instruments, their quantitative and qualitative analysis shows that the settlement patterns in the communities—dating several hundred years—perhaps explained the variation in the outcomes of the crime prevention practices.

Natural Experiments

Natural experiments take advantage of exogenous effect, that is, an intervention that is outside of the control of the researcher, which was also not intended to affect the outcome/dependent variable. The exogenous effect can be in the form of natural (such as a natural disaster), physical (like in the case of the colonial/government border) or historical event. They may also be a policy intervention. These were not intended for research or academic purposes. In other words, what becomes the treatment or causal factor happens through some “natural” occurrence or unplanned event. In some ways, these events may allow for observation of before and after they occurred. An example is Friedman et al. ( 2001 ) who carried out a kind of natural experiment during the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, Georgia. The researchers wanted to find out whether heavy traffic in the city was a cause of asthma in children. They made observations on how the city was organized during the 17 days of Olympics where the traffic rules changed. Small cars were forced onto alternative routes to leave main routes for mass transport, and this reduced traffic congestion on the major roads of the city. Through paediatric records (before and after Olympics), the study discovered 40% reduction in asthma attacks and emergency hospitalization. The researchers made a conclusion that traffic congestion contributes to paediatric asthma. This can be classified as a natural experiment, where the Olympics (manipulation/treatment) was not planned by the researcher and was exogenous (not related in any known way) to asthma. Such critically thought-out research can easily contribute to change in transport policies. Other studies, for instance, Daniel Posner’s on Chewas and Timbukas of Zambia and Malawi ( 2004 ), have used borders artificially created by colonial governments as boundaries of study groups. In his case, Posner shows how governments in two countries differently exploit similar ethnic compositions and the effect of this exploitation on inter-ethnic relations.

Non-experimental Quantitative Methods

Most quantitative researchers collect data using a standard questionnaire containing mostly close-ended questions. Some researchers may use a questerview, which combine both closed-ended and open-ended question. The latter is applicable when corroborative data or explanations to the closed-ended questions are needed. Survey questionnaires for this reason provide some standardized data that can be keyed into software for organization and analysis. The type of survey questionnaire depends on the nature of data that the researcher requires, the reach of the study population and ways in which the data is to be collected. One can decide to do telephone interviews, post the questionnaire, administer it online or have an ordinary written questionnaire.

Survey research considers a variety of factors including samples and sampling procedures, characteristics of the study population, among other issues. Surveys mainly apply probability sampling with an aim of giving all the elements a chance to be included in the study sample. This is the opposite of non-probability sampling those centres on purposive and convenient sampling. There are various sampling techniques in probability sampling, and these are available in various research methods books. Just to mention, some of the probability sampling approaches include simple random, stratified random, cluster, quota and multistage (see Muijs 2004 , 2011 ; Babbie 2004 ; Kothari 2004 ; Kumar 2011 ). For sample sizes, there are suggested formulas that researchers can apply for both finite and infinite populations.

Observational Studies

Observations are important for both qualitative and quantitative research. In quantitative research, observation is applied both as a research method and as a method of data collection. In qualitative research, observation is mostly categorized as a method of data collection and features in various research methods including ethnography, case study and action research. In quantitative studies, observational methods are important, for they enable a researcher to interact with the study environment and participants in a way that the questionnaire would not. Observational data for quantitative research is collected using standardized/structured observation schedules. A researcher can develop a descriptive observational record or a rating scale to help them collect observational data. This enables the researcher to observe and record the behaviour and activities in the selected study sites in a standardized way. Observations can also be made on existing reports within the institutions being studied, say for instance, school performance and statistical data collected from such reports (see Muijs 2004 ). In the end, the different methods may generate descriptive data of various types, that is, from open-ended and closed-ended descriptions. The selection of participants is also randomized to give all a chance to participate, and subsequently, those falling within the sample size are meant to represent the study population on which generalizations can be made.

Applied Quantitative Method

This method makes use of existing data sets. It applies analytical methods to facilitate description of data that has already been recorded and stored. Different research institutes store varied forms of data sets. These could be useful if a researcher is interested in analysing them with the purpose of achieving a certain research objective. For instance, one might be interested in understanding and describing the population growth trends. In such instances, one does not need to go to the field to collect fresh information when the national bureaux or offices of statistics have the data sets. All one needs is to get permission from relevant authorities to access such information. The challenge with using such data sets is that if they are erroneous in any way, then the errors are carried forth in the analysis. As Muijs ( 2004 ) indicates, the various quantitative research methods can be combined in a single study if this is necessary.

Mixed Methods in Public Policy Research

The advent of mixed-method research and the place that it currently occupies in social science research reinforce the arguments for the use of both traditions of qualitative and quantitative methods in public policy research. Statistics should be complemented and explained by meaning-making concepts, metaphors, symbols and descriptions from qualitative research to make sense of hard data. On the other hand, narratives on their own are not enough. Jones and McBeth ( 2010 : 330) show that despite the apparent power of stories in public policy, public policy studies have largely remained on the side-lines of the use narratives. The two scholars suggest the relevance of using a narrative policy framework as a methodological complement for positivists in the study of policy. Some scholars have also shown that for policy problems to be clearly defined, a narrative structure is needed. Narration, as Fischer ( 1998 ) and Stone ( 2002 : 138) explain, helps make sense of the socially constructed world that requires tangible solutions. Since qualitative approach may not be able to engage hypothesis testing to allow for replication and falsification (Jones and McBeth 2010 : 339), they should complement or be complemented by quantitative data.

Qualitative and quantitative methods have their own separate strengths. As noted above, qualitative research is about depth and qualitative is about breadth. This means, if a study requires both, then mixing the methods is important. Mixing methods therefore means a research problem requires both qualitative and quantitative data. Morse ( 1991 ) argued that triangulation of methods not only maximizes the strengths and minimizes those weaknesses of each approach, but also strengthens research results and contributes to theory and knowledge development.

Mixing research methods does not just imply mixing methods of data collection. A researcher must intentionally clarify which research methods (as discussed above) are applicable in their research to speak to qualitative and quantitative aspects, and by extension what methods of data collection will be used. Note that one research method may have many methods and tools data collection. If one is using ethnography, then participant observation, oral in-depth interviews, observations and focus group discussions are examples of applicable data collection methods. The various methods of data collection have their instruments/tools.

Mixing of methods entirely depends on the purpose for which the methods are mixed. This is determined by the research problem. Mixed research methods books provide a wide range of typologies of designing mixed-method research (see, for instance, Greene et al. 1989 ; Creswell and Clark 2011 ; Schoonenboom and Johnson 2017 ). Below is a simple illustration of the continuum for mixing methods (Fig. 4.2 ). A researcher can move from a purely quantitative or qualitative research method (A and E), towards integrating either quantitative (B) or qualitative (D) methods to the dominant method. A researcher can also design a fully mixed-method research (C). This is a simplified way of understanding how mixing can happen; there are other more complex typologies.

The mixed-method continuum. (Source: Teddlie and Yu 2007 : 84)

In public policy research, the mixing is important for various reasons. One might require results for complementary purpose, explanations to the statistical results, expansion of results from one domain (qualitative or quantitative) or confirmation of results. The dictates of mixing are found within the research problem and by extension research questions/objectives.

There is subtle blame game between bureaucrats and policy makers, on the one hand, and researchers, on the other hand, in Africa. While the latter accuse the former of not using the research they conduct, the former responds by claiming that many of the research do not speak to policy or societal issues and are thus not usable. They add that many of them are rendered in a language that is not accessible to non-academic actors. As a result, not a few policy decisions are based on political and other judgements rather than on sound research.

Our discussion so far suggests that the bureaucrats and policy makers may not be totally right in their accusation, but they are not totally wrong either. The preponderance of policy-appended research, and of solo-method research which offers little as a basis for policy, seems to justify their accusation. It is, therefore, important that public policy researchers weave their research around societal issues that are not only significant but also contemporary and topical, craft their design with the aim of policy engagement and stakeholder involvement, and adopt mixed methods as and when necessary, to provide findings and conclusion that command and compel policy actors’ attention.

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Kilonzo, S.M., Ojebode, A. (2023). Research Methods for Public Policy. In: Aiyede, E.R., Muganda, B. (eds) Public Policy and Research in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99724-3_4

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Theses/dissertations from 2017 2017.

Employee Engagement and Marginalized Populations , Brenna Miaira Kutch

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Impact of a State Evidence-Based Practice Legislative Mandate on County Practice Implementation Patterns and Inpatient Behavioral Health Discharge , Carl William Foreman

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

A Case Study of Collaborative Governance: Oregon Health Reform and Coordinated Care Organizations , Oliver John Droppers V

Higher Education Reform in Oregon, 2011-2014: A Policy and Legislative History , Sean Pollack

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

The Institutional Context that Supports Team-Based Care for Older Adults , Anna Foucek Tresidder

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Attaining a Sustainable Future for Public Higher Education: The Role of Institutional Effectiveness and Resource Dependence , Mirela Blekic

Governance in the United States Columbia River Basin: An Historical Analysis , Eric Thomas Mogren

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Use of Media Technologies by Native American Teens and Young Adults: Evaluating their Utility for Designing Culturally-Appropriate Sexual Health Interventions Targeting Native Youth in the Pacific Northwest , Stephanie Nicole Craig Rushing

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Oregon Physicians' Perception of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Enforcement Discretion Related to the Use of Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Pain , Robert Dale Harrison

City Management Theory and Practice: A Foundation for Educating the Next Generation of Local Government Administrators , Scott Douglas Lazenby

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

The Institutionalization of Diversity and Gender Equity Norms and Values in Higher Education Settings , Rowanna Lynn Carpenter

Organizational Complexity in American Local Governance: Deploying an Organizational Perspective in Concept and Analytic Framework Development , Charles David Crumpton

Multi-Level Environmental Governance : a Comparative Case Study of Five Large Scale Natural Resource Management Programs , Shpresa Halimi

Police Organizations : an Empricial Examination of American Sheriff's Offices and Municipal Police Agencies , Matthew Adam Jones

Measuring Community-Engaged Departments: A Study to Develop an Effective Self-Assessment Rubric for the Institutionalization of Community Engagement in Academic Departments , Kevin Kecskes

Creating a Theoretical Framework for Understanding Homeland security using Multiple Frame Analysis , Linda Ann Kiltz

Emerging Governance at the Edge of Constrained Federalism : Public Administrators at the Frontier of Democracy , Gary Lloyd Larsen

George Lakoff"s Theory of Worldview : a Case Study of the Oregon Legislature , Catherine Law

Who Benefits? : a Multilevel Analysis of the Impact of Oregon's Volunteer Mentor Program for Postsecondary Access on Scholarship Applicants , Alisha Ann Lund-Chaix

Organizational Change in Corrections Organizations : the Effect of Probation and Parole Officer Culture on Change in Community Corrections , Shea Brackin Marshman

Lost in Translation : Ideas of Population Health Determinants in the American Policy Arena , Maria Gilson Sistrom

Representation without Taxation : China's Rural Development Initiatives For a New Millenium , Minzi Su

How Organizational Arrangements Affect High Reliability in Public Research Universities: Perceptions of environmental Health and Safety Directors , Rita Finn Sumner

The Washington State Patrol, Accountability-Driven Leadership, and the Organizational Factors that Propelled their Success: An Organizational Analysis , Timothy Carl Winchell

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The Changing Paradigm of Emergency Management : Improving professional development for the Emergency Manager , Robert Edward Grist

Global Civil Society Finding Collective Voice in Diversity , Kristen Marie Magis

Information Technology Training in the Public Sector : Essential Planning Elements , Betty Jean Reynolds

From Prison to the Community : the Role of Citizen Participation in Female Prisoner Reentry , Dana Roderick Torrey

Network Analysis of a Shared Governance System , Debra Reifman Whitall

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Presidential Values : Implications for Foreign Policy , Jordan Katherine Durbin

The Interactions between Carbon Regulation and Renewable Energy policies in the United Kingdom , Hal Thomas Nelson

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Reorganizing the Oregon Department of Human Services : an Exploratory Case Study of Organizational Change , Charles Anthony Gallia

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Portrayals of Disability in the Professional Preparation of Speech-language Pathologists , Jane Eric Sleeper Gravel

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

The Effects of Parent Care and Child Care Role Quality on Work outcomes among dual-earner couples in the sandwiched generation , Angela Rickard

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

The Role and Performance of Governmental and Nongovernmental Organizations in Family Planning implementation : Jordan as a Case Study , Khalaf al Hadded

Theses/Dissertations from 1999 1999

The Value of Independence in Old Age , Paula C. Carder

American Indian Elderly and Long-Term Care : Interorganizational Barriers to the Use of Oregon's Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver , Jo Lynn Isgrigg

The Effects of Mentoring on Work-parenting Gains and Strains in a Sample of Employed Predominately Female AFDC Recipients , Charlene Rhyne

Theses/Dissertations from 1998 1998

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Physician Assistants , Roderick Stanton Hooker

Theses/Dissertations from 1997 1997

State Funding for Special Education in Oregon : Calculating Cost Differentials of special education for handicapped students in Oregon school districts , Kyung-Sup Kim

Theses/Dissertations from 1996 1996

Scenery as Policy: Public Involvement in Developing a Management Plan for the Scenic Resources of the Columbia River Gorge , Gordon Mathews Euler

Impact of the Medical Library Assistance Act of 1965 on Health Sciences Libraries in the Pacific Northwest: an Interorganizational Approach , Leonoor Swets Ingraham

Administrative Reform in China: Its Impact on Economic Development After Mao , Meiru Liu

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Oregon Primary Care Physicians' Support for Health Care Reform , Timothy Alan Baker

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Public Administration Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theses/projects/dissertations from 2020 2020.

A NEED FOR RICHER PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION , Adam Dallas Levitus

PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSIONS AS A SUPPLEMENT TO FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS: A META REVIEW , Rachel Lisa Worrell

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Higher Education Financial Health - A Case Study of the California State University (CSU) , Amber Blakeslee

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The 'Lean In' Theory, Validated by Three Supreme Court Justices , Celene Valenzuela

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2017 2017

E-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY , Marcos A. Ybarra

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Cost of Earmarks , Nicholis John Zappia

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The council-manager plan, or, Managing for results?: Profiles and management styles of eight city managers in San Bernardino County , Leatricia Michelle Cash

Achieving effective asset management for water and wastewater utilities: A comparison of policy options for a special district and a medium city , Cari K Dale

An analysis of nitrate contaminated water in Cherry Valley , Adriana Hernandez-Romo

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

A comparative analysis of the California Regional Center: Fair hearing process for individuals with developmental disabilities , Deborah Kay Crudup

The development of California State College in Coachella Valley , Abby Mozoras

Theses/Dissertations from 1998 1998

Crafton Hills College computer hardware/software tracking system , Catherine Pace-Pequeño

Theses/Dissertations from 1997 1997

Municipal layoffs in Southern California: Should seniority outweigh productivity? , Timothy Paul Ousley

Creating a government that works better and costs less: A historical analysis of Civil Service reform , James William Thomas

An analysis of the California State Department of Parks and Recreation's "Quality Management Program" , Celena Turney

The effects of education on the birth rates of "workfare" program participants: Implications for future welfare reform , Bryan Anderson Wing

Theses/Dissertations from 1996 1996

Auditing troubled employees in the public sector , Lila Mehdiyar

The management and regulation of the beneficial use of sewage sludge as an agricultural soil amendment in Riverside County , William Ernst Prinz

Theses/Dissertations from 1995 1995

Implementing total quality management in the public sector , Cynthia J. Lewis

Federal public policy and bilingual education , Dorothy Lewis

Regional planning in Germany , James Walter Morrissey

The Agua Mansa enterprise zone: An empirical analysis , Paul E. Ogu

Theses/Dissertations from 1994 1994

Participative management style in a state transportation agency regional office , Linda Renee Grimes

Intergovernmental fiscal policy in California: The 1993 property tax shift , Lynndee Ann Kemmet

California conservatorships: An examination into ethics, standards, and judical monitoring , Lucille Castillo Lyon

Long range planning at the University of California Riverside: A case study , Janice Jo Martin

Assessment administration for county service areas , Shawn Dwayne Nelson

Alternative dispute resolution and public policy conflict: Preemptive dispute resolution negotiated rulemaking , Allen G. Norman

Strengthening the power of the mayor's office: An examination of the city of Riverside , Michael William Radford

A study of the affirmative action employee selection process in California community colleges , Mary Elizabeth Sampson

Intergovernmental cooperation and coordination at the local government level: The case of economic development in Riverside County , Alozie Donatus Udeh

Theses/Dissertations from 1993 1993

Determining the parks and recreation services of the Fontana community , Mitchell James Assumma

Leadership in local government computer service organizations within the state of California , Robert Benjamin Beavan

A study to determine what factors influence employee sick leave usage in the Riverside County Department of Mental Health Administration , Sally Aguilar Beavan

Wellness programs in police departments and how they effect workers' compensation claims , Herbert G. McKee Jr.

Proposition 111 and congestion management programs: A case of over-bureaucratization , Scott Richard Priester

The assessment of writing ability: A comparative cost effectiveness study of indirect and direct measures , Kristine Marie Smith

Theses/Dissertations from 1992 1992

Police culture, management and public image: Problems in implementing community oriented policing , Kenneth L. Becknell

Leadership in community oriented policing , John H. Boyd

Software pilferage in government agencies , Katherine Marie Foley

The use of privatization in the public sector: A focused study on the Inland Empire , John David Jamerson

Overcoming communications barriers in local government: Establishing networks through the public management forum , Anthony Michael Snoodgrass

Residential fire sprinklers requirement in single and multi-family homes: Survey of attitudes among the citizens of the city of Indio , David Arnold Yegge

Theses/Dissertations from 1991 1991

Analysis of the United States Trustee program , M. Shannon Goetsch

The effect of the 1964 Civil Rights Act on black Americans , Quentin Jamil Moses

A strategic analysis of budgeting for integrated logistical support of defense systems , Bruce Richard Suchomel

Theses/Dissertations from 1990 1990

Computer literacy in master of public administration classes , Penni Kaye Overstreet

Theses/Dissertations from 1989 1989

A case study to identify and evaluate the pricing policy for geothermal energy in the San Bernardino Municipal Geothermal District heating system , Kevin Perry Fisher

A study to determine the feasibility of constructing and operating a student fee funded recreational sports complex for California State University, San Bernardino , Helga Lingren

The role of the chief information officer in the contemporary university , James Jon Scanlon

Theses/Dissertations from 1987 1987

A matching process: More effective placement procedures for court dependent children , Lester M. Kushner

Theses/Dissertations from 1986 1986

The East Mojave National Scenic Area: Multiple use or national park? , Jeanne Hopkins Herr

Norton Air Force Base and San Bernardino: Communities in symbiosis , Clayton H. Snedeker

Theses/Dissertations from 1984 1984

The effects of governmental regulation on research and development in the pharmaceutical industry: An investigation into the relationship between patents, product substitution and regulatory policies , Linda Dianne Acosta

The impact of the Reagan Administration on equal employment opportunity, affirmative action for women and minorities in the public sector , Sandra Lucille Johnson

The Patton project: A demonstration program in deinstitutionalization , Harold Pitchford

The evolution of personality liability for public sector employees , Brian C. Turnbull

Theses/Dissertations from 1983 1983

Recycling the poor laws: A history of welfare, cross-sectional and longitudinal statistical studies concerning general relief policies in California , Carolyn Lea Clark-Daniels

Government administration in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia , George T. Fitzgerald

Controlling the uncontrollables: An examination of the capacity of Congress to reduce government expenditures for entitlements , David Lawrence Horne

Theses/Dissertations from 1982 1982

Regionalization of public service with an emphasis on fire service , Gerald M. Newcombe

Theses/Dissertations from 1981 1981

A model program for the development of humanistic administrative techniques in a California community college , Elaine Francisco-Davis

Theses/Dissertations from 1980 1980

Revenue practices used by California's municipal water districts , John Wesley Gebb

Congressional budget reform , Diane M. Precour

The evaluation of recent public service employment programs , Bruce Rose

Theses/Dissertations from 1979 1979

The accrual method of accounting in the federal government history and analysis , Aly Saleh A. Saleh

The Medi-Cal program , William H. Tillery

Theses/Dissertations from 1978 1978

An investigation to determine the impact of public financing on the Joint Powers Authority , Louis M. Jarcho

A comparative analysis of electric utility ownership in California , Robert E. Tremont

Theses/Dissertations from 1977 1977

A current medical reimbursement practices and prospects for national health insurance , Wallace D. Kinney

Organization closure a study of mobility versus satisfaction , Roy N. Mattke

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Department Website: https://harris.uchicago.edu/academics/undergraduate

Program of Study

Public Policy Studies is a multidisciplinary major grounded in the social sciences, with substantial inputs from economics, sociology, political science, and law, among other disciplines. The major recognizes that public issues are not neatly contained within traditional disciplinary boundaries and that analysts possessing a broad range of social scientific understanding, quantitative expertise, and communication skills are well placed to contribute to improved public policies. Public Policy involves direct contact with policy problems, ensuring that academic speculations are well-informed and connected to real-world conditions.

The Public Policy Studies major strives to put analysis before advocacy, stressing that compelling policy analysis is a central component of effective advocacy. We aim to be open and helpful to students of all political persuasions and challenge students to rethink clichéd responses to policy problems. The program of study for the BA degree in Public Policy Studies is designed to introduce students to policy analysis and implementation, equip them to use quantitative and economic methods, train them in policy research, enhance their spoken and written policy communication skills, and provide them with a thorough grounding in one or more specific policy areas.

Program Requirements

Two quarters of calculus, one quarter of statistics, five “core” Public Policy Studies courses, one “Methods” and one “Windows” course, three related courses constituting an area of specialization, a BA Capstone preparation course, and a successful Capstone thesis or project: these are the necessary components for completing the Public Policy Studies major. The calculus and statistics requirements, and frequently some courses constituting an area of specialization, too, are generally fulfilled through courses offered in programs outside of Public Policy Studies. Students have considerable flexibility in terms of when in their undergraduate career they take the required courses. 

Calculus and Statistics : Public Policy Studies students take two quarters of calculus (typically MATH 13100-13200 Elementary Functions and Calculus I-II or MATH 15100-15200 Calculus I-II ), and one quarter of statistics (either STAT 22000  Statistical Methods and Applications or  STAT 23400  Statistical Models and Methods).

Five Public Policy Core Courses : Students are required to take PBPL 20000  Economics for Public Policy; an acceptable substitute for PBPL 20000, however, is  ECON 20000  The Elements of Economic Analysis I. Completion of PBPL 20000 (or ECON 20000) is a prerequisite for the required course  PBPL 22200  Public Policy Analysis. With the exception of PBPL 20000 Economics for Public Policy (which must be taken prior to PBPL 22200), the core courses can be taken in any order, and the core requirements can be fulfilled over multiple academic years.

The five core courses are listed in the table below. Except for PBPL 22300 Policy Implementation , the core courses typically are offered only one quarter each academic year: for instance, PBPL 22100 Politics and Policy is offered in the Autumn Quarter, and PBPL 22200 Public Policy Analysis is offered in the Winter Quarter. This standard timing, however, is subject to change, so students should check with their academic adviser before committing to a plan that necessitates, for instance, taking a specific core course in the quarter just before graduation.

Methods and Windows

Students must take one “Methods” course and one “Windows” course to fulfill the practicum requirement of the major. The practicum requirement is designed to help students to learn research methods (e.g., demography, interviewing, GIS mapping, survey design) and then apply their methodological skills in a “real world” context, opening a “window” from the ivory tower into the outside world. Some Windows courses, in particular, involve collective work on a substantive policy problem with a community organization or government entity.

A sample of approved Methods and Windows courses are listed in the tables below; for a more complete list, please see harris.uchicago.edu/academics/undergraduate/overview/practicum . Students can select courses from the quarterly list shared on our website or can petition to fulfill their Methods or their Windows requirement with an appropriate course that has not been listed.

Some approved Methods courses:

Some approved Windows courses:

Area of Specialization

Students are required to complete three related, policy-relevant courses that together constitute their area of specialization. The specialization courses must be related with respect to a policy sub-field. Examples of specializations include Urban Policy, Data Science, Human Rights, Education Policy, Health Policy, International Development, or Environmental Policy. Specialization courses can be drawn from any academic department, but at least one of the three courses must be listed within Public Policy Studies. Proposed areas of specialization can be pre-approved before some or all of the constituent courses have been taken. Please see the Public Policy Studies website for further examples of recommended specializations and to access the petition form: harris.uchicago.edu/academics/undergraduate/overview/specialization .

The Capstone Requirement

All Public Policy Studies majors must complete the Capstone requirement. There are two ways to complete this requirement: the BA Thesis Seminar PBPL 29800 and the BA Project Seminar PBPL 29500 . Each seminar requires students to complete a writing project that showcases the skills they acquire throughout their studies in the major. The BA Thesis Seminar (PBPL 29800) guides students in conducting original, independent research (e.g., developing methodological skills, collecting and analyzing data) as part of a year-long project that culminates in a BA thesis. The BA Project Seminar (PBPL 29500) is a one-quarter course that focuses on critical policy-relevant writing, resulting in a project that highlights student analysis of vital public policy problems. More information about the ways of completing the Capstone requirement can be found at https://harris.uchicago.edu/academics/undergraduate/capstone .

Students majoring in Public Policy Studies or interested in the major should subscribe to our e-mail list, which disseminates announcements concerning courses, internships, fellowships, and other information connected with the major. You can subscribe automatically at [email protected] . Students can email [email protected] with general questions and requests.

Summary of Requirements

All courses counting toward the Public Policy Studies major must be taken for quality grades.  

Only students who complete the BA Thesis Seminar ( PBPL 29800 ) and have an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher are eligible for honors within the Public Policy Studies major. Qualifying students are recommended for honors if their BA papers are judged to be of superior quality. For additional information about honors, please visit harris.uchicago.edu/academics/undergraduate/overview/thesis .

The University of Chicago’s Spring Quarter Barcelona Public Policy program provides University of Chicago students with an opportunity to study comparative public policy in the exciting cultural and political capital of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. The program is designed to expose students to policymaking in a non-U.S. setting through a combination of courses and excursions that will allow students to learn how the political and policymaking system operates in other nations. The three-course Public Policy sequence will meet the requirement for three courses in an area of specialization within the Public Policy Studies major (though students need not be Public Policy Studies majors to participate in the program). In addition to the Public Policy sequence, participants take a fourth course in Spanish language. Students with sufficient knowledge of Catalan may substitute a Catalan language course in place of the Spanish language course. For more information, or to apply, visit the  Study Abroad website .

Double Majors

The Public Policy Studies major is quite accessible for students looking to graduate with a double major. Frequently, one or two of the PBPL Area of Specialization courses can be drawn from 200-level course electives in other majors. The Methods requirement is another course that students can complete through coursework in another department. Public Policy Studies generally does not accept course substitutions for the core courses PBPL 22100 Politics and Policy , PBPL 22300 Policy Implementation , or PBPL 26400 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy . Public Policy Studies is open to students who wish to use a single BA thesis for multiple majors. Important information for students who double major in Public Policy Studies and Economics can be found here .

Public Policy Studies (PBPL) Courses

PBPL 20000. Economics for Public Policy. 100 Units.

This course develops the microeconomic theories of consumer and producer choices, as well as demonstrates the application of these theoretical tools to policy problems. Supply, demand, and competitive markets are examined, along with the conditions under which government policy can increase efficiency.

Instructor(s): Carolyn Sloane     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): Completion of two quarters of calculus required; prior knowledge of economics not required. For ECON majors and students who have taken ECON 20000: consent of instructor required. Note(s): PBPL 20000 or ECON 20000 is required of all students who are majoring in public policy. PBPL 20000 satisfies the ECON 20000 prerequisite for PBPL 22200. Students who have taken ECON 20000 require the instructor's consent to enroll in PBPL 20000.

PBPL 20115. Women, Peace and Security. 100 Units.

This course focuses on critical feminist theorizing and scholarship on militarization, war and masculinities, and on feminist articulations of peace and (demilitarized) security. Students will learn about the transnational feminist research, policy and advocacy network known as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and the important inroads this network has made in establishing international and national policies in the fields of gender, conflict, peace and development. The course highlights the background, history and policy significance of the historic Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, as well as subsequent and related UN resolutions. Students will also learn about alternative feminist approaches and visions for international peace and security, through powerful case study examples of feminist activism, solidarity and diplomacy.

Instructor(s): Maliha Chishti     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): PBPL 28498 Women, Development and Politics (recommended) Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 20115, GNSE 40115, PPHA 47420

PBPL 20150. Sustainable Urban Development. 100 Units.

The course covers concepts and methods of sustainable urbanism, livable cities, resiliency, and smart growth principles from a social, environmental and economic perspective. In this course we examine how the development in and of cities - in the US and around the world - can be sustainable, especially given predictions of a future characterized by increasing environmental and social volatility. We begin by critiquing definitions of sustainability. The fundamental orientation of the course will be understanding cities as complex socio-natural systems, and so we will look at approaches to sustainability grouped around several of the most important component systems: climate, energy, transportation, and water. With the understanding that sustainability has no meaning if it excludes human life, perspectives from both the social sciences and humanities are woven throughout: stewardship and environmental ethics are as important as technological solutions and policy measures.

Instructor(s): Winter: Staff, Spring: Evan Carver     Terms Offered: Spring Winter Note(s): ENST 21201 and 20150 are required of students who are majoring in Environmental and Urban Studies and may be taken in any order. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 20150, GLST 20150, ARCH 20150, CEGU 20150

PBPL 20170. Pandemics, Urban Space, and Public Life. 100 Units.

Much of the cultural vibrance, economic strength, and social innovation that characterizes cities can be credited to their density. Put simply, cities bring people together, and togetherness allows for complex and fruitful exchange. But togetherness also brings risks, notably from infectious disease. A pandemic feeds on propinquity. "Social distance," while a short-term public health imperative, is antithetical to the very idea of the urban. In this seminar, we will explore these competing tensions in light of current and past disease outbreaks in urban settings. Drawing on a range of texts from history, design theory, sociology, and anthropology, as well as cultural artifacts like film, graphic memoir, and photography, we will engage questions like: How are the risks of contagion balanced with the benefits of density? How are such risks distributed throughout society? What creative responses have architects, urban designers, and planners brought to this challenge? Most importantly, how can we respond constructively to the challenge of pandemic to create cities where the benefits of togetherness are maximized, perhaps even improved on compared with the pre-outbreak condition? Students will have the opportunity to propose design or policy interventions to help their own communities respond to the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis, return to a vibrant post-pandemic life, and prepare for the pandemics of the future.

Instructor(s): Evan Carver     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Equivalent Course(s): ENST 20170, ARCH 20170, HLTH 20170, GEOG 20170, CEGU 20170

PBPL 20305. Inequality in Urban Spaces. 100 Units.

The problems confronting urban schools are bound to the social, economic, and political conditions of the urban environments in which schools reside. Thus, this course will explore social, economic, and political issues, with an emphasis on issues of race and class as they have affected the distribution of equal educational opportunities in urban schools. We will focus on the ways in which family, school, and neighborhood characteristics intersect to shape the divergent outcomes of low- and middle-income children residing with any given neighborhood. Students will tackle an important issue affecting the residents and schools in one Chicago neighborhood. This course is part of the College Course Cluster: Urban Design.

Instructor(s): M. Keels     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): CHDV Distribution: B; 2* Equivalent Course(s): CRES 20305, EDSO 20305, EDSO 40315, CHDV 20305

PBPL 20521. Sociology of urban planning: cities, territories, environments. 100 Units.

This course provides a high-intensity introduction to the sociology of urban planning practice under modern capitalism. Building upon urban sociology, planning theory and history as well as urban social science and environmental studies, we explore the emergence, development and continual transformation of urban planning in relation to changing configurations of capitalist urbanization, modern state power, sociopolitical insurgency and environmental crisis. Following an initial exploration of divergent conceptualizations of "planning" and "urbanization," we investigate the changing sites and targets of planning; struggles regarding the instruments, goals and constituencies of planning; the contradictory connections between planning and diverse configurations of power in modern society (including class, race, gender and sexuality); and the possibility that new forms of planning might help produce more socially just and environmentally sane forms of urbanization in the future.

Instructor(s): N. Brenner     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): CHST 20521, ENST 20521, CEGU 20521, KNOW 30521, SOCI 30521, PLSC 20521, PLSC 30521, SOCI 20521, PPHA 30521, GEOG 20521, ARCH 20521

PBPL 20555. The Sociology of Work. 100 Units.

From the Great Depression to the Great Resignation, paid work has played a central role in American life. The average American spends 1/3 of their life at work - making it an area of the social world heavily examined by politicians, journalists, and social scientists. In this course, we will look at the structural and interpersonal dynamics of work to consider the questions of what makes a "good job" in America and who gets to decide? Our topics will include low-wage work, the stigma of "dirty jobs," gender and racial inequality at work, physical and emotional labor on the job, side hustles and the gig economy, and life after retirement. Students will be required to write a 15 page research paper that draws on interview data they will collect over the quarter. No prior background in doing interviews is required!

Instructor(s): K. Schilt     Terms Offered: Winter. Not Being offered in 2024/25 Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 20555, SOCI 20555, CHDV 24711

PBPL 21011. Clinical Research Design and Interpretation of Health Data. 100 Units.

This course will introduce the interdisciplinary field of clinically oriented health services research with a focus on the interpretation of health-related metrics and policy-related applications. We will examine how translational medical science informs healthcare providers, payers, and professional societies. COVID-19 and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy will illustrate the challenges of data interpretation, translation of research findings into clinical medicine, and the adoption of evidence-based guidelines. Using a highly interactive approach, students will gain experience in selection of research study designs, measurement of health status, risk adjustment, causal inference, and understanding the placebo effect. We will discuss how clinicians, administrators, and public reporting entities judge and use information derived from investigations. The COVID-19 pandemic will demonstrate the challenges that varied clinical presentations, diagnostic accuracy, and case definition (identification of diseased patients) create in the formulation of health statistics (e.g., case-fatality rates and disease attribution of mortality). We will also discuss methods of defining study populations for both clinical research and public health reporting.

Instructor(s): Gregory Ruhnke     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): CCTS 41011, BIOS 29331, CCTS 21011, HLTH 21011

PBPL 21425. Health in a Changing America: Social Context and Human Rights. 100 Units.

In this interdisciplinary course, students will consider the social context of health and the social and political commitments necessary to protect health as a human right. We will analyze recent trends in population health, such as the obesity epidemic, the opioid crisis, and the large gaps in life expectancy between neighborhoods in urban centers. Using case studies, students will envision a human rights-based response to these and other health challenges. We will examine the ways that framing health as personal versus public responsibility is consequential for social policy.

Instructor(s): Alicia Riley, Graduate Lecturer in Human Rights     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 21403

PBPL 21800. Economics and Environmental Policy. 100 Units.

This course combines basic microeconomic theory and tools with contemporary environmental and resources issues and controversies to examine and analyze public policy decisions. Theoretical points include externalities, public goods, common-property resources, valuing resources, benefit/cost analysis, and risk assessment. Topics include pollution, global climate change, energy use and conservation, recycling and waste management, endangered species and biodiversity, nonrenewable resources, congestion, economic growth and the environment, and equity impacts of public policies.

Instructor(s): S. Shaikh     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): ECON 10000 or higher, or PBPL 20000 Note(s): Not offered in Autumn of the 2020-21 academic year. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 21800, ECON 16520, CEGU 21800

PBPL 21850. Legislative Politics. 100 Units.

This course will introduce students to the policymaking process and politics of legislatures. We will study legislative institutions; the decision-making processes of individual legislators; and the role of outside advocates and interests. Our goal is to understand how legislatures work - in terms of producing policy that incorporates expertise and responds to policy demands from the public - and why they often don't.

Instructor(s): Zelizer, A     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 31850

PBPL 22006. Decision Modeling for Health Economic Evaluation. 100 Units.

This course introduces decision science and economic evaluation that has been increasingly used to inform public health and health care decisions. With a specific focus on the development and application of decision-analytic models, students will learn the state of the current practice of economic evaluation, new tools and methodologies to conduct decision modeling, and emerging areas of research, including the value of information analysis. The course will provide hands-on computer-based learning using the R programming language for data analysis and modeling. A prior experience in R is welcomed, but not required. Applying the concepts and techniques learned in the course, students will undertake a course project of their choice to conduct economic evaluation using decision-analytic models. By the end of this course, students will gain knowledge and practical skills in economic evaluation and decision modeling to help make informed decisions.

Instructor(s): David Kim     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 42006, CCTS 22006, CCTS 42006

PBPL 22100. Politics and Policy. 100 Units.

This course has two fundamental aims. The first is to introduce students to a set of analytical tools and concepts for understanding how political institutions generate public policy. The second is to apply these tools in examining the major institutions of democracy in the United States. Note(s): Public Policy 22100-22200-22300 may be taken in any order.

Instructor(s): C. Berry     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): Public Policy 22100-22200-22300 may be taken in any order. Equivalent Course(s): DEMS 22100

PBPL 22200. Public Policy Analysis. 100 Units.

This course reviews and augments the basic tools of microeconomics developed in ECON 20000 and applies these tools to policy problems. We examine situations in which private markets are likely to produce unsatisfactory results, suggesting a potential rationale for government intervention. Our goal is to allow students to comprehend, develop, and respond to economics arguments when formulating or evaluating public policy.

Instructor(s): J. Leitzel     Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): PBPL 20000 or ECON 20000 Note(s): PBPL 22100-22200-22300 may be taken in any order. PBPL 22200 is not intended for students majoring in public policy who are planning to specialize in economics or to take advanced economics courses; those students should meet with the program director or administrator to arrange an alternative.

PBPL 22300. Policy Implementation. 100 Units.

Good public policy has the potential to advance justice in society. However, once a policy or program is put in place, policymakers often face challenges in getting it carried out in the ways it was intended. This course explores some of the structural and cultural challenges that government and organizations face as they attempt to put policies into effect. Focusing on the United States, we will draw on organizational theory as well as case studies from education, policing, healthcare, and the corporate world in order to investigate the broader context of policy implementation. In addition to the lectures, there will be a weekly discussion section with the TA, the exact time of which will be determined during Week 1 of the quarter.

Instructor(s): Chad Broughton (Autumn); Karlyn Gorski (Winter and Spring)     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter Prerequisite(s): Second-year standing is recommended. Note(s): PBPL 22100-22200-22300 may be taken in any order.

PBPL 22312. Cities, Nature and the Planet. 100 Units.

Cities face major challenges in addressing environmental risk and vulnerability, but also great opportunity to reconsider the design, planning and economic systems upon which they have traditionally relied. This course takes a contemporary look into how urbanization affects planetary health, focusing on cities as sites of global resource extraction, waste generation, biodiversity loss, and increasing social inequality and climate vulnerability; but also as centers of population, innovation and social organization, which can facilitate climate solutions. Using a range of social science approaches and methods, students will consider critiques of historical urban planning and linear city resource economies, and analyze contemporary approaches related to climate action, green space planning, and nature-based solutions, with specific attention on environmental goals and equity outcomes. Through critical exploration of both historical urban planning, and contemporary frameworks for sustainable city agenda setting, students will consider the environmental past, present and future of global cities. In Autumn 2024, this course will be part of the Paris Urbanism Study Abroad program. Students will focus on Paris but take a comparative look at cities across the Global North and Global South.

Instructor(s): Sabina Shaikh     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): This course is part of the Paris Urbanism Study Abroad program Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 22312, GLST 22312

PBPL 23007. Clinical and Health Services Research: Methods and Applications. 100 Units.

This course will introduce the interdisciplinary field of clinically-oriented health services research with a focus on policy-related implications. Through exposure to theoretical foundations, methodologies, and applications, students without significant investigative experience will learn about the design and conduct of research studies. We will cover the integration of research within the stages of translational medicine, and how science conducted across the translational medicine spectrum informs policy through purveyors of clinical services (e.g. physicians, hospitals), government, insurers, and professional societies. We will use the examples of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation to illustrate pitfalls in the progression from basic science research to clinical trials leading to diffusion in clinical medicine that can complicate the creation of logical, evidence-based practice guidelines, reimbursement, and clinical practice.

Instructor(s): Greg Ruhnke     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): CCTS 21007, BIOS 29329, HLTH 21007, CCTS 43007

PBPL 23011. Beyond the Culture Wars: Social Movements and the Politics of Education in the U.S. 100 Units.

Passionate conflicts over school curriculum and educational policy are a recurring phenomenon in the history of US schooling. Why are schools such frequent sites of struggle and what is at stake in these conflicts? In this discussion-based seminar, we will consider schools as battlegrounds in the US "culture wars": contests over competing visions of national identity, morality, social order, the fundamental purposes of public education, and the role of the state vis-à-vis the family. Drawing on case studies from history, anthropology, sociology and critical race and gender studies, we will examine both past and contemporary debates over school curriculum and school policy. Topics may include clashes over: the teaching of evolution, sex and sexuality education, busing/desegregation, prayer in schools, multiculturalism, the content of the literary canon, the teaching of reading, mathematics and history, and the closure of underperforming urban schools. Our inquiry will examine how social and political movements have used schools to advance or resist particular agendas and social projects.

Instructor(s): Lisa Rosen     Terms Offered: Spring. Offered spring 2025 Equivalent Course(s): HIST 37718, SOCI 20588, EDSO 23011, CHDV 23011, SOCI 30588, HIST 27718, CHDV 33011, EDSO 33011

PBPL 23100. Environmental Law. 100 Units.

This course will examine the bases and assumptions that have driven the development of environmental law, as well as the intersection of this body of law and foundational legal principles (including standing, liability, and the Commerce Clause). Each form of lawmaking (statutes, regulations, and court decisions) will be examined, with emphasis on reading and understanding primary sources such as court cases and the laws themselves. The course also analyzes the judicial selection process in order to understand the importance of how the individuals who decide cases that determine the shape of environmental law and regulations are chosen.

Instructor(s): Ray Lodato     Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): 3rd or 4th year standing, or consent of instructor Equivalent Course(s): ENST 23100, CEGU 23100

PBPL 23200. The Economics of Crime. 100 Units.

This course uses theoretical and empirical economic tools to analyze a wide range of issues related to criminal behavior. Topics include the police, prisons, gang behavior, guns, drugs, capital punishment, labor markets and the macroeconomy, and income inequality. We emphasize the analysis of the optimal role for public policy.

Instructor(s): S. Levitt Prerequisite(s): ECON 20100/20110; STAT 23400, ECON 21010, or ECON 21020 strongly recommended Equivalent Course(s): ECON 28700

PBPL 23300. Justice, Equity, and Opportunity: Shifting Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform. 100 Units.

The events revolving the death of George Floyd have proliferated the discourse about the criminal justice system in the United States, including the role of police and incarceration. Historically, this public discourse has been dominated mostly by media and political advocacy, with the balance of evidence-based policy solutions and political acumen receiving relatively short shrift. In this practicum, students will be trained to approach these issues from the perspective of a senior criminal justice policymaker in government who has practiced multiple theories of change, from community organizing to litigation. In turn, we will develop criminal justice policy intelligence and knowledge on the history, core themes, debates, and concepts, such as the movement to defund the police, abolish the cash bail system, and decriminalize drugs. The discussions will allow students to interrogate the extent to which efforts have been successful, imagine new strategies in the future, and learn from additional visiting guests, including politicians, community organizers, academics, artists, and formerly incarcerated individuals. We will exit with a sophisticated understanding of the skills and tools necessary to handle criminal justice policy problems raising complex legal, political and social questions.

Instructor(s): Rallins, Quinn     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): In addition to a seminar component examining criminal justice policy, students engage in a hands-on policy project involving identifying and defining key criminal issues, conducting primary and secondary research, analyzing research findings and making policy recommendations to a client in the criminal justice policy arena.

PBPL 23305. Justice in an Unjust World: Theories of Justice. 100 Units.

Justice as a possibility, an ideal, and as a telos is fundamental to theological and philosophical systems of ethics. Yet, each theory was formulated within and against a deeply unjust world. Every theory of justice implies an anthropology and an ontology, and each asks the question: Why isn't life fair? How can we can we create a just society against a world that is so obviously unjust? Each theory then proposes a just solution and every theory implies a set of practices that can be interrogated. As our contemporary society becomes more sharply divided, the issues of distribution, obligation, entitlement, fair exchanges of social goods and labor, and the fair sharing of social burdens becomes more important and demanding of more inquiry. This seminar will interrogate several theories of justice, beginning in classic Hellenistic texts and moving forward to the animating theories of the classic liberal tradition: libertarianism, utilitarianism, social contract theory, and Marxism. We will then turn to other sources of justice theory such as Catholic liberation theology, capacity theory, and Jewish justice theory. We will also use our seminar to explore contemporary cases in law, medicine, science and policy that raise issues of justice and injustice. While the seminar will focus on distributive practices, we will also explore how these practices structure our systems of retributive and restorative justice.

Instructor(s): Laurie Zoloth     Terms Offered: Spring Note(s): This course counts as an elective course for the "Inequality, Social Problems, and Change" minor. Equivalent Course(s): RLST 24102, GLST 24202

PBPL 23550. Urban Ecology and the Nature of Cities. 100 Units.

Urban ecology is an interdisciplinary field derived from the academic discipline of ecology. How well does classical ecological theory, typically formed from reductionist views of nature without humans, describe and predict patterns in human-dominated landscapes? Students will learn fundamental concepts in ecological theory, examine how these concepts apply to urban systems, and explore the paradigms of ecology in, of, and for cities. Readings and discussions will focus on classical research papers from the ecological literature, history of modern ecology, and contemporary approaches to studying biotic systems in cities.

Instructor(s): Alison Anastasio     Terms Offered: Winter. Not offered Winter 2021 Note(s): Not offered Winter 2021 Equivalent Course(s): ENST 23550

PBPL 23604. Rockonomics: Public Policy and Creative Sectors. 100 Units.

This course delves into major topics in public policy through the lens of the music industry and other creative sectors. We will use an applied microeconomist's toolbox to explore issues such as intellectual property protection, collective bargaining, music royalties in a digital age, consolidation, proposed regulations to live events pricing and much more. As part of this class, we will engage in conversations with professionals working in creative sectors.

Instructor(s): Carolyn Sloane     Terms Offered: Winter

PBPL 23606. Political Culture, Social Capital, and The Arts. 100 Units.

Many analysts like Robert Putnam hold that bowling alone signals a decline in social capital, with major consequences for trust and legitimacy of the political system. But new work finds that certain arts and cultural activities are rising, especially among the young, in many countries. This course reviews core related concepts--political culture, social capital, legitimacy-and how they change with these new developments. We lay out new concepts and related methods, such as a grammar of scenes, measured for 40,000+ U.S. zip codes. Scenes, nightlife, design, the internet, and entertainment emerge as critical drivers of the post-industrial/knowledge society. Older primordial conflicts over class, race, and gender are transformed with these new issues, which spark new social movements and political tensions. The course has two halves: first to read and discuss major works and complete a mid-term exam, second to continue as a seminar where the main requirement is writing a paper.

Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30184, SOCI 20184

PBPL 23700. Geographical Issues in Housing and Community Development. 100 Units.

This course is part of the College Course Cluster, Urban Design.

Instructor(s): M. Conzen     Terms Offered: Spring. This course offered in even years. Prerequisite(s): Open to Chicago Studies Program students. Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 33700, ENST 23777

PBPL 24005. Chicago Neighborhoods. 100 Units.

This course is an applied learning experience in which students explore the many dimensions of Chicago neighborhoods, with a particular focus on the built environment and how it impacts - and is impacted by - the social and economic life of the city. Students will observe, interpret and represent neighborhoods through a series of exercises designed to deepen knowledge about the significance and meaning of neighborhood form. Readings and fieldwork will engage students in neighborhood analysis and observation techniques that explore contemporary issues about public life, diversity, and social equity. This course is part of the College Course Cluster, Urban Design.

Instructor(s): Emily Talen     Terms Offered: TBD. Not offered in 2023-2024 academic year. Note(s): Restricted to 3rd and 4th years This course counts towards the ENST 4th year Capstone requirement. Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 24000, ENST 26000, SOSC 26000, CHST 26000

PBPL 24102. Environmental Politics. 100 Units.

Politics determines not only what particular faction holds power, but the parameters upon which contests for power are conducted. Competing political factions may diverge in the details of the policies they favor, but may agree on a central organizing principle upon which their policy differences are contested. This course acknowledges that such principles exist and structure politics, economics, and social arrangements, but also challenges the notion that these are immutable, and argues that other principles could be substituted which would drastically change these arrangements. The course introduces students to alternative theories of economics, politics, and environmental policy that challenge mainstream notions of what is acceptable under the current structural and institutional constraints, including how the retreat to notions of realism and practicality place limits on changes necessary to preserve and protect the natural environment.

Instructor(s): R. Lodato     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): ENST 24102, CEGU 24102

PBPL 24105. Urban Design: The Chicago Experience. 100 Units.

This course examines the theory and practice of urban design at the scale of block, street, and building--the pedestrian realm. Topics include walkability, the design of streets, architectural style and its effect on pedestrian experience, safety and security in relation to accessibility and social connection, concepts of urban fabric, repair and placemaking, the regulation of urban form, and the social implications of civic spaces. Students will analyze normative principles and the debates that surround them through readings and discussion, as well as firsthand interaction with the urbanism of Chicago.

Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 24100, GEOG 34100, SOSC 26001, SOSC 36001

PBPL 24540. Weak Regimes and the Politics of Development. 100 Units.

This course introduces students to specialized set of topics and concepts that are of particular relevance to policy making in developing countries. The course begins by providing an overview on the functioning of politics in weakly institutionalized settings, and explores the ways in which political institutions in these settings hinder or contribute to economic development. Topics of this course include but are not limited to: State formation and state capacity, political regimes and development, foreign influence, resource curse, and civil conflict. Methodologically, this course introduces to students basic techniques of using formal model to analyze political phenomena. This course aims at enhancing student's understanding about politics from the perspective of a policy entrepreneur who develops strategy in order to advance policy changes.

Instructor(s): Zhaosong Ruan     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites: PBPL 20000 required. PBPL 26400 recommended but not required.

PBPL 24599. Historical and Contemporary Issues in U.S. Racial Health Inequality. 100 Units.

This course explores persistent health inequality in the U.S. from the 1900s to the present day. The focus will be on racial gaps in urban health inequality with some discussion of rural communities. Readings will largely cover the research on Black and White gaps in health inequality, with the understanding that most of the issues discussed extend to health inequalities across many racial and ethnic groups. Readings cover the broad range of social determinants of health (socioeconomic status, education, access to health care, homelessness) and how these social determinants are rooted in longstanding legacies of American inequality. A major component of class assignments will be identifying emerging research and innovative policies and programs that point to promising pathways to eliminating health disparities.

Instructor(s): M. Keels     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): Only students with 2nd year standing or above. Note(s): Fulfills grad requirement: 2,4 and undergrad major requirement B. Equivalent Course(s): CHST 24599, RDIN 24599, CHDV 24599, HLTH 24599, CHDV 44599

PBPL 24605. Introduction to Urban Sciences. 100 Units.

This course is a grand tour of conceptual frameworks, general phenomena, emerging data and policy applications that define a growing scientific integrated understanding of cities and urbanization. It starts with a general outlook of current worldwide explosive urbanization and associated changes in social, economic and environmental indicators. It then introduces a number of historical models, from sociology, economics and geography that have been proposed to understand how cities operate. We will discuss how these and other facets of cities can be integrated as dynamical complex systems and derive their general characteristics as social networks embedded in structured physical spaces. Resulting general properties of cities will be illustrated in different geographic and historical contexts, including an understanding of urban resource flows, emergent institutions and the division of labor and knowledge as drivers of innovation and economic growth. The second part of the course will deal with issues of inequality, heterogeneity and (sustainable) growth in cities. We will explore how these features of cities present different realities and opportunities to different individuals and how these appear as spatially concentrated (dis)advantage that shape people's life courses. We will show how issues of inequality also have consequences at more macroscopic levels and derive the general features of population and economic growth for systems of cities and nations.

Instructor(s): Luis Bettencourt     Terms Offered: TBD Prerequisite(s): STAT 22000 Equivalent Course(s): GISC 34600, GISC 24600, CEGU 24600, SOCI 20285, ENST 24600

PBPL 24701. U.S. Environmental Policy. 100 Units.

How environmental issues and challenges in the United States are addressed is subject to abrupt changes and reversals caused by extreme partisanship and the heightened significance of the issues for the health of the planet and all its inhabitants. The relatively brief history of this policy area, and the separate and distinct tracts in which public lands and pollution control issues are adjudicated, makes for a diverse and complex process by which humanity's impact on the natural world is managed and contained. This course focuses on how both types of environmental issues are addressed in each branch of the Federal government, the states and localities, as well as theories of how environmental issues arrived onto the public agenda and why attention to them is cyclical. Students are encouraged to understand the life cycle of public policy from its initial arrival on the public agenda to the passage of legislation to address adverse conditions, as well as how changes in the policy occur after the inevitable decline of intensive attention.

Instructor(s): R. Lodato     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): This course counts towards the ENST 4th year Capstone requirement. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 24701, CEGU 24701

PBPL 24751. The Business of Non-Profits and The Evolving Social Sector. 100 Units.

Led by an experienced practitioner, this course aims to provide both an intellectual and experiential understanding of the contemporary nonprofit sector. In addition to a seminar component examining the rapidly evolving social sector, students engage in a hands-on consulting project for an area nonprofit involving analysis, reporting, and presentation. This course satisfies the Public Policy practicum WINDOWS requirement.

Instructor(s): C. Velasquez     Terms Offered: Spring Winter Prerequisite(s): Instructor consent required. In the preceding quarter, students must submit an application to campusCATALYST, an RSO managing student, client, and mentor recruitment for the class. Please see the campusCATALYST website or their social media accounts to find the quarterly time schedules and application link: https://www.campuscatalyst.uchicago.edu/apply-now. You can reach them at [email protected] if you have any questions. Equivalent Course(s): CHST 24751

PBPL 24752. Impact investing: Using Impact Capital to Address Social Problems. 100 Units.

While modern-day impact investing (investing with the goal of generating both financial and positive social/environmental returns) has been around for fifty years, only in the last decade has this movement really caught on achieving mainstream levels of attention and awareness. Investors of all types are seeking to align their values with their investments and every day we see more examples of companies being held accountable (either by themselves or by their stakeholders) for the social and/or environmental externalities of their operations. Through a combination of readings, case studies, class discussion and projects, the course provides an introduction to and overview of the impact investing landscape, the range of investment opportunities across asset classes, and the opportunities and challenges for investors seeking meaningful impact investment vehicles. Students will learn the entire impact investment process from deal sourcing, financial and programmatic due diligence, to investment structuring to monitoring financial and social returns. Led by an experienced practitioner and supplemented by guest speakers, this course will provide both an intellectual and experiential understanding of double-bottom-line investing.

Instructor(s): Christa Velasquez     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): Suggested prior coursework: PBPL 24751 The Business of Non-Profits and The Evolving Social Sector

PBPL 24776. International Environmental Policy. 100 Units.

Environmental issues have become a prominent part of the work of international organizations and their member nations. However, the resolution to issues and concerns shared in common by the nations of the world often faces obstacles based on access to wealth and resources, political and military power, and the demands of international economic institutions. While multinational agreements have been achieved and successfully implemented, resolutions to issues such as climate change have been harder to achieve. The course will look at the origins of international cooperation on environmental issues, several case studies of issues upon which the international community has attempted to bring about cooperative solutions (climate change, the ozone hole, climate refugees, etc.), and the work that regional associations of nations have done to jointly address shared environmental challenges. In addition, speakers from various consulates have addressed the class to discuss environmental policymaking in their countries.

Instructor(s): R. Lodato     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): ENST 24776, CEGU 24776

PBPL 24800. Urban Policy Analysis. 100 Units.

Cities are sites of challenge and innovation worldwide. Dramatic new policies can be implemented locally and chart new paths for national policies. Five main approaches are compared: Leadership patterns: are business, political, or other kinds of leaders more important--and where, when, and why do these matter? Second do capitalism, or more recently, global markets, make specific leaders irrelevant? Third: leaders like mayors are weaker since citizens, interest groups, and media have grown so powerful. Fourth innovation drives many policy issues. Fifth consumption, entertainment, and the arts engage citizens in new ways. Can all five hold, in some locations? Why should they differentially operate across big and small, rich and poor neighborhoods, cities, and countries? The course introduces you to core urban issues, whether your goal is to conduct research, interpret reports by others, make policy decisions, or watch the tube and discuss these issues as a more informed citizen. Chicago, US and big and small locations internationally are considered; all methods are welcome.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 30120, GEOG 20120, SOCI 20120, SOCI 30120

PBPL 24901. Trade, Development and Poverty in Mexico. 100 Units.

With a focus on the past two decades, this interdisciplinary course explores the impact of economic integration, urbanization, and migration on Mexico and, to a lesser extent, on the United States-in particular, working class communities of the Midwestern Rust Belt. The course will examine work and life in the borderland production centers; agriculture, poverty, and indigenous populations in rural Mexico; evolving trade and transnational ties (especially in people, food products and labor, and drugs) between the U.S. and Mexico; and trade, trade adjustment, and immigration policy.

Instructor(s): C. Broughton     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): Students can take this course with a windows option. Offered in 2024-25. Equivalent Course(s): LACS 24901, SOCI 20251

PBPL 25005. Inequality at Work: The Changing Nature of Jobs and Prospects for Improvement. 100 Units.

This course will consider sources of inequality in the labor market and in workplaces. Empirical evidence and theory on labor markets and job conditions will be analyzed to provide insights into the changing nature of work and workplace inequality for the majority of Americans -- who do not hold a four-year college degree. Although the course will consider ways to ready workers for good jobs in the economy, the emphasis will be on improving jobs themselves, through voluntary employer behavior, collective action, and public policy. The assignment for the course involves observing and/or interviewing workers in an occupation chosen by the student.

Instructor(s): Susan Lambert     Terms Offered: TBD Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 25005

PBPL 25120. Child Development and Public Policy. 100 Units.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the literature on early child development and explore how an understanding of core developmental concepts can inform social policies. This goal will be addressed through an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. The course will emphasize research on the science of early child development from the prenatal period through school entry. The central debate about the role of early experience in development will provide a unifying strand for the course. Students will be introduced to research in neuroscience, psychology, economics, sociology, and public policy as it bears on questions about "what develops?", critical periods in development, the nature vs. nurture debate, and the ways in which environmental contexts (e.g., parents, families, peers, schools, institutions, communities) affect early development and developmental trajectories. The first part of the course will introduce students to the major disciplinary streams in the developmental sciences and the enduring and new debates and perspectives within the field. The second part will examine the multiple contexts of early development to understand which aspects of young children's environments affect their development and how those impacts arise. Throughout the course, we will explore how the principles of early childhood development can guide the design of policies and practices that enhance the healthy development of young children, particularly for those living in adverse circumstances, and thereby build a strong foundation for promoting equality of opportunity, reducing social class disparities in life outcomes, building human capital, fostering economic prosperity, and generating positive social change. In doing so, we will critically examine the evidence on whether the contexts of children's development are amenable to public policy intervention and the costs and benefits of different policy approaches.

Instructor(s): A. Kalil     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): Attendance on the first day of class is required or registration will be dropped. Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 25120, EDSO 25120, PSYC 25120

PBPL 25220. Constructing a Society of Human Rights: A Psychological Framework. 100 Units.

This course is designed to discuss the ways that cultural and social psychology contribute to understandings about human rights conceptually, and how human rights issues emerge from social dynamics. Over the course of the quarter, students will learn about theories on intergroup conflict and prejudice, how an individual's beliefs emerge from social contexts and shape their relationships with others, how obedience to authority is created and abused, and how social positioning and narratives influence conceptions of self and other. We will also discuss the relevance and impact of psychological study and data on human rights issues.

Equivalent Course(s): INRE 30600, CHDV 25220, HMRT 25220

PBPL 25500. Introduction to U.S. Health Policy and Politics. 100 Units.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the concepts needed to critically evaluate U.S. health policy issues. The course will 1) provide an overview of the U.S. health system including its institutions, stakeholders, and financing mechanisms, 2) describe the politics of health and illuminate how the structure of our political system shapes health policy outcomes, and 3) offer a framework for assessing the critical features central to health policy debates. Building upon this knowledge, the course will conclude with a discussion of strategies for influencing the health policy process and how they might be employed in future leadership roles within the health sector.

Instructor(s): Loren Saulsberry     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): None Equivalent Course(s): HLTH 25500, PPHA 37720, SSAD 45011, PBHS 35500

PBPL 25550. Economic Development and Policy. 100 Units.

The course will introduce students to the main concepts in development economics, such as modern growth theories and their relevance for low-income countries, and major topics in policy and research within the field. In the first part of the course, we will concentrate on the development facts, the main explanations highlighted in the field of economics for differences in growth and income levels between rich and poor countries, and the concept and measurement of poverty. In the second part of the course we will study microeconomic fundamentals of economic development. We will concentrate on topics such as fertility, nutrition and health, education, labor markets, intra-household allocation of resources and infrastructure and the relation among them. Empirical evidence from developing economies will be employed extensively paying special attention to the methods used.

Instructor(s): Menendez, A.     Terms Offered: Autumn

PBPL 25563. Does American Democracy Need Religion? 100 Units.

In the United States, we find ourselves living as part of a democracy. But that simple fact doesn't necessarily make us fans of democracy by default. In fact, it leaves many questions unanswered: Is democracy a good thing? If so, why and on what grounds? Why should you or I value democracy and its ideals (e.g., equality, liberty, fraternity)? If we do, what (if anything) grounds our devotion to this shared political tradition? And does, can, or should religion have a role to play? In this course, we will explore American democracy as a normative tradition and its relationship to various religious traditions in American society. Through examining key interpreters of American democracy such as Danielle Allen, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cornel West, Joshua Abraham Heschel, and Amanda Gorman, we will approach the question of how religion and democracy relate to one another. We'll investigate the relative independence of democracy and religion, focusing on philosophers and poets who emphasize American democracy as tradition in its own right. We will also consider "Civil Religion in America," through the work of sociologists and historians who suggest the dependence of the democratic on religion or something like it. Finally, we'll question the relative interdependence of American democracy and religious traditions by turning to claims of influential religious and political leaders and activists. No prerequisite knowledge required.

Instructor(s): Derek Buyan Equivalent Course(s): DEMS 25563, RLST 25563, AMER 25563, CRES 25563

PBPL 25585. The Chinese Economy. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of the Chinese economy, with two main focuses. First, we will review the significant reforms that happened in China in the past four decades, which fundamentally reshaped the modern China as we see today. Second, we will discuss some of China's key political and economic institutions, and their implications on China and the rest of the world. Throughout the course, special emphasis will be given to the role of the state in China's growth experience, at both the central- and local-levels.

Instructor(s): Wang, S     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): ECON 22030, PPHA 35585

PBPL 25595. Power and "Development" 100 Units.

This course offers a perspective on the role of power in the evolution of societies. First, we will study narratives of political economy of development, dominant until recently, which draw on explanations for what made Europe, and parts of North America, exceptional, such as their innovation, trade, culture, or institutions. Second, we will explore research by historians, anthropologists, and sociologists that challenged these narratives on the grounds that they silenced the role played by European military domination over the rest of the world in the rise of Europe; the rise of the "West" coincides with the exceptional use of power at a global scale to expropriate, enslave, and even replace other societies whose welfare is not even part of current GDP calculations. Third, we will explore institutions, historical processes, worldviews, socio-political traditions, and ideas in societies outside the so-called West, and how those have contributed to the history of human societies but also to the set of possible ideas and models for "development." One ambitious aim of the course is to make sense of how we got into the world of today while navigating this epistemic imbalance, beyond "us" vs. "them," and through research and policies that do not carry the presumption of pitying, saving, or fixing as the main starting point. This course was previously name Political Economics of Developing Countries offered as PBPL 28776.

Instructor(s): Sanchez de la Sierra, Raul     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 35556

PBPL 25600. Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace. 100 Units.

Most countries in the world have been independent for about 50 years. Some are peaceful and have prospered, while some remain poor, war-torn, or both. What explains why some countries have succeeded while others remain poor, violent, and unequal? Moreover, fifty years on, a lot of smart people are genuinely surprised that these countries' leaders have not been able to make more progress in implementing good policies. If there are good examples to follow, why haven't more countries followed these examples into peace and prosperity? Finally, we see poverty and violence despite 50 years of outside intervention. Shouldn't foreign aid, democracy promotion, peacekeeping, and maybe even military intervention have promoted order and growth? If not why not, and what should we do about it as citizens? This class is going to try to demystify what's going on. There are good explanations for violence and disorder. There are some good reasons leaders don't make headway, bureaucrats seem slothful, and programs get perverted. The idea is to talk about the political, economic, and natural logics that lead to function and dysfunction.

Instructor(s): Blattman, Chris     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 25601

PBPL 25630. Poverty, Work, and Family Policy. 100 Units.

This course examines contemporary policy questions regarding the dual spheres of work and family life, with a particular focus on economically impoverished families and communities. Students will analyze the relative merits of different policies designed to improve the conditions of work and family life and mitigate the effects of poverty on children's wellbeing. Throughout the ten-week quarter, we will consider demographic, labor market, and policy trends contributing to family poverty and income inequality in American society; interrogate policy debates concerning the responsibility of government, corporate, and informal sectors to address these critical social problems; and examine specific policy and program responses directed at (1) improving employment and economic outcomes and (2) reconciling the competing demands of employment and parenting. Although our primary focus will be on policies that promote the wellbeing of low-income families in the United States, relevant comparisons will be made cross-nationally, across race/ethnicity, and across income. This course is part of the Inequality, Social Problems, and Change minor.

Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 25630, CRES 25630

PBPL 25640. Labor Markets: A Global Perspective. 100 Units.

In this course we will explore standard models that form the core of labor economics including labor supply, labor demand, job search models, wage setting, discrimination, and migration. For each topic we will then examine empirical applications of these models with a focus on middle and low-income countries. We will discuss how these traditional models are useful, or not, in understanding labor market outcomes in these settings and how they can be expanded to better capture relevant features of labor markets outside high-income countries.

Instructor(s): Lane, Gregory     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): ECON 14020

PBPL 25663. Urban Studies: Placemaking. 100 Units.

This course considers the values that drive neighborhood transformation, how policy is shaped and implemented, and the role that arts and culture can play in mindful city-building. Classroom hours will be spent with Theaster Gates, professor, Department of Visual Art, in addition to other UChicago faculty, discussing key principles in guiding city redevelopment in mindful and equitable ways. Students will gain field experience working with Place Lab, Gates's multidisciplinary team that documents and demonstrates urban ethical redevelopment strategies initiated through arts and culture. Working across a variety of projects, students will be exposed to programming, data collection, development, community building, strategy, and documentation. Weekly site visits will give students the opportunity to see analogous projects and meet practitioners throughout Chicago.

Equivalent Course(s): ARTV 20663

PBPL 25704. Environmental Justice in Chicago. 100 Units.

This course will examine the development of environmental justice theory and practice through social scientific and ethical literature about the subject as well as primary source accounts of environmental injustices. We will focus on environmental justice issues in Chicago including, but not limited to waste disposal, toxic air and water, the Chicago heat wave, and climate change. Particular attention will be paid to environmental racism and the often understudied role of religion in environmental justice theory and practice. Throughout the course we will explore how normative commitments are expressed in different types of literature as well as the basis for normative judgments and the types of authorities authors utilize and claim as they consider environmental justice.

Instructor(s): Sarah Fredericks     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): Graduate students can enroll with permission of instructor and will have additional requirements. Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 25704, CHST 25704, KNOW 25704, AMER 25704, RLST 25704, CRES 25704, HMRT 25704, ENST 25704

PBPL 25834. Independence Movements. 100 Units.

This course will examine independence movements around the world. We will primarily focus on the politics of secession while also discussing its ethics, legality, economics, violence, and aftermath. Many different movements will be discussed including Scotland, Quebec, Northern Ireland, and South Sudan, although particular attention will be paid to Catalonia.

Instructor(s): Anthony Fowler     Terms Offered: Spring. Barcelona Pub Pol Program Prerequisite(s): Admission to Barcelona Pub Pol Program

PBPL 25835. The Political Economy of Cities. 100 Units.

The course introduces students to the latest scholarship on the political economy of cities and metropolitan areas. We will focus on a few basic concepts of urban political economy (e.g., externalities, agglomeration, fragmentation, sorting), and explore how the interaction of economic forces and political institutions forms the foundation of many current policy challenges facing cities. We analyze the sources of urban growth, the institutions of local government and their role in the federal system, competition among cities, and the importance of real estate markets in shaping local politics.

Instructor(s): Christopher Berry     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Admission to Barcelona Pub Pol Program

PBPL 25850. No Justice, No Speech! Free Speech and Palestine in the University and Beyond. 100 Units.

Are there-or should there be-limits to free speech? What is the relationship between free speech and hate speech? Does speech deserve special kinds of protections (or limits) in the context of the university campus? In this course, we will critically engage with these questions as they relate to political organizing and political expression on (and in) Palestine. Our course will examine these foundational questions before turning to some of the sticking points in the debate over free speech and Palestine today: What is freedom of expression in Israel-Palestine, and what does it have to do with the politics of US campuses? What is BDS, and is it intended to foster or limit academic freedom? Is anti-Zionism anti-Semitic? To consider these questions, we will do critical readings of primary texts such as the BDS guidelines issued by PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) and the definition of anti-Semitism issued by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), as well as ethnographic and other accounts of the problem of political expression in Palestine today.

Instructor(s): Callie Maidhof     Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): NELC 25850, GLST 25850, PARR 22100, LLSO 25850

PBPL 26002. Urban Design Studio: Reconstructing Chicago's Lost Neighborhoods Using Machine Learning. 100 Units.

This course offers a hands-on learning experience in which students will digitally recreate the "lost neighborhoods" of Chicago using machine learning techniques. Students will be guided through the process of turning historical Sanborn maps into 3D models of historic urban neighborhoods. The creation of these historic urban models will be contextualized through archival research at the Chicago History Museum, as well as readings and lectures designed to advance student understanding of urban development within the historical context of U.S. cities in the 20th century, and Chicago specifically. Programming experience is helpful, but not required.

Instructor(s): Talen, E     Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): CHST 26002, ENST 26002, SOSC 26002, GEOG 24200, PPHA 36002

PBPL 26005. Cities by Design. 100 Units.

This course examines the theory and practice of city design-how, throughout history, people have sought to mold and shape cities in pre-determined ways. The form of the city is the result of myriad factors, but in this course we will hone in on the purposeful act of designing cities according to normative thinking-ideas about how cities ought to be. Using examples from all time periods and places around the globe, we will examine how cities are purposefully designed and what impact those designs have had. Where and when has city design been successful, and where has it resulted in more harm than good?

Instructor(s): Evan Carver     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): ARCH 26005, GEOG 26005, ENST 26005

PBPL 26021. Sense & Sensibility & Science @UChicago. 100 Units.

In Sense & Sensibility & Science, you will learn how to better incorporate into your thinking and decision making the problem-solving techniques of science at its best. Many insights and conceptual tools from scientific thinking are of great utility for solving problems in your own day-to-day life and in a democracy. Yet, as individuals, as groups, as whole societies we fail to take full advantage of these methods. The focus in this course is on the errors humans tend to make, and the approaches scientific methodology has developed (and continues to develop) to minimize those errors. The course includes a discussion of the nature of science, what makes science such an effective way of knowing, how both non-scientific thinking and scientific thinking can go awry, and how we can reason more clearly and successfully as individuals, as members of groups, and as citizens of a democracy. The undergraduate course will be simultaneously taught at UC Berkeley, Harvard and UChicago in spring 2024, with an opportunity for students from all three courses to participate remotely in the same deliberative polling capstone experience. UChicago's spring 2024 course premiere builds on a decade of experience developing and teaching the popular course at Berkeley and Harvard's adoption of its own version in 2021.

Instructor(s): Reid Hastie; Jordan Kemp; Eamon Duede     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): PQ: Third or fourth-year standing. Equivalent Course(s): SCPD 26021, DIGS 26021, HIPS 26021, BPRO 26021, SOSC 26021

PBPL 26080. The Challenge of Government Oversight. 100 Units.

Can governments hold themselves accountable? How have they tried to do so, and with what results? Students will evaluate these questions by examining how different models of government oversight work in practice. The quarter will be split attention between federal and local government structures and oversight mechanisms. At the federal level, we will discuss special prosecutors, inspector general audits, models of judicial review and oversight, and the transformation of oversight institutions in the Trump era. At the local level, our focus will be on policing as a government function uniquely in need of effective oversight and uniquely difficult to oversee effectively. As a "windows" course, this course will ask students to engage in class discussions and written assignments with current, real-world challenges facing government oversight professionals.

Instructor(s): Robert Owens     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): DEMS 26080

PBPL 26255. Environmental Justice Field Research Project I. 100 Units.

This two-quarter sequence will expose students to real-world policy-making questions and field-based research methodologies to design an environmentally based research project, collect data, conduct analyses, and present findings. In the first quarter, we will follow a robust methodological training program in collaboration with University partners to advance the foundations laid elsewhere in the public policy studies program. In the second quarter, this expertise in a full range of research methodologies will be put into practice to tackle public policy problems in the city and neighborhoods that surround the University. PBPL 26255 and PBPL 26355 satisfy the Public Policy practicum Windows and Methods requirements.

Instructor(s): Lodato, R.      Terms Offered: Autumn. not offered in 2022-23 Prerequisite(s): Students taking this course to meet the Public Policy practicum requirement must take both courses. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 26255

PBPL 26260. Environmental Justice in Principle and Practice I. 100 Units.

This course will investigate the foundational texts on environmental justice as well as case studies, both in and out of Chicago. Students will consider issues across a wide spectrum of concerns, including toxics, lead in water, waste management, and access to greenspaces, particularly in urban areas. These topics will be taught in accompaniment with a broader understanding of how social change occurs, what barriers exist to producing just outcomes, and what practices have worked to overcome obstacles in the past. The class will welcome speakers from a variety of backgrounds to address their work on these topics.

Instructor(s): Ray Lodato     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): This course counts towards the ENST 4th year Capstone requirement. This course will cover the same content as ENST 26255. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 26260, CEGU 26260, CHST 26259

PBPL 26261. Environmental Justice in Principle and Practice II. 100 Units.

In this quarter, students will learn and practice methods to conduct a research project with a local environmental organization. Building on knowledge gained in the first half of this course, students will examine what makes a condition an environmental justice issue, how to conduct a literature review, how to develop and administer a questionnaire for key informant interviews, and how to access, understand, and utilize Census data. Students should expect to work in the community as well as the classroom, and in close collaboration with classmates. The class will conduct "deep-dive" research into the community selected, and will learn not only about the area, but techniques for how to do community-based research in a manner that acknowledges and appreciates the lived wisdom of the neighborhood's residents. The result will be a research report delivered to the community organization with students in the class listed as co-authors.

Instructor(s): Ray Lodato      Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 26261, ENST 26261, CHST 26261

PBPL 26302. Public Policy Practicum: Interview Project on Gun Violence. 100 Units.

This one-quarter practicum in qualitative methods aims to develop interview research skills, including instrument design, questioning, transcription, thematic analysis, and write-up, in the context of a mini-BA thesis trial run. The topic of this version of the practicum is gun violence in Chicago. Students will engage in weekly in-class interviews with informants with wide-ranging vantage points on gun violence as a social and policy problem including community members, scholars, and policy-makers. Meant to prepare Public Policy Studies students for the BA thesis process, each student, using the weekly in-class interviews conducted by students, and supplemented by interviews and observations of their own, will formulate a question related to gun violence and construct the component parts of their own research paper, which they will submit at the end of the quarter.

Instructor(s): Broughton, Chad     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Open only to Public Policy Studies majors. Note(s): Can fulfill either the “Methods” or “Windows” major requirement. Recommended for third-year students.

PBPL 26305. Public Policy Practicum: Qualitative Research in Urban Transportation. 100 Units.

This one-quarter practicum in qualitative methods aims to develop interview and observational research skills, including instrument design, questioning, transcription, ethnographic note-taking, thematic analysis, and write-up, in the context of a mini-BA thesis trial run. The topic of this version of the practicum is urban transportation. Students will engage in interviews with informants in different roles in transportation, potentially including public servants, activists, policymakers, and users of multiple modes of urban transportation. This class will include field trips within the city of Chicago. Meant to prepare Public Policy Studies students for the BA thesis process, each student, using interviews/observations conducted by themselves and their classmates, will formulate a question related to urban transportation and construct the component parts of their own research paper, which they will submit at the end of the quarter.

Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): CHST 26305

PBPL 26366. Planning for Land and Life in the Calumet. 100 Units.

The collaborative plan to create a Calumet National Heritage Area that touches aspects of environmental conservation, economic development, cultural heritage, recreation, arts, and education will ground this course's exploration of landscape history and landscape planning in the Calumet region. Students will investigate this planning process and its relationship to other local and regional plans. A strong focus of the course is on the opportunities and challenges this complex and richly textured industrial region faces in its transition to a more sustainable future.

Instructor(s): Mark Bouman     Terms Offered: Spring. not offered in 2022-23 Note(s): This course is part of the Chicago Studies Quarter:Calumet. This course includes required field trips every Friday from 9am-3pm. Equivalent Course(s): CHST 26366, ENST 26366, CEGU 26366, HIST 27313

PBPL 26367. Objects, Place and Power. 100 Units.

Objects are not only formed and interpreted through ideas of place and power, but also shape place and identity. This course looks at how material culture has, in part, formed understandings of the Calumet. Through methods drawn from art history and museum studies, we will look closely at objects, collections, and institutions in the region to analyze the power and politics of representation in placemaking.

Instructor(s): Jessica Landau     Terms Offered: Spring Note(s): This course is part of the Chicago Studies Quarter:Calumet. This course includes required field trips every Friday from 9am-3pm. Equivalent Course(s): ARTH 26367, CEGU 26367, HIST 27314, CHST 26367, ENST 26367

PBPL 26368. Environmental Transitions and Unnatural Histories. 100 Units.

The course considers changes wrought in the natural landscape of the greater Calumet region beginning with indigenous Potawatomi and their forced removal. Students will examine how the Calumet's natural environment became collateral damage of the industrial capitalism that transformed the region into an economic powerhouse and explore efforts to rehabilitate the Calumet's rich biodiversity, identifying the challenges and achievements of this most recent environmental transition.

Instructor(s): Mary Beth Pudup     Terms Offered: Spring Note(s): This course is part of the Chicago Studies Quarter:Calumet. This course includes required field trips every Friday from 9am-3pm. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 26368, HIST 27315, CEGU 26368, CHST 26368, ANTH 26368

PBPL 26383. Mapping Global Chicago: Immigration Law, Policy & Diaspora. 100 Units.

Mapping Global Chicago is an interdisciplinary research lab that undergraduates may take for course credit. In this lab, students work together to create public scholarship investigating the idea of the "global city" here in Chicago. This year, students will conduct research projects centered around immigration policies and laws, as well as the intersection of immigration with criminal justice. This course is in collaboration with Chicago Appleseed, a community driven nonprofit that advocates for fair, accessible, and anti-racist courts. In addition to working alongside Appleseed's staff on immigration court reform projects, enrolled students will court-watch, interview people working in and impacted by the immigration and legal systems, and explore diverse research methods. Students will deliver their research findings to a live audience during a final presentation. Please direct any questions to Professor Callie Maidhof ([email protected]) and Ethan Chen ([email protected]). Applications for the course are due by Tuesday, 12/12/2023 (11:59 pm CT), and students will receive notification about their enrollment status around the second week of the winter quarter.

Instructor(s): Callie Maidhof     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Please direct any questions to Professor Callie Maidhof ([email protected]) and Ethan Chen ([email protected]). Applications for the course are due by Tuesday, 12/12/2023 (11:59 pm CT), and students will receive notification about their enrollment status around the second week of the winter quarter. Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 26383, CHST 26383, GLST 26383, ENST 26383

PBPL 26400. Quantitative Methods in Public Policy. 100 Units.

This class will provide an introduction to quantitative analysis in public policy. Much of the class is devoted to learning about the effects of policies and answering empirical, policy-relevant questions from observational data. In doing so, the course provides an introduction to critical and quantitative thinking in general. Students will be introduced to the basic toolkit of policy analysis, which includes sampling, hypothesis testing, Bayesian inference, regression, experiments, instrumental variables, differences in differences, and regression discontinuity. Students will also learn how to use a statistical software program to organize and analyze data. More importantly, students will learn the principles of critical thinking essential for careful and credible policy analysis.

Instructor(s): Anthony Fowler     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 26400

PBPL 26705. Economics of Education. 100 Units.

This course explores economic models of the demand for and supply of different forms of schooling. The course examines the markets for primary, secondary, and post-secondary schooling. The course examines numerous public policy questions, such as the role of government in funding or subsidizing education, the design of public accountability systems, the design of systems that deliver publicly funded (and possibly provided) education, and the relationship between education markets and housing markets.

Instructor(s): D. Neal Prerequisite(s): ECON 21020 or ECON 21030 Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 26700, ECMA 36700

PBPL 26831. Quantitative Evaluation for Public Policy. 100 Units.

How do we know whether a policy delivers its promised results or falls short? If it delivers, how do we know whether it was by chance or a true result that would replicate in a similar setting? If it is a true result, will it scale if implemented more broadly? This course is designed for enterprising high school students who want to join the work at the frontiers of data analysis, using the tools that economists and other social scientists use to determine the causal effects of different actions and make more informed decisions. Students will be introduced to the basic toolkit of quantitative policy analysis, which includes probability theory, sampling, hypothesis testing, regression, experiments, differences in differences, and regression discontinuity. Students will also learn how to use a statistical software program to organize and analyze data. Most importantly, students will learn the principles of critical thinking essential for careful and credible policy analysis. The goals of this course will be realized through various course activities including lectures, labs, group assignments and final presentations.

Terms Offered: Summer

PBPL 26930. Environmental Economics: Theory and Applications. 100 Units.

​This course presents a broad-based treatment of the theory and application of environmental economics. Topics are introduced in the context of real-world environmental policy questions (with special emphasis on energy policy), then translated into microeconomic theory to highlight the salient constraints and fundamental trade-offs faced by policymakers. Topics include property rights, externalities, Pigouvian taxes, command-and-control regulation, cap-and-trade, valuation of environmental quality, cost-benefit analysis, policymaking under uncertainty, and inter-regional competition. Students who have previously taken PBPL 28525 should not enroll in this course.

Instructor(s): Wang, S     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 36930

PBPL 27000. International Economics. 100 Units.

This course covers international economics with an emphasis on international trade. The basic theories of international trade are introduced and used to analyze welfare and distributional effects of international trade, government policies, and technology diffusion. In addition, this course also discusses the main empirical patterns of international trade and international investment.

Instructor(s): F. Tintelnot     Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): ECON 20100/20110 Equivalent Course(s): ECON 27000

PBPL 27070. Philanthropy: Private Acts and Public Goods. 100 Units.

Under what conditions do philanthropy and other forms of private action come to be significant elements of the provision of public goods? What are the consequences of organizing society in this way? In this course, we will address the social role of philanthropy, its historical development as a significant economic and political institution, and the place of philanthropy in contemporary public policy and civic projects.

Instructor(s): E. Clemens     Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): Completion of at least 2 quarters of SOSC Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20222

PBPL 27110. Animal Policy. 100 Units.

Brief Description: Humans share the Earth with countless multitudes of sentient, non-human beings. We categorize our fellow earthlings into, for example, farm animals; pets; wild animals; pests; and so on. For each of these animal categories, we have laws, policies, and norms that influence our interactions with our fellow creatures and also profoundly affect the births, lives, and deaths of animals. This discussion-based course examines animal-related policies. We will look at broad questions - should animal wellbeing be directly taken into account in policy analysis, or only accounted for via human interest in animal wellbeing? - as well as specific policies with respect to farm animals, zoo animals, companion animals, and so on.

Instructor(s): James Leitzel     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 27111

PBPL 27156. Urban Design with Nature. 100 Units.

This course will use the Chicago region as the setting to evaluate the social, environmental, and economic effects of alternative forms of human settlement. Students will examine the history, theory and practice of designing cities in sustainable ways - i.e., human settlements that are socially just, economically viable, and environmentally sound. Students will explore the literature on sustainable urban design from a variety of perspectives, and then focus on how sustainability theories play out in the Chicago region. How can Chicago's neighborhoods be designed to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals? This course is part of the College Course Cluster program: Urban Design.

Instructor(s): Sabina Shaikh and Emily Talen     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): This course counts towards the ENST 4th year Capstone requirement. Restricted to 3rd and 4th year students Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 27155, CHST 27155, GISC 27155, BPRO 27155, ENST 27155

PBPL 27325. Urban Ecology in the Calumet Region. 100 Units.

This course will give students a foundation in the local ecology of the Calumet region. Students will use local research and habitats to understand fundamental concepts in ecology and explore some of these habitats during field trips with scientists and practitioners. As a class, we will examine the extent to which these fundamental ecological concepts are applicable in the urban ecology of the Calumet, and the role humans have had in modifying local habitats, as well as restoring natural and managing novel ecosystems. In 2022, the course focus will be on wetlands: their function ecologically, and their past, present, and future in the region.

Instructor(s): Alison Anastasio     Terms Offered: Spring. not offered in 2022-23 Note(s): Attendance at the first class session is a requirement for enrollment in this course. This course is part of the Chicago Studies Quarter: Calumet but may be taken as a standalone class. Students interested in enrolling in all three Calumet Quarter classes should contact [email protected]. For more information on the Calumet quarter, visit chicagostudies.uchicago.edu/calumet. This course will include mandatory Friday field excursions on 4/1, 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, and 5/27. Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 27325, ENST 27325, CHST 27325

PBPL 27818. Philosophical Foundations of Public Policy. 100 Units.

Evidence-based policy making" sounds like a slogan everyone can get behind. But its central components, cost-benefit analysis and program evaluation, have each been subject to severe philosophical questioning. Does cost-benefit analysis ignore important ethical concerns? Does program evaluation ignore valuable kinds of knowledge? We will introduce each of these debates, and then take up the question of how evidence-based policy might be reconciled with democratic theory. Class discussion and assignments will consider these topics in the context of specific policy areas, including climate change, discrimination, and education.

Instructor(s): S. Ashworth     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): ECON 20000, PBPL 20000, ECON 20100, or PBPL 22200. Equivalent Course(s): DEMS 27818, PLSC 27818

PBPL 27900. Global-Local Politics. 100 Units.

Globalizing and local forces are generating a new politics in the United States and around the world. This course explores this new politics by mapping its emerging elements: the rise of social issues, ethno-religious and regional attachments, environmentalism, gender and life-style identity issues, new social movements, transformed political parties and organized groups, and new efforts to mobilize individual citizens.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 30116, HMRT 20116, LLSO 20116, GEOG 20116, SOCI 20116, SOCI 30116, HMRT 30116

PBPL 27905. Global Health Metrics. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of the causes of illness and injury in populations across the world and the most important risk factors. We will discuss how population health is measured using summary indicators that combine mortality and non-fatal health outcomes. We will use these indicators to compare and contrast the health of populations across global regions and in time. Sound measurement of the global burden of disease is essential for prioritizing prevention strategies. Therefore, there will be a strong emphasis on understanding how data sources in information-poor settings are used to generate estimates of population health.

Instructor(s): Kavi Bhalla     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): N/A Note(s): PBHS 30910; Limited to 3rd & 4th yr undergrads Equivalent Course(s): PBHS 31900, HLTH 27905

PBPL 27919. Research in School Improvement. 100 Units.

Research evidence and data play an increasingly important and complex role in efforts to reform underperforming school systems in the United States. Both education policy and practice increasingly rely on sophisticated understandings of a dynamic interplay of complex organizations, systems, and policymaking. This course introduces students to cutting edge models for using research and data public school reform efforts, including examples of randomized control trials, district-based research, research-practice partnerships, and quality improvement strategies. The course includes concrete illustrations of research that reshaped educational practice drawn from the UChicago Consortium on School Research.

Instructor(s): David Johnson     Terms Offered: TBD. Offered 2022-23 Equivalent Course(s): CHST 27919, EDSO 27919, EDSO 37919

PBPL 28029. Education Policy. 100 Units.

Which education policies work and which do not? How are these policies evaluated? The main goal of this course is to familiarize students with the methods and research frontier in the economics of education, with an emphasis on policies designed to improve students' outcomes. We will explore and discuss a wide range of educational policy issues, including the returns to schooling, student in- centives, teacher labor markets, school choice, accountability, school funding, and higher education. Throughout the course, we will pay close attention to the methods employed to evaluate the effects of education policies.

Instructor(s): Derek Rury     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): PBPL 26400 recommended Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 28029

PBPL 28030. Higher Education Policy. 100 Units.

This course will examine major policy issues in higher education in both the United States and abroad. Topics covered will include models of individuals' educational investment decisions, rationale for government involvement in higher education markets, the effects of higher education on long-term social and economic outcomes, and the behavior of institutions that produce higher education. Students will use economic models and interpret experts' empirical findings to analyze current issues in higher education policy such as free community college, financial aid and student loans, affirmative action, higher education accountability, and student debt relief.

Instructor(s): Lesley Turner     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 28030

PBPL 28031. Introduction to Economics of Education. 100 Units.

Education is integral in the human capital production for the economy, distribution of income, economic growth and civic society. This course is an introduction to the economics of education. It introduces microeconomic theories of returns to education and econometric methods that are employed in investigating issues in education. The course pays attention to causal inference and predictions about impact of education policies. The primary focus of is on early childhood and K-12 education in the US. It explores educational outcomes, effectiveness of school financing, teacher labor markets, accountability and school choice. It studies reforms and interventions to increase accountability and production in education.

Instructor(s): Atila Abdulkadiroglu     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 28031

PBPL 28300. Health Economics and Public Policy. 100 Units.

This course analyzes the economics of health and medical care in the United States with particular attention to the role of government. The first part of the course examines the demand for health and medical and the structure and the consequences of public and private insurance. The second part of the course examines the supply of medical care, including professional training, specialization and compensation, hospital competition, and finance and the determinants and consequences of technological change in medicine. The course concludes with an examination of recent proposals and initiatives for health care reform. Must have completed PPHA 32300 Principles of Microeconomics and Public Policy I or equivalent to enroll.

Instructor(s): Meltzer, D     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): PBPL 20000 or ECON 20000 and one undergraduate course in quantitative research methods (Statistics or Econometrics) or the equivalent or consent of the instructor Equivalent Course(s): ECON 27700, CCTS 38300, PPHA 38300

PBPL 28335. Health Care Markets and Regulation. 100 Units.

This course analyzes the economics of health care markets and the way regulations impact those markets. We will study the unique institutional arrangements found in the health care sector (primarily, though not exclusively, in the United States) and examine how market forces manifest themselves in this setting. We will consider the behavior of health care providers, insurers' roles both as intermediaries and risk managers, patients' health care demand, and geographic differences in medicine. The study of government regulations, including their theoretical and empirical impacts on health care markets, will be integrated throughout these topics.

Instructor(s): Gottlieb, J     Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): ECON 17710, PPHA 37820

PBPL 28350. Education and Economic Development. 100 Units.

This course covers policy issues related to education in developing contexts. We will analyze education policies and reforms, develop skills to be a critical consumer of relevant research on each topic, and examine implications of the findings to policy and practice. Topics include discrimination and inclusion in education, understanding factors that influence educational decisions, provision of basic needs in schools, teacher pay and incentives, education in emergency settings, and school choice.

Instructor(s): A. Adukia     Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): Recommended prerequisite courses: Microeconomics and econometrics. Students in their last years will be given priority. Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 28350, ECON 16710

PBPL 28410. Hooking Up, Shacking Up, Breaking Up: Public Policy and Intimate Relationships. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): Karlyn Gorski     Terms Offered: Winter

PBPL 28498. Women, Development and Politics. 100 Units.

This course will explore the dominant and emerging trends and debates in the field of women and international development. The major theoretical perspectives responding to global gender inequities will be explored alongside a wide range of themes impacting majority-world women, such as free market globalization, health and sexuality, race and representation, participatory development, human rights, the environment and participation in politics. Course lectures will integrate policy and practitioner accounts and perspectives to reflect the strong influence development practice has in shaping and informing the field. Course materials will also include anti-racist, postcolonial and post-development interruptions to dominant development discourse, specifically to challenge the underlying biases and assumptions of interventions that are predicated on transforming "them" into "us". The material will also explore the challenges of women participating in politics and what are the consequences when they do or do not.

Instructor(s): Bautista, M. and Chishti, M.      Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): LACS 28498, GNSE 28498

PBPL 28502. Policing in America: Black, White and Blue. 100 Units.

The course will focus on policing issues in Chicago and across the nation. It will feature guest speakers and class discussions. This course satisfies the Public Policy practicum Windows requirement.

Instructor(s): Clayton Harris     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Note(s): This course satisfies the Public Policy practicum windows requirement. Equivalent Course(s): CHST 28502, CRES 28502

PBPL 28525. Environmental Economics: Theory and Applications. 100 Units.

This course presents a broad-based treatment of the theory and application of environmental economics. Topics are introduced in the context of real-world environmental policy questions (with special emphasis on energy policy), then translated into microeconomic theory to highlight the salient constraints and fundamental trade-offs faced by policymakers. Topics include property rights, externalities, Pigouvian taxes, command-and-control regulation, cap-and-trade, valuation of environmental quality, cost-benefit analysis, policymaking under uncertainty, and inter-regional competition.

Instructor(s): Shaoda Wang     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): Recommended prior coursework: Microeconomics or PBPL 20000

PBPL 28528. Household Finance: Theory and Applications. 100 Units.

This course will examine the choices households make about important financial decisions and how these individual choices can impact the aggregate economy. Each week, basic predictions from economic theory will be discussed and compared with empirical findings. Topics will include: asset market participation and household portfolio choice; human capital and student loans; housing and mortgages; retirement planning; credit card debt; payday loans; and the gig/sharing economy. Focus will also be placed on government policies affecting these topics, including so-called household financial engineering, the creation of Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) like "Fannie" and "Freddie," and regulatory agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The course will provide an introduction to structural modeling for conducting policy counterfactuals. Assessment will be based on problem sets, a midterm and a final. These problem sets will require students to work in R, Stata or other statistical package of the student's choice (with permission of instructor).

Instructor(s): D. Koustas     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite(s): PBPL 20000 (PBPL 22200 preferred) or ECON 20000 and one undergraduate course in quantitative research methods (Statistics or Econometrics) or the equivalent or consent of the instructor. Equivalent Course(s): ECON 13110

PBPL 28550. Methods of Data Collection: Social Experiments, Quasi-Experiments and Surveys. 100 Units.

The pressure in many fields (notably medicine, health research, politics, and education) for evidence-based results has increased the importance of the design and analysis of social investigations in providing a basis for policy decisions. This course will address: (i) the design of experiments, quasi-experiments, and surveys; and (ii) the use of these social investigations to provide data for generalization. Randomized clinical trials in medicine, field experiments in economics, psychology and political science, tests of quasi-experimental interventions, and national sample surveys will be among the examples. The course will explore the relative relevance of evidence from these different sources in formulating policy. This course satisfies the Public Policy practicum METHODS requirement.

Instructor(s): C. O'Muircheartaigh     Terms Offered: Winter

PBPL 28633. Policy Evaluation. 100 Units.

Correlation isn't causation -- so what is? In this course students will learn about the statistical tools deployed in contemporary quantitative research, and how to implement them in R. Furthermore, they will learn about research methods used to identify causation, such as randomized control trials, which underpin much of public policy research.

Instructor(s): Navin Kumar     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Stats and PBPL 20000 Economics for Public Policy (or equivalent) required. PBPL 26400 or equivalent recommended.

PBPL 28670. Markets and Regulation. 100 Units.

This is an applied industrial organization course that examines economically regulated market structures. We will analyze: a) types of market structures that particularly generate economic regulation; b) common methods used by regulatory agencies given a particular market structure; and c) models of the supply of and the demand for regulation of markets, with emphasis on maximizing behavior on the part of both suppliers (regulators) and demanders (firms, consumers, political representatives). We will focus on non-financial markets, as financial markets are well-covered in other courses.

Instructor(s): Kathryn Ierulli     Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): PQ: PBPL 20000 or equivalent Equivalent Course(s): ECON 28030

PBPL 28681. Financial Investments for Public Policy. 100 Units.

Central banks, Treasury departments, the IMF, and sovereign wealth funds use financial data and tools to inform their decisions. This class covers the main concepts of finance theory for stocks, bonds, and investment portfolios and applies them in the public policy context. Topics covered include the following: present value, real and nominal interest rates, optimal portfolio choice, Value-at-Risk and Growth-at-Risk, risk and return, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, performance evaluation, market efficiency, and return predictability.

Instructor(s): Pfleuger, C     Terms Offered: Autumn Note(s): Students should not take PPHA 36101 and PPHA 42510 Applied Financial Management. Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 36101

PBPL 28683. Introduction to Corporate Finance. 100 Units.

This course presents an introduction to the principles of corporate finance and its applications. These principles are critical to understanding the nature of how corporations and many government entities present their financial condition, finance themselves and manage their financial risks. We will examine corporate structure, evaluation of new projects, financial planning and governance. Perspectives will include those of the debt the shareholders and key management members, including the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Additional material relating to the public policy issues that certain corporate decisions create will be considered. There will be problem sets, graded and ungraded, to support most areas.

Instructor(s): Schabes, D.      Terms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): This course requires no prior finance or business knowledge.

PBPL 28728. Climate Change and Society: Human Impacts, Adaptation, and Policy Solutions. 100 Units.

Time is running out to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. The next decade will be critical both for the transformation of society and learning to adapt to changes that cannot be avoided, and climate change will be a key part of everyday life. This class discusses how we face this global challenge. During the course, our focus will be on the impacts of climate change upon society, and the necessity of solutions that deal with the global scope, local scales, and often unequal nature of the impacts. This interdisciplinary course covers the tools and insights from economic analysis, environmental science, and statistics that inform our understanding of climate change impacts, the design of mitigation and adaptation policies, and the implementation of these policies. Students will develop a mastery of key conceptual ideas from multiple disciplines relevant for climate change and acquire tools for conducting analyses of climate impacts and policies. The latter parts of the course will hone students' ability to apply and communicate these insights through practical analysis of national policies and writing op-eds about climate-related issues. The goal is to help students from any background become informed and critically-minded practitioners of climate-informed policy making, able to communicate the urgency to any audience.

Instructor(s): Jina, A.      Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): This course is intended to be accessible to people from all disciplines and backgrounds interested in climate solutions. Some introduction to statistics and economics (e.g., PBPL 20000 or ECON 20000) may be helpful, but definitely not essential. Equivalent Course(s): ENST 28728, CEGU 28728

PBPL 28750. Conflict: Root Causes, Consequences and Solutions for the Future. 100 Units.

The goals of this course are to introduce you to key concepts in the study of conflict, and to help you develop the analytical skills you need to understand and assess key arguments advanced in this arena. Drawing primarily on economics and political science, as well as psychology, we will seek to understand: Why do human beings engage in acts of violence? How can armed groups compel atrocities? How do we prevent cycles of violence, and aid countries recovering from war? Specifically: We will examine the role of economic shocks and ethnic divisions on civil war. We will also discern whether similar factors explain the rise of terrorism. In addition, we will study the consequences of conflict on socio-economic development, and examine the role of foreign aid and post-conflict reconciliation in helping countries recover from conflict. The class will examine these questions while focusing on analytical skills needed to understand cutting edge research in this area. Thus a major emphasis of the course is on learning how to think critically about empirical evidence, and learning the methods used in quantitative empirical analysis, such as fixed effects models, differences-in-differences research designs, and instrumental variables estimation. It is ideal for students who want to learn substantively about conflict while developing an understanding of the methodology used to produce key empirical findings.

Instructor(s): Oeindrila Dube     Terms Offered: Winter Note(s): Note: While the course sets out to teach these skills, you do not need previous coursework in statistics. Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28750, ECON 16950

PBPL 28765. The Politics of Authoritarian Regimes. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of topics related to politics in authoritarian regimes. We begin by introducing the concept of authoritarianism: how it differs from democracy and how authoritarian regimes differ from each other. We then investigate the tools authoritarian rulers employ to maintain power, including institutions, policies, and tactics, and we examine the effects and side effects of these tools. Finally, we study transitions of power and of institutions, both on the way out of authoritarianism (democratization) and on the way in (democratic backsliding). Students who take this course will acquire a broad understanding of authoritarian politics and how it is covered in the literature.

Instructor(s): Alexei Zakharov     Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): Note(s): Prior recommended coursework for undergraduates: one semester in Statistics (Stats 220 or equivalent) and current or prior training in game theory (PBPL 222, Social Science Inquiry core, or equivalent.) Equivalent Course(s): PLSC 28765

PBPL 28785. Value Creation: Social Capital, Negotiation Strategy, and Getting Things Done. 100 Units.

This new course empowers students to understand and navigate the complex intersections of social networks, negotiation, and value creation within organizational structures. In the initial weeks, we dive into the principles of social organization, applying social network analysis as a central framework. You'll learn to recognize and coordinate divergent interests within a social organization, optimizing for the best outcome. Our focus is not just on how you identify valuable opportunities within these networks but also on how to mobilize resources to actualize these opportunities. As the course progresses, we transition into the art of negotiation. Through simulated exercises, you will develop an 'interpersonal toolkit,' learning to persuade and collaborate with others effectively to achieve your objectives. We'll delve into key aspects of negotiation, such as overcoming communication obstacles, maximizing multiple interests, and tactics for coalition building. The course culminates by bringing these themes together: harnessing your social capital, leveraging effective negotiation strategies, and ultimately getting things done. Whether you're planning a future in business, policy, law, social work, academia, or beyond, these skills will prove invaluable. The goal is to equip students with the knowledge and tools to create value and drive outcomes, setting the foundation for a successful career.

Instructor(s): John Burrows     Terms Offered: Autumn

PBPL 28791. Behavioral Science and Public Policy. 100 Units.

Many policies are aimed at influencing people's behavior. The most well-intentioned policies can fail, however, if they are not designed to be compatible with the way people actually think and make decisions. This course will draw from the fields of cognitive, social, and environmental psychology to (1) examine the ways in which human behavior deviates from the standard rational actor model typically assumed by economics, and (2) provide strategies for improving the design, implementation, and evaluation of public-facing policies. The basic premise of this course is that a foundational understanding of human behavior can lead not only to more effective policies, but enhanced decision-making and well-being.

Instructor(s): K. Wolske     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 28791

PBPL 28805. Behavioral Economics and Policy. 100 Units.

The standard theory of rational choice exhibits explanatory power in a vast range of circumstances, including such disparate decision making environments as whether to commit a crime, have children, or seek to emigrate. Nonetheless, shortfalls from full rationality seem not to be uncommon, and are themselves, to some extent, systematic. Behavioral economics documents and tries to account for these departures from full rationality. This course looks at areas in which some modification of the traditional rational choice apparatus might most be warranted; these include decisions that unfold over time, involve low probability events, or implicate willpower. To what extent should public policy respond to shortfalls from rationality or concern itself with promoting happiness?

Instructor(s): J. Leitzel     Terms Offered: Autumn Equivalent Course(s): ECON 26920

PBPL 28829. Artificial Intelligence for Public Policy. 100 Units.

It is hard to name a sector that will not be dramatically affected by artificial intelligence (or machine learning). There are many excellent courses that teach you the mechanics behind these innovations -- helping you develop an engineering skill set. This course takes a different approach. It is aimed at people who want to deploy these tools, either in business or policy, whether through start-ups or within a large organization. While this requires some knowledge of how these tools work, that is only a small part of the equation, just as knowing how an engine works is a small part of understanding how to drive. What is really needed is an understanding of what these tools do well, and what they do badly. This course focuses on giving you a functional, rather than mechanistic, understanding. By the end, you should be an expert at identifying ideal use-cases and thereby well-placed to create new products, businesses and policies that use artificial intelligence.

Terms Offered: Autumn

PBPL 28925. Health Impacts of Transportation Policies. 100 Units.

Governments invest in transport infrastructure because it encourages economic growth and mobility of people and goods, which have direct and indirect benefits to health. Yet, an excessive reliance on motorized modes of transport harms population health, the environment, and social well-being. The impact on population health is substantial: Globally, road traffic crashes kill over 1.3 million annually. Air pollution, to which transport is an important contributor, kills another 3.2 million people. Motorized modes of transport are also an important contributor to sedentary lifestyles. Physical inactivity is estimated to cause 3.2 million deaths every year, globally. This course will introduce students to thinking about transportation as a technological system that affects human health and well-being through intended and unintended mechanisms. The course will examine the complex relationship between transportation, land use, urban form, and geography, and explore how decisions in other sectors affect transportation systems, and how these in turn affect human health. Students will learn to recognize how the system level properties of a range of transportation systems (such as limited-access highways, urban mass transit, inter-city rail) affect human health.

Instructor(s): Bhalla, Kavi     Terms Offered: Spring Equivalent Course(s): ARCH 28925, ENST 28925, CEGU 28925, HLTH 28925

PBPL 29070. Nuclear Policy. 100 Units.

While issues arising from technologies that have both military and civilian applications are not new, the nearly incomprehensible destruction from exploding nuclear weapons focuses the mind as few other dual-use technologies can. This course will examine the development of national policies and the international regimes on the uses of nuclear energy. We will review military doctrine and the plans for nuclear war-fighting as well as the effects on societies of developing and using nuclear weapons. We will review the history of international proliferation of nuclear technology and fissile material and examine efforts to curtail the spread of weapons. In the second part of the course, we will focus on the development of civilian nuclear power and on current policy to prevent accidents and dispose of nuclear waste materials. Political leaders often face policy dilemmas because nuclear technology and materials offer great benefit, as well as presenting great danger. We will explore these dilemmas throughout the course.

Instructor(s): Benedict, K     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 33510

PBPL 29404. Inequality, Household Finance, and Tax Policy: A Practicum. 100 Units.

The first component of this course will feature seminar discussions of inequality in the US, with respect to income, gender and race, and how these interact with US tax policy. We will have a focus on income transfers to low-income households such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. We will also review current policy topics in Household Finance, the study of how households save, borrow, and/or use insurance to overcome unexpected changes in household income. In addition, we will discuss the process of filing tax returns, the prevalence of income tax refunds, and the various industries, both non-profit and for-profit, that have arisen around this phenomenon. Next, students will go into the field, and work as volunteer tax preparers for a local, Chicago non-profit, Ladder Up. Students will be trained as tax preparers (which requires a 3-hour training session), learn how these services are delivered, and will also learn about the various social goals and public benefits that are often coupled with this process. Tax season begins in late January, and the students will volunteer weekly for about 6 weeks, until the end of the quarter. Students are also encouraged, though not required, to continue to volunteer until the end of the tax season, April 15th. Finally, students will produce a final project as a part of a group project. This course satisfies the Public Policy windows practicum requirement.

Instructor(s): Jones, Damon     Terms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): CHST 29404

PBPL 29500. BA Project Seminar. 100 Units.

The BA Project Seminar is a required course for public policy majors who are completing the BA Capstone Project. Students must attend one quarter of PBPL 29500 and submit a project by end of quarter to satisfy the project capstone requirement.

Instructor(s): Autumn: Jim Leitzel; Winter: Karlyn Gorski; Spring: Chad Broughton     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter Note(s): Restricted to 4th year public policy studies majors. 3rd year students allowed with faculty consent.

PBPL 29600. Internship: Public Policy. 100 Units.

Students write a paper about their experience working for a government agency or nonprofit organization.

Instructor(s): J. Leitzel     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter Prerequisite(s): PQ: Open only to Public Policy majors; students are required to submit the College Reading and Research course form. Consent of Program Director is required and must be obtained prior to beginning internship; P/F grades only. Note(s): The College Reading and Research Course Form is required. Must be taken for P/F grading.

PBPL 29700. Reading and Research: Public Policy. 100 Units.

This is a reading and research course for independent study not related to BA research or BA thesis preparation.

Instructor(s): STAFF     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter Prerequisite(s): Open only to Public Policy majors. Must be taken for a letter grade. Note(s): The College Reading and Research Course Form is required.

PBPL 29800. BA Thesis Seminar: Public Policy. 100 Units.

This Seminar is designed to provide students with the resources, support, and structure to successfully complete a senior BA thesis in Public Policy Studies. During Autumn, students will articulate their research question, develop hypotheses or arguments, construct a review of the literature and consider what methods will provide answers to the hypotheses or questions (data collection and analysis). The Seminar will meet once a week for the main lecture and once a week for a separate TA session in small groups. The class will continue to meet during winter to consolidate the progress students have made in these different areas and to work on refining their research. The required winter workshop sessions with the Professor and TAs will follow autumn quarter schedule. Attendance in both autumn and winter is required. Final grade for PBPL 29800 will be provided in spring and will be based on one quarter of seminar registration, required attendance in Autumn and Winter quarters, and successful completion of the BA paper.

Instructor(s): Maria Angelica Bautista     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter Prerequisite(s): Open only to fourth-year Public Policy majors. Note(s): Students are required to register for PBPL 29800 during Autumn of their 4th year but must attend in both autumn and winter to satisfy the requirement of the major. Must be taken for a letter grade.

PBPL 29900. BA Paper Preparation: Public Policy. 100 Units.

This is a reading and research course for independent study related to BA research and BA thesis preparation.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter Prerequisite(s): Open only to 4th year Public Policy majors. Must be taken for a letter grade. The College Reading and Research Course Form is required.

Undergraduate Primary Contacts

Senior Lecturer and Executive Director Jim Leitzel Keller 3022 773.702.8555 Email

Program Director Milvia Rodriguez Keller 3018 Email

Faculty Director

Philip K. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and Professor, Faculty Director of Undergraduate Studies Oeindrila Dube Keller 2015 773.702.8400 Email

Undergraduate Secondary Contacts

Instructional Professor, Social Sciences Collegiate Division Chad Broughton Keller 3024 773.834.9810 Email

Senior Research Associate, BA Thesis Faculty Lead Lead Maria Angelica Bautista Keller 2013 Email

Assistant Instructional Professor Karlyn Gorski Keller 3026 Email

[email protected]

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BA Thesis Seminar

The BA Thesis Seminar is for students who are interested in pursuing independent study and deepening their research skills. This seminar is well suited for students who plan to pursue graduate degrees.

The BA Thesis Seminar guides students engaged in research design, data collection and analysis, and thesis writing. For students pursuing the thesis capstone option, registration for the BA Thesis Seminar PBPL 29800 is required in Autumn Quarter of the final year of study in the major, though the thesis process continues through Spring Quarter.

Successful completion of the BA Thesis capstone option involves passing PBPL 29800, while also meeting related thesis requirements, including participation in the BA Thesis Symposium in February, and the timely submission of an acceptable polished draft in March and final BA paper in April.

Only students who successfully complete a BA thesis are eligible for honors.

On this page:

• BA Thesis Process

Expectations for the BA Thesis

• BA Thesis FAQ

BA Thesis Process, 2023-2024

Enroll in the BA Seminar: Public Policy (PBPL 29800) for credit in autumn. Although you only register in the autumn quarter of your final year, the seminar meets once per week throughout Autumn, and then in small group meetings with a preceptor, and/or one-on-one in winter and spring quarters. Grades for the course will be calculated on the basis of performance and progress through Autumn, Winter, and Spring, and will be assigned in the Spring, following the submission of the BA Thesis.

• Double majors, joint students, and students on extended status can opt out of their Autumn BA seminar registration with a waiver approved by the PBPL department (non-enrolled students will be paired with a Public Policy preceptor). To substitute for the PBPL Thesis Track, students must submit the waiver, a policy-relevant thesis and earn a full credit and a quality grade in a thesis seminar, There are no substitutes for the PBPL Project Track.
• Double majors writing one BA for two majors should also submit the Single Bachelor's Paper for Two Majors petition and obtain the signature of both majors' directors
• Consider recruiting a Second Reader from UChicago faculty for the Public Policy BA Thesis as additional support; other experts can be approved as Second Reader on a case-by-case basis

Important Deadlines  

Autumn 2023

Early fall: Submit IRB protocols for human subjects research (please see IRB handout for details about the process and about human subjects research). In order to collect data with human subjects, it is highly recommended you submit this protocol as early as you can.

Mid-December:  BA Thesis Long Write-Up, formerly Autumn Draft, due (about 15 pages).

The College Center for Research and Fellowships provides opportunities for research funding and other supports. Please, visit their webpage for additional information.

Winter 2024

Students do not register for the BA Seminar in the Winter quarter , but continue to meet with their preceptors on a regular basis. Students on extended status must inform the Public Policy Administrator about their change of status and must continue to meet regularly with their preceptors and submit assignments. 

Important Deadlines

Early February: Annual Senior BA Symposium

• This is a required academic conference at which students will present their research to faculty and peers in 10 min presentations followed by Q&A

Early March:  Polished Draft and Second Reader Forms due to preceptor

• Polished Drafts (and final theses) tend to range between 35-60 pages

Around 1-2 weeks after submission:  Preceptors will provide feedback on Polished Drafts 

Spring 2024

Mid-April:  Final Draft of BA Thesis due

• BA theses need title page, including name of preceptor (& second reader if you have one), date of submission, and abstract, and are submitted electronically
• Following thesis submission, determinations are made for honors & the Taub Thesis Prizes
• In order to receive honors, student must have an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher, and receive honors recommendation on the BA Thesis
• The preceptor and second reader can both make nominations for honors and the Taub prize; the Public Policy faculty committee then makes the final determinations
• The thesis evaluation is based on extent and originality of research, argumentation, writing quality, etc.

Mid-May:  Celebration! Senior Public Policy Dinner, Speaker Presentations, & Capstone Prizes

Note: If you are planning to graduate prior to Spring quarter please contact the Public Policy Administrator for your BA draft due dates.   

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BA theses should be more comprehensive in both information gathering and analysis than a term paper. As distinct from a term paper, the BA thesis requires primary data collection and analysis . We emphasize developing a good policy question, settling on an appropriate methodology and utilizing analytical tools to answer the question.

Honors Papers & Honors Eligibility

To be eligible for honors, students must satisfy two requirements:

• Have an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher to be considered eligible for honors initially
• Receive honors recommendation from the Public Policy faculty committee

The Albert C. Svoboda Fellowship

The Albert C. Svoboda Fellowship provides summer research fellowships for rising fourth-year College students majoring in Public Policy to engage in faculty-guided research in the Chicago area on Chicago-based topics.

Awards are for various amounts, typically between $1,000 and $4,000, based on the research proposal and proposed budget. Svoboda Fellows are responsible for submitting a post-research report at the end of the summer.

BA Thesis FAQ

Your thesis can build upon work you have done elsewhere. However, the BA thesis should be an original paper.

You cannot double count a paper you have written for another course (this also means that you cannot just extend a paper written for another course). Whatever is being used from previous work should be disclosed and cited as such in the thesis. Please note that failure to do so will be considered a violation of academic integrity (i.e., plagiarism). It should be clear that the BA thesis develops new insights that are distinct from those developed in previous work.

Keep in mind that the BA thesis should be structured around the analysis of primary research . Given that most of the papers you have written are based on secondary data, it is likely that papers you have written for other courses would be primarily useful for background, and for helping to develop your research question. If you are considering building on work done for another class, please consult your preceptor.

Public Policy majors writing a BA thesis are strongly encouraged to link their specialization with their BA thesis, though such a link is not formally required.

No. A second reader/faculty adviser is beneficial for providing additional support for your BA thesis work, but they are not required to receive honors for your BA paper.

Note:  All Public Policy BA papers are eligible for honors whether or not students work with a second reader.  Students have successfully graduated with honors in Public Policy without having a 2nd reader/faculty adviser. 

Students having second readers are required to complete the  Second Reader Information and Confirmation form . 

• All University of Chicago Faculty
• Harper-Schmidt Collegiate Assistant Professors
• University of Chicago Lecturers
• University of Chicago Graduate Students (approved on a case by case basis)
• Faculty from other colleges or universities (approved on a case by case basis)

Your BA thesis is read by your preceptor and your second reader/faculty adviser who evaluates your paper as 1) acceptable; 2) not acceptable: or 3) acceptable with an honors recommendation.

A student who satisfactorily completes the BA Thesis Seminar (autumn and winter) but does not complete a BA thesis receives 100 course credit, but is not eligible to graduate unless the student completes the BA Project Seminar (PBPL 29500).

Learn more about the BA Project Seminar.

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One-year MAPP students are required to complete a master's thesis. Overall the thesis component is worth 8 credits. The 8 credits are split between the thesis (7 credits) and a mandatory thesis writing workshop (1 credit).

All theses must address an appropriate research topic, which includes a defined field of research and a number of researchable questions to investigate.

Theses should demonstrate a good knowledge of the literature in the field of policy studies; contribute to the study of the field through original research and/or by relating the subject studies to the broader academic literature; and demonstrate analytic ability through the careful and critical use of relevant concepts and approaches.

Requirements

All students enrolled in the one-year MAPP program are required to write a master’s thesis during their studies at CEU. A resident faculty member will supervise the thesis. Supervisors will be allocated taking into account substantive and methodological dimensions of the topic. The supervisor is the student’s primary contact during the research and thesis writing period. Supervisors are expected to read and comment on the thesis proposal, to meet the student half a dozen times during the supervision process, and to provide feedback on drafts of the thesis, if there is sufficient time to do so.

The mandatory thesis writing workshop (6 sessions) builds up on the guidance provided by the academic writing center and the different courses related to research methods and research design students took during the fall and the winter term.

The total length of the thesis must be 12,000 words (+/– 10%) and include: the title page, copyright notice, table of contents, list of figures, list of abbreviations, acknowledgments, references, abstract (maximum 200 words), footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. Tables and figures may be excluded from the word count.

Evaluation and Grading

Two DPP faculty members will read and evaluate the thesis. The thesis grade will be determined based upon their two written evaluations. There will be no oral defense after thesis submission. The MA Thesis Evaluation Form including the final grade and comments on the dissertation will be provided within six weeks of the submission date for those who submit by the deadline. 

Late submission results in 0.1 point grade deduction per business day.

Thesis Research Grants

CEU offers small grants to support master’s thesis research. Interested students must submit an application to Zoltan Wagner containing the grant application form, a summary of the project, the research timetable (days and location), a summary of advanced preparations undertaken, the supervisor's recommendation, and a detailed budget. Applicants must also submit a travel grant report and original invoices for all expenses to the Grants Management Office within 30 days of the completion of their research. If the master's thesis grant is not used according to the budget that was submitted, the University may insist that the grant be refunded. For further details, please click here .

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Honors Thesis Spotlight: Could Medicare for All have Changed the Trajectory of COVID-19?

Published: September 27, 2022 | 10:26 am

This content originally appeared on COSSPP’s  Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions Blog  and is the work of the individual authors sharing their research, expertise, and experience and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Florida State University, or any other agency, institution, or entity.

Compared to international countries with dissimilar health care systems, the United States is ranked at the bottom regarding its COVID-19 response. ‘Medicare for All’ (MFA) is a policy proposed to the US Congress to provide universal, comprehensive, and affordable health coverage, has received even further criticism during the pandemic. The researcher’s article seeks to begin the conversation on universal health care’s presumptive effects on health outcomes, particularly during a pandemic response by discussing the United States Medicare.

There has been mass speculation about why the United States’s response to COVID-19 is so low. The United States has the world’s largest novel coronavirus morbidity and mortality incidence rates. Most have concluded the lack of access to healthcare for millions of American citizens to be at the top. COVID-19 has shone a light on the defects within the US healthcare system. This system has left millions of Americans to pay exorbitant medical fees and turn to other countries for access to cheap drugs. Millions have lost their jobs and, thus, more people will continue to lose their healthcare.

The most popular universal healthcare proposal, Medicare, has been pushed by the average American as well as researchers as a tangible solution to “not only providing Americans with affordable comprehensive coverage but also a better outbreak response framework.” If the proposed MFA bill is enacted, there would be an expansion of the government program Medicare to provide comprehensive health coverage to all US citizens with no cost-sharing provisions. According to the researcher, a draft of the bill was presented to both the House and Senate in 2019 and has remained popular despite its stagnant status in the US Congress.

There are currently no papers that dissect each component of the MFA bill along with the related health research to speculate on the bill’s effect on the trajectory of COVID-19. The author, Aliyah N. Hurt, aims their paper to begin the conversation on the potential effects MFA could have on public health, specifically during times of health crises such as that of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each section covers the implications of status quo health policies, the components of MFA, and expected changes to the trajectory of COVID-19 should MFA have been in effect. Part I discusses how MFA attempts to improve access by providing universal comprehensive coverage and eliminating cost-sharing. Cost-sharing, the share of costs covered by your insurance that you pay out of your own pocket, has been used by insurance schemes as a tool to control the utilization of services and, in turn, health spending. The bill also increases accessibility by providing comprehensive coverage which may have encouraged those unaware of their insurance plan’s benefits to seek virus-related health services. Part II examines how MFA seeks to reduce profit motives in the health care system and replace them with public interests by eliminating private insurance schemes, streamlining administrative duties, and allowing government pricing power. Part III considers how the bill attempts to refine quality through maintaining timeliness and enhancing patient-centeredness. According to the author, universal coverage would refine consistency in patient-provider relationships, resulting in better doctor understanding of those who may experience adverse health outcomes due to COVID-19. “Comprehensive coverage and the streamlining of administrative duties are also predicted to improve patient-centered care by allowing doctors more room to collaborate across medical jurisdictions.”

There are also some limitations to the MFA speculation. For one is the fact that this paper focuses purely on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality incidence rates as well as the average American’s financial situation, rather than the health of the entire US economy. “The MFA proposals circulating Congress do not include specifics on how its policies would be funded. It is assumed that taxes would be raised if not on the whole population, the wealthiest citizens, and corporations. This paper does not cover the implications tax hikes could have on the health of citizens, but these effects are important for further research.”

Aliyah Hurt is a graduate of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Florida State University. This post was based on Aliyah’s honors thesis, written by COSSPP Blog Intern, Jillian Kaplan.