Undergraduate courses in Public Policy

(Same as POLISCI 123.) How policies come to be formed. How interests compete within public institutions to turn ideas into policies. Examples of this process from contemporary policy areas, including tax, social welfare, and environmental policy; results evaluated using equity and efficiency criteria. Prerequisite: POLISCI 2. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Spr (Frisby, T)

PUBLPOL 102. Organizations and Public Policy

Analysis of organizational processes emphasizing organizations that operate in a non-market environment. Prerequisite: ECON 1A. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Win (Bendor, J)

PUBLPOL 103A. Introduction to Political Philosophy

(Same as ETHICSOC 30, PHIL 30, POLISCI 3.) State authority, justice, liberty, and equality through major works in political philosophy. Topics include human nature and citizenship, the obligation to obey the law, democracy and economic inequality, equality of opportunity and affirmative action, religion, and politics. GER:DB-Hum, DB-Hum, EC-EthicReas

5 units, Spr (Hussain, N)

PUBLPOL 103B. Ethics and Public Policy

(Same as MS&E 197, STS 110.) Ethical issues in science- and technology-related public policy conflicts. Focus is on complex, value-laden policy disputes. Topics: the nature of ethics and morality; rationales for liberty, justice, and human rights; and the use and abuse of these concepts in policy disputes. Case studies from biomedicine, environmental affairs, technical professions, communications, and international relations. GER:DB-Hum, EC-EthicReas

5 units, Win (McGinn, R)

PUBLPOL 104. Economic Policy Analysis

(Same as ECON 150.) The relationship between microeconomic analysis and public policy making. How economic policy analysis is done and why political leaders regard it as useful but not definitive in making policy decisions. Economic rationales for policy interventions, methods of policy evaluation and the role of benefit-cost analysis, economic models of politics and their application to policy making, and the relationship of income distribution to policy choice. Theoretical foundations of policy making and analysis, and applications to program adoption and implementation. Prerequisite: ECON 50.

5 units, Spr (Staff)

PUBLPOL 104W. Economic Policy Analysis

(Same as ECON 150W, SIW 123.) Taught in Washington, DC; offered via distance learning to Stanford students on campus. Economics of evaluating and implementing public policies. Focus is on cost-benefit analysis, regulation, efficiency and equity, externalities, subsidies, public good provision, opportunity costs, the role of economic analysis in policy making, and how political institutions affect policy outcomes. Topics: climate change, telecommunications, defense and homeland security, controversial aspects of cost-benefit-analysis.

5 units, Aut (Wallsten, S)

PUBLPOL 105. Quantitative Methods and Their Applications to Public Policy

Reviews material covered in prerequisites with applications of qualitative independent variable techniques to labor market data. Maximum likelihood estimation and qualitative dependent variable models with an application to voting models. Final papers estimate influence of quantitative and qualitative independent variables on Congressional voting probabilities. Prerequisites: ECON 102A,B. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Spr (Rothwell, G)

PUBLPOL 106. Economics of Legal Rules and Institutions

(Same as ECON 154.) Design and consequences of laws, given alternative policy objectives. Welfarist approach to legal policy; deontological perspectives including Kant, Locke, Mill, and Rawls. Economic efficiency and agent rationality, law as mitigation of market and cognitive failures, effects of law on expectations and incentives, balancing costs of type I and type II legal errors. Empirical studies of law's effects. Applications: property, tort, contract, antitrust, discrimination, crime, legal procedure. Examples chiefly from U.S. law, but analytical tools of general applicability. Prerequisite: ECON 50. WIM

5 units, Aut (Owen, B)

PUBLPOL 117. Econometrics for Public Policy Majors

Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, analysis of variance, heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, errors in variables, and simultaneous equations. Prerequisites: Public Policy major; ECON 50 and 102A.

5 units, not given this year

PUBLPOL 121. Policy and Climate Change

Science and economics, including recent findings. History and evolution of local, state, regional, national, and international policy. California's recent landmark climate change bill. Future policy prospects, emphasizing national and international levels.

5 units, Aut (Nation, J)

PUBLPOL 125. Law and Public Policy

How the U.S. federal government promotes, uses, and regulates new technologies; how it decides technology policies; and debates over how to use technology to advance national goals. Topics: American attitudes towards technology; technologies for defense, homeland security, energy, health, and economic competitiveness; and when and how to regulate nanotechnology, stem cell research, government surveillance, and digital copyright. Prerequisites: POLISCI 2. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Spr (Greenberg, J)

PUBLPOL 126. Networking with Government to Achieve Social Change

(Same as GSBGEN 593.) The role of government in the change process, the values and mindsets of government leaders, assets and resources that public agencies bring to the change initiative, limits of government action, and leadership strategies for promoting collaboration between sectors. Guest speakers, case studies, team projects. Students develop business plans for a social innovation project.

2 units, not given this year

PUBLPOL 130. Path Dependence in Private Action and Public Policy: Decision Making in the Shadow of History

(Same as ECON 151.) The historically contingent development of economic, social, and political behaviors at micro and macro levels. History's role in individual and organizational decision making. When can extraneous events have persisting effects upon public institutions, private organizations, and government agencies? Science and technology policy making; precedent-based judicial and administrative proceedings; and institutional reforms and regulatory initiatives illustrate positive feedback dynamics; self-organization and emergent properties in complex systems; conditions of lock-in to and escapes from sub-optimal equilibria in economic and social arrangements. Recommended: ECON 51.

3-5 units, Win (David, P)

PUBLPOL 154. Politics and Policy in California

State politics and policy making, including the role of the legislature, legislative leadership, the governor, special interests, campaign finance, the public, ballot initiatives, the state constitution, the media, and the role of research organizations. Case studies may include pension reform, health care, term limits and other political reform measures, open primaries, infrastructure improvements, and the budget. Changes in constitutional and in state statutes that can improve policy making in California.

5 units, Win (Nation, J)

PUBLPOL 156. Health Care Policy and Reform

Competing health care reform proposals at the state and local levels. Focus is on California including proposals for expanding coverage for children, a single payer system, employer and individual mandates. Recent proposals in other states including Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont; their relation to national efforts. Attention to local reform efforts, including in San Francisco. Prospects for future policy.

5 units, Spr (Nation, J)

PUBLPOL 164. Comparative Public Policy

Problems, answers, underlying political philosophies, and impacts of public policy choices in areas such as aging populations, health care costs, illegal immigration, terrorism, pollution, and competition from low-cost countries. Focus is on N. America and Europe. (Crombez) GER:DB-SocSci

3 units, not given this year

PUBLPOL 168. Global Organizations: Managing Diversity

Analytical tools derived from the social sciences to analyze global organizations and projects, and applied to the tradeoffs between different designs of teams and organizations. Focus is on tribal mentality and how to design effective organizations and projects for policy implementation within and across institutional settings. Recommended: 102, MS&E 180, or SOC 160. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Win (Meyersson Milgrom, E)

PUBLPOL 172. Psychology and Public Policy

(Same as PSYCH 119.) Applications of psychology to public and social policy. Topics include the influence of psychological research and individual psychology on the creation of policy, and the influence of policy on attitudes and behavior at the personal and societal levels. How psychological theory can be used to shape policies and policy making in areas such as environment, education, criminal justice, and health.

5 units, Win (Tormala, T)

PUBLPOL 176. Urban Economics

(Same as URBANST 173.) Application of the principles of economic analysis to urban issues and policy, including urban land use, housing, transportation, economic development, and the financing of public services. Fundamentals of microeconomic theory.

4-5 units, Aut (Reilly, M)

PUBLPOL 180. Social Innovation

The mechanisms and features of social innovation defined as the process of inventing, securing support for, and implementing novel solutions to social needs and problems. Focus is on the social, economic, technical, and organizational mechanisms underlying innovations. Sources include social science theory and research, and insights from the practical world. GER:DB-SocSci

4 units, not given this year

PUBLPOL 183. Philanthropy and Social Innovation

Philanthropy's role in modern society and the translation of its vision and capital into social action. Topics: individual giving; philanthropic history and industry; foundation models and infrastructure; philanthropic strategy and grantmaking; accountability and board governance; global and corporate philanthropy; and public policy engagement. Readings: business school cases and industry articles. Guest speakers include individual donors and foundation presidents. Final project: students evaluate grant proposals and make funding recommendations. Enrollment limited to 15. GER:DB-Hum

2 units, Spr (Arrillaga, L)

PUBLPOL 184. Poverty and Policies in Developing Economies

Economic models of growth and poverty, differences in growth rates among countries, and the persistence of poverty. Models of physical and human capital accumulation, and recent theories of the importance of institutions, social capital, and political factors. The effectiveness of social policies in developing countries, emphasizing India, in the light of theories of growth and poverty, and in terms of immediate goals and long-term consequences. Policies include schooling and health, anti-poverty, banking, and political decentralization. Prerequisites: ECON 1A,B. GER:DB-SocSci

5 units, Win (Kochar, A)

PUBLPOL 187. The Unintended Consequences of Technology

How human inventions impact other inventions, society, the individual, and history. Unintended social consequences of technologies such as railroads, telegraphs, telephones, automobiles, and jet travel. Group projects focus on the design of a national survey to gauge the social effects of Internet technology (IT) on how people spend their time, including the impact of Internet use on non-work activities such as sleep and time spent with friends and family. Practical and innovative techniques in statistical analysis. GER:DB-SocSci

3-4 units, not given this year

PUBLPOL 194. Technology Policy

How the U.S. federal government promotes, uses, and regulates new technologies; how it decides technology policies; and debates over how to use technology to advance national goals. Topics: American attitudes towards technology; technologies for defense, homeland security, energy, health, and economic competitiveness; and when and how to regulate nanotechnology, stem-cell research, government surveillance, and digital copyright. Recommended: POLISCI 2.

5 units, Win (Windham, P)

PUBLPOL 197. Junior Honors Seminar

(Same as ECON 198.) Primarily for students who expect to write an honors thesis. Weekly sessions discuss writing an honors thesis proposal (prospectus), submitting grant applications, and completing the honors thesis. Readings focus on writing skills and research design. Students select an adviser, outline a program of study for their senior year, and complete a prospectus by the end of the quarter. Enrollment limited to 25.

5 units, Win (Rothwell, G), Spr (Rothwell, G)

PUBLPOL 198. Directed Readings in Public Policy

1-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

PUBLPOL 199. Senior Research

May be repeated for credit.

1-15 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

PUBLPOL 199B. Senior Honors Seminar

Research, statistical, and writing support for Public Policy honors students.

1 unit, not given this year

PUBLPOL 200A. Senior Seminar

Students conduct original research for oral presentations and a paper on a policy-related topic. Topic and methods of analysis determined by student in consultation with instructor. Goal is to improve analytical, research, writing, and communication skills. Prerequisites: core courses in Public Policy or consent of instructor.

3 units, Aut (Lovenheim, M)

PUBLPOL 200B. Senior Seminar: Conducting Policy Analysis for Local Agencies

5 units, Win (Durbin, B)

PUBLPOL 200C. Senior Seminar

3 units, Spr (Durbin, B)

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Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09

Alphabetical Index

Bulletin Archive

Undergraduate courses in Public Policy