This course focuses on the political environment within which policy analysis takes place. In the United States, public policies are formulated and implemented in a political system of widely-shared power by participants with many different, and often conflicting, goals. To be effective, policy analysts and public managers must understand this political system. The goal of this course is to provide the student with some of the background necessary to develop strategies for dealing effectively with the political environment of policy and administration. Most years, two variants of this course are available. The variant offered in the fall semester focuses on various cases in the US domestic policy environment, while the variant offered in Winter semester compares political environments in the US and other countries (and focuses on cases in the area of science & technology policymaking).
