GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

                 THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

Course Title:  MNPS 700/ PUBP 700 – The New Professionalism: Theory and Practice in Public Policy

Semester: Fall 2001 - Monday 4:30-7:00

Professor:         Dr. Susan J. Tolchin
                        Professor of Public Policy
                        Finley 213
                        Phone: (703) 993-4035
                        Fax: (703) 993-2284
                        E-Mail: tolchin@gmu.edu

                         “Discipali Victoria, Gloria Magister”

           (Translation :   “The advancement of the student is the glory of the professor.”)  From Epistle 194 of Benedict Gerbertus, a Benedictine monk who became the first French pope, Pope Sylvester II, who reigned from 999-1003 A.D.)

Course description: An inquiry into the theories of public policy, emphasizing the historical and intellectual development of the discipline. The discussions will focus on the environment of the policy system, with special emphasis on the actors, interests and political realities that mold the   policies that govern the nation.

Course requirements:  l)- A research paper that integrates the fundamental principles of the course. Students may select one policy from any subject area that interests them, and analyze that policy from the perspective of any one of the theories that have been discussed in class and assigned in the reading. Outlines for the paper are due on October 15, and papers are due on the last day of class, December 3;  2)- A midsemester assignment announced in class, and due on October  29; and 3)- A final exam, held on a date to be announced.

Texts:

 Randall S. Clemons and Mark K. McBeth. Public Policy Praxis –
 Theory and Pragmatism: A Case Approach. Upper Saddle River,
 N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 2001.

A. Lee Fritschler and James M. Hoefler. Smoking and Politics –
Policy Making and the Federal Bureaucracy. 5th Edition. Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996.

John W. Kingdon. Agendas, Alternatives and Public Choices. 2nd Edition. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1995.

Anne Larason Schneider and Helen Ingram. Policy Design for
Democracy. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1997.

James Q. Wilson. Bureaucracy – What Government Agencies Do
And Why They Do It. New York: Basic Books, 1989. (paperback
Edition.)

I – August 27  -  INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC POLICY SYSTEMS AND THEORY

II – September 10 - PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICAL REALITY

  *Administrative Politics
  *Policy Change

  Readings:

  Fritschler and Hoefler.

III – September 17 – AGENDA SETTING

  *Major Theories of Policy Making
  *How Policies Reach the Decision Making Agenda

  Readings:

  Kingdon, Chs. 1-5.

IV – September 24 – THE POLICY MIX

  *The Policy Environment
  *The Policy Stream, Policy Community,  & Policy Window
  *Policy Entrepreneurs

  Readings:

  Kingdon, Chs. 6-10.

V – October 1  -- THEORIES OF PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS (outlines due)

  *Public Choice
  *Pluralism
  *Rationalism vs. Incrementalism

  Readings:

  Schneider and Ingram, Chs. 1-4


VI – October 10 (Wednesday)  -- THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

*Criticisms of policy theories
*Social policy

Readings:

Schneider and Ingram, Chs. 5-7

VII – October 17 – MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT

VIII – October 22 – BUREAUCRACY AND POLICY

  *The Policy Crucible
  *Key Actors
  *The Role of Organizations

  Readings:

  Wilson, Preface and Parts I-III.

IX – October 29 – POLICY IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

  *Evolution of bureaucracies
  *Turf
  *Context and political/organizational environment

  Readings:

  Wilson, Parts IV-VI.

X – November 5 – THE APPLICATION OF THEORY TO THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC POLICY

  *Case Studies
  *Critiques

  Readings:

  Clemons and McBeth, Part I.

XI – November 12  -- APPLYING THEORY TO PRACTICE, cont’d

  Readings:

  Clemons and McBeth, Parts II & III.

XII – November 19 – PAPER PRESENTATIONS

XIII – November 26 – PAPER PRESENTATIONS

XIV – December 3 – PAPER PRESENTATIONS (papers due)