Co-taught with Congressman Sander (Sandy) Levin.
In this seminar, students will confront major challenges in moving policy initiatives forward. The course will focus on two important policy arenas – U.S. Unemployment Insurance (70+ years of failure to reform), and US-China trade relations (evolving challenges). Drawing in depth from vital experiences on these topics, students will learn about the panoply of efforts involved in designing and implementing policy – including interactions among the clash of policy perspectives, the role of personal relationships, the importance of obstacles to coalition building, and the impact of messaging and public opinion. The course will be co-taught by an applied economist and a legislator centrally involved in the dynamics of policymaking, enabling students to gain insights about the realities of policy-making, and the role of leadership in complex policy arenas. Students will have opportunities to hone their written and oral presentation skills, and to apply the tools developed in new contexts.
