Class Resources

Access slide decks, handouts, and materials for public administration and policy courses.

POSC 315: Introduction to Public Policy

Lectures organized by topic. Click each section to expand.

Introduction

Course introduction

Overview Part A

Policy overview part A

Overview Part B

Policy overview part B

Overview Part C

Policy overview part C

Process Models

Policy process models

Environments

Policy environments

Change

Policy change dynamics

History & Structure

Historical and structural foundations

Federalism

Federalism in policy making

Official Actors Theory

Theories of official actors

Official Actors

Official actors in practice

Unofficial Actors I

Unofficial actors part I

Unofficial Actors II

Unofficial actors part II

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Individual actors and civil rights

Agenda Setting: Problems

Agenda setting and problem identification

Agenda Setting: Levels

Agenda setting at different levels

Agenda Setting: Power

Power and agenda control

Policy Types: Distributive & Redistributive

Distributive and redistributive policy

Policy Types: Regulatory & Constituent

Regulatory and constituent policy types

Policy Types: Alternatives

Alternative policy typologies

Rational Decision Making

Rational decision-making models

Bounded Rationality & Incrementalism

Bounded rationality and incrementalism

Dysfunctional Decision Making

Dysfunctional decision-making models

Policy Analysis Fundamentals

Introduction to policy analysis

Policy Analysis Methodologies

Policy analysis methods and applications

Design Foundations & Goals

Policy design foundations

Goal Conflicts & Tradeoffs

Managing competing policy goals

Designing for Implementation

Implementation-focused design

Transforming Policy into Practice

From policy to practice

Implementation Challenges

Overcoming implementation barriers

Failure and Learning Part 1

Understanding Policy Failures

Failure and Learning Part 2

Lessons from Policy Failures

Evaluation and Science Part 1

Policy Evaluation Fundamentals

Evaluation and Science Part 2

Connecting Policy Evaluation to Science

Evaluation and Science Part 3

Methodologies in Policy Evaluation

Evaluation and Science Part 4

Science and Change

Wrap Up

Course wrap-up and reflections

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CRJU/POSC 320: Introduction to Public Administration

18 modules organized by topic. Click each section to expand.

Introduction

Course introduction and syllabus

What Is PA?

Defining public administration

Basics

PA fundamentals

Eras of PA

Historical eras of public administration

What Govt Does

Government functions and roles

Govt Functions

Core government functions

Org Theory

Organization theory

Org Problems

Organizational problems

Executive

Executive leadership

Reform

Administrative reform

Civil Service

Civil service systems

Human Capital

Human capital management

Decision Making

Administrative decision making

Budgeting

Public budgeting

Performance Implementation

Performance management

Regulation and Courts

Regulation and judicial review

Accountability

Administrative accountability

Wrap-up

Course conclusion

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