Surveys the political forces that shape poverty, inequality, and related public policies in the United States. Builds on foundational knowledge of the policymaking process to provide graduate students with skills to understand and negotiate social politics in the United States.

Examines how managers in public and not-for-profit agencies can secure and utilize legal authority, human resources, and funds to accomplish organizational goals. Includes strategies for establishing and maintaining effective external relations, and for working through other organizations to accomplish objectives.

This course is designed to provide an overview of comparative cross-national social policy, the effects of the Great Recession on poverty and inequality, and the American system of public policy toward human resources, i.e., social policy, with added emphasis on other nations’ approaches to social welfare policy.

This course will review the basic economics of taxation; detail the structure of federal revenues; chart the federal budget process and interrogate proposals for reform; analyze the impact of major federal tax and spending proposals on the deficit and debt; and explore the relationship of tax and budget policy to social and economic issues including retirement, health care, education, and housing. The course will also engage with questions of federalism as well as situate US tax and budget policy in international context. The aim of this course is to equip students with substantive knowledge of contemporary issues in federal tax and budget policy so that they can effectively evaluate the impact of proposed policy changes.

Explores the spending and tax policies of state and local governments. Focus on factors influencing the mix and level of public spending and the choice of revenue sources. Issues to be studied include the fiscal relations between governments and property tax.

Provides an understanding of budget preparation, adoption, and execution; proposed reforms of the budget process; and competing theories of the politics of budgeting. Focuses on the expenditure aspect of budgeting.

Introduces students to the concept of performance management. Explores different tools that aim to raise performance. Examines recent reforms at the federal, state, and local level, and alternative theories of performance.

his seminar-style course focuses on public policy related to aging and older populations. We will study major social insurance programs as well as trends and policies related to a variety of topics, including health and work at older ages, living arrangements and intergenerational transfers, and the demography of aging. While the course will primarily cover current U.S. policies and trends, we will also discuss some historical aspects and compare to policies and conventions found elsewhere.

The course discusses two major themes related to China: the policymaking process of the Chinese government and the economic and political impact of the Chinese politics

This graduate-level seminar provides a space for students to engage with theories and research that demonstrate how public policy can be grounded in equity and social justice.