Year 1 -Fall
The Policy Process
Policy Analysis for the Real World
Applied Microeconomics for Policymaking
Statistical Analysis for Policymaking I
Graduate Policy Seminar Series
Spring
Policy Research Methods (vaious options)
Policy Tools
Statistical Analysist for Policymaking II
Stata Lab
Elective Options
Year 2 -Fall
Program Evaluation
Values, Ethics and Public olicy
Graduate Policy Seminar Series
Internship
Elective Options
Spring
Elective Options
Policy Analysis for the Real World
This course teaches students to think analytically, and to apply analytic thinking to public problems. Students work through several real-world problems primarily in social, urban and health policy, to master the essential steps of any policy analysis: identifying the problem, specifying goals and constraints, examining policy alternatives, and assessing the available evidence. A term-long assignment on a timely policy problem confronting the City of Baltimore results in a formal presentation to city leaders and a report published in the Institute for Policy Studies Occasional Paper Series. Applied Microeconomics for Policy Decision-making
This course communicates the basic principles of microeconomics by emphasizing applications to the solution of public problems. Students examine how markets operate and how they fail, and study the reasons for government intervention. This course addresses public vs. private goods, the problem of externalities and the pricing of public goods. Statistical Analysis for Policymaking
This two semester course teaches the application of statistical techniques commonly used in policy analysis and decision-making analysis including measures of central tendency, correlation, analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis. Students study actual policy problems to demonstrate applications of techniques. Program Evaluation
This course provides students with an introduction to the use of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of social programs. The course reviews rationale for evaluation and its use in budgeting, policy assessments, research and development, and program improvement. The course addresses experimental and quasi-experimental designs, selection bias, and methods of overcoming problems and includes an introduction to the use of cost-benefit analysis. Students undertake a critical review and reanalyze data from existing evaluations. Research Design and Methods
Students take one of several courses offered in research design and methods. These courses provide students with an introduction to basic research methods and teach them how to select and design research projects. The Policy Process
This course examines the influence of political and organizational factors on the various stages of the policy process including problem identification, developing alternative responses, assessing the political feasibility of alternative responses, generating political support, budgeting and resource allocation, and implementing policy decisions through both public and private institutions. Policy Tools
The course focuses on the instruments available to government to achieve policy and program objectives (e.g., regulation, grants-in-aid, purchase of service contracting, loan guarantees, direct payments, procurement, vouchers). Students learn that the choice of instrument affects the operation of programs and their success at meeting objectives. Additionally, students investigate the challenges of managing the complex public-private collaborations from either direction. Values, Ethics, and Public Policy
This course will explore the ethical challenges confronting public policymaking and the normative obligations of public actors in serving the public interest. Students are exposed to a variety of ethical issues ranging from questions of justice and social equity, liberty and individual freedom, and globalization to issues confronted in a professional setting (e.g., conflict of interest, lying and deception, and whistle-blowing, to name just a few).
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