SOC 336 Public Policy Around the World
This course is designed to introduce you to public policy at the US and international level. The course will address what is public policy, why governments pursue public policy, social forces shaping these policies, and the impact of these actions. The first half of the course presents analytic approaches to public policy, tools of policy analysis, the role of various actors in shaping policy outcomes, including political and non-political actors, and the institutional arrangements and social forces (e.g. historical, cultural, government) for making public policy. The second half applies these concepts to specific policy issues such as the economy, health care, welfare and social security, and education.