California State University, Sacramento
Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration

PPA 200
Introduction to Public Policy and Administration

Fall 2004
Section 1: Monday Amador 309
6:00 – 8:50 pm

Introduction

This course surveys the foundations of public policy and administration; the theories that guide our understanding of public policy making and analysis as well as how public organizations implement those policies in pursuit of public good.  We will begin with a broad review of democratic institutions and the roles of policy making and administration.  From there we will survey the history, values, conflicts and challenges that have characterized public administration (a catch all term for policy and administration).  In all discussions, key concepts are explored with an eye towards practical application of lessons learned and understanding of current events. 

PPA 200 also serves as an introduction to graduate study at CSUS/PPA.  We will spend time on self assessment, professional behavior, writing at the graduate level, and techniques for getting the most from your reading. 

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are as follows:

1. Familiarizing students with the major intellectual traditions of the study of public policy and administration including political science, economics and social psychology/public administration;
2. Understanding the key institutional features of governmental structures, especially at the California state and local level;
3. Developing an appreciation of the complexity of approaches that must be employed to fully understand public issues and organizations;
4. Strengthening the capacity of students to accurately assess their own professional strengths and weaknesses and work towards accomplishment of professional goals;
5. Improving written and oral presentation skills;
6. Enhancing the ability of students to work effectively in small groups; and
7. Developing ethical perspectives relative to the roles and responsibilities of those individuals working on public issues.

Format of Course and Expectations of students

This course is the introductory course in the PPA major.  It covers a large amount of material with the expectation that students will be exposed to the information and learn more on their own.  As graduate students, you are learning theories but you are also learning skills and tools to apply the theories.  As much as we might wish otherwise, there are few hard and firm rules in the study of public policy and administration, your judgment and capacity to apply theories in appropriate situations is the softer and more challenging side or your study.  The more you learn, the more you realize how many things you don’t know.  That should be the case here. 

The course is taught in a seminar style.  That is, students are expected to come to class prepared to participate in conversations about the materials they have read.  Study questions will be provided for each class to give you a starting point for the class discussion.  Please think about them in advance .

I will rarely lecture for an entire evening; this is hard on you and on me.  Rather, I will facilitate discussions and exercises designed to further learning.  If you have not done the reading, you will not be able to participate.  Consistent lack of participation will result in a reduced class participation grade.

This semester we are beginning to experiment with a “mixed mode” of course delivery; some course sessions will be delivered using webct and other online technologies.  In addition, I will make use of the increasingly sophisticated technologies available to do things such as make the course reader available through the library instead of being purchased.  This means that you will be expected to obtain and maintain a saclink account and have access to a reasonably current computer.  For information about getting connected to saclink, please go to UCCS.  Once you have a saclink account, you will be able to access your own courses through webct (these will be available in mid-August).  Faculty using webct will have opened the course and you can see what they have posted. 

Students are expected to attend class regularly, participate, and turn in assignments in a complete and professional manner.  Complete and professional means proofread, well written, appropriately cited, and on time.   Anyone needing assistance in their written work will be notified quickly and strongly encouraged to seek assistance.  Especially poorly written papers may be returned to be re-done at the sole discretion of the instructor, for partial improvement of grades. 

Should you need assistance with portions of class due to disabilities, please let me know as soon as possible.  Finally, please familiarize yourself with the University’s policies on academic dishonesty and plagiarism. 

Assignments and Grading

No late work will be accepted.   I understand that many students are working full-time and attending classes at night.  I will accommodate work "issues" as much as possible but expect you to complete your assignments on time.  If you must miss class when an assignment is due, you may drop it off at my office or e-mail it to me prior to class.  If you email it, it is your responsibility to insure that I have received it and that it is retrievable.  You may do this by phoning me or requesting a confirming email from me.   I am most likely to receive it in Microsoft Word Format. 

This course will require you to write three papers that are 4-6 pages in length as follows:

Paper #1.  Due at the beginning of class the fifth class meeting.

1. What are the lessons of the Baldassere book for public managers?   Given the current fiscal situation in California, do any of these lessons apply to the state?  If so, which ones, if not, why not.  Please be sensitive to the importance of transferring lessons, sometimes it is easy, sometimes, it is not.  If you need a primer on the fiscal condition, review the State Budget introductory pages or the Legislative Analyst budget discussions. 

Paper #2. Due at the beginning of the seventh class meeting. 

2. First, identify what you think are the important characteristics of bureaucracies, both those things that define them and those things that make them function less effectively.   Next, identify an organization that you have worked in or near and describe how these characteristics of bureaucracies appeared in your organization.  Please be specific and explain how the organization seems to fit the definition(s) of bureaucracy.  And remember, this is not all negative .

Paper #3 Due the last scheduled class meeting, the day the final would be given. 

3. This paper will be your toolkit paper.  You will turn in a one page summary of your toolkit and a 4-6 page paper explaining to me what 4 or 5 of the items in your toolkit are, why they are important to you, and how you have learned to use them.  We will discuss this more as the semester progresses. 

Details about the group project will be distributed later in the semester.

Editing papers:
Some students are quite comfortable editing their own work and turn in polished, edited work the first time.  In order to reinforce the notion of finished work, I may return papers for editing.  Papers that require further editing will not be given credit until the required editing is complete. 

Important note regarding formatting papers:
All papers are to be typed, double spaced, and fall within the page limits specified.   Please put a cover page on each assignment containing your name, your email, and the assignment title.   Do not use more than 12 point or less than 10 point type.  (No squished margins either!)  Correct punctuation, spelling and citations are expected.   Many different styles of citation are acceptable (except legal) but whatever you use make sure you are consistent.  If you are unsure, consult a style guide. 

The first two papers should be analytical in nature, using the theories and concepts from class to illuminate a particular situation. (See the attachment, “Writing an Analytical Paper”.)  The toolkit paper can be in any format you wish as long as it is narrative.  Written presentation is very important.  You will often be called upon to communicate your thoughts and recommendations clearly and concisely in work environments.  Please take this opportunity to practice and perfect this technique!

Required Readings and Texts

The books are available in the bookstore or you can purchase them at any other location.  Please bring the appropriate readings to class, we will often use them in exercises.  This includes those articles you retrieve electronically.

Baldassare, Mark. (1998) When Government Fails: The Orange County Bankruptcy. Berkeley, CA.: University of California Press.

Hacker, Diane. (1999). A Pocket Style Manual. Third Edition.  Boston: Bedford Books.

Lascher, Edward L. Jr.. (1999). The Politics of Automobile Insurance Reform: Ideas, Institutions, and Public Policy in North America. Washington: Georgetown University Press.

Rainey, Hal. (2003) Understanding and Managing Public Organizations 3^rd Edition.  San Francisco: Jossey Bass.  (Please keep this text as it will be used in the 240 sequence.)

Wheelan, Charles 2003. Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science.  W. W. Norton.

* Articles marked with one asterisk (*) will be available on the webct site.

** Reading excerpts marked with two asterisks (**) will be handed out in class.

Course Outline and Schedule
PPA 200 Fall 2004
Sections 1 (Monday)

August 30 (Monday) : Overview and Introduction to the field
PPA 2000 Self Study, pgs. 3-13
(Each CSUS academic department is reviewed every few years by a faculty committee.  The self study document is prepared by the department to explain the academic discipline, outline student learning goals, explain the curriculum organization etc.. )

Discussion Questions (discussion questions will normally be provided on Web CT):

1. What are your professional goals?
2. What are your academic goals?  What do you expect to know/be able to do when you complete this degree?
3. What do we hope you will take away from this academic experience?

September 13:                     Ethical Dimensions of PPA and The sectors: public, private and non-profit
* McSwite, O.C., (2001) “Theory Competency for MPA-Educated Practitioners”, Public Administration Review, Vol. 61:1

* Walton, John R., James M. Stearns, and Charles T. Crespy, “Integrating Ethics into the Public Administration Curriculum: A three-step Process”, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 16 (1997), pp. 470-483.

* Smith, Robert W. 2003. “Enforcement or Ethical Capacity: Considering the Role of State Ethics Commissions at the Millennium”, Public Administration Review, 63:3. 

ASPA Code of Ethics

Rainey, Chapter 3

September 20:                     Institutional overview and American Government
Federalist Papers #10 and #51 available online at several sites including Yale’s Avalon Project

**Kingdon, John.  America the Unusual pp. 7-17.

September 27:                     State and Local Context and Structure
(This class my be conducted online) 
Baldassare, Chapters 1-3
**Schrag, Peter (1998) Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future. New York: The New Press. pp 7-19.
California Performance Review, pages to be determined, check back on webct.

October 4:                             California Political History and Culture
Baldassere, Chapters 4-9

October 11:                          Roots of PA: Organization Theory and Social Psychology
Rainey, Chapter 1, 2

October 18:                          Roots of PA: Political Science
Lascher, all

October 25:                          Roots of PA: Economics
Wheelan, chapters 1-4

November 1:                           Roots of PA: Economics continued
Wheelan, Chapters 5, 6, 8, 12 and epilogue

November 8:                          Roots of PA: An exceedingly brief history of the Big Questions
* Behn, R. (1995). “The Big Questions of Public Management”, Public Administration Review. 55 (4)

* Kirlin, John. (1996). “The Big Questions of Public Administration in a Democracy”, Public Administration Review. 56 (5).

* Behn, Robert D. (1998) “What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead?” Public Administration Review, 58 (3)

November 15:                      Bureaucracy and Organizational Culture
Rainey, Chapter 8

November 22:                      Integration… which tools when?  Understanding and Addressing Public Issues
Case studies will be distributed

* Shalala, Donna E. (1998). "Are Large Organizations Manageable?" Public Administration Review, 58 (4)

November 29:                      Presentations

December 6:                        Presentations and Wrap up

December 13:                       Final papers due

Writing an Analytical Paper

The easier part:
Use proper grammar, capitalization, punctuation, source citation, italics etc. 

Good paragraphs have the following components:

A topic sentence, usually at the beginning

Supporting evidence

A transition to the next idea

Avoid personalizing (I will now, we do this etc…). 

Answer the question asked.  If it has multiple parts that are not rhetorical, answer all of them. 

Tell the readers what you are going to say.  It is much easier to read analytical work if you know where the author is going.  This is not a mystery novel.

Start at the beginning of the thought, not in the middle.  (How much can you reasonably assume the reader knows?  Who is audience and what is the purpose?) 

Make statements which you can support with evidence as opposed to beliefs.  

Every sentence should make or support a point, hopefully one that is connected to your overall argument. 

Avoid long explanations of details that are irrelevant.   This is probably not the time to dazzle someone with your specialized knowledge of a particular project. 

Watch your choice of words, both incorrect and unintended meanings can get you in trouble. 

Pick a method for citing references and use it consistently. 

The harder part:
Give your total paper a framework, a line of thought that defines and answers the questions posed. 

Use the literature (hopefully multiple authors) to ground your work. 

Be analytical, not editorial or colloquial.

Use the right analytical framework and avoid confusing applications.  Don't use a tool for analyzing policy and programs to analyze an organization.  This is hard to learn, do it consciously…"what level of analysis is this tool designed for?  Is that what I am applying it to?"

Take the time to make the document shorter, clearer.  (huh???) 

Tips
Think about the question being asked for a few days.

Make an outline.

Have someone proofread it. 

Do logic checks…that is, this is a topic sentence and it is supported by the following evidence, this is the analytical tool I'm trying to use because…etc.  

Draft piece for thinking about toolkits

What is a toolkit?
It is a compilation, in whatever form works for you, of those things that help you make sense of the world, the things that provide new perspectives, new insights, and allow you to understand the complex assortment of problems and questions that are raised in organizations.   It allows you to look backward for understanding and forward to solve problems creatively. 

Why do I need a toolkit?
If you are sitting in this class, you have some desire to learn, to get a better education, perhaps to further your career goals.  Sitting here one night a week will not make you a better manager, finding ways to internalize what you have learned, and will learn in other classes, will.  By internalizing I mean making it part of how you think about the world.  Few of us have time to pull a book off the shelf and thumb through it looking for a crisis that needs an answer NOW.  But, most of us, in the 30 seconds it takes to draw breath to respond, can glance at the wall, or the desk, or the inside of your wrist, and look at what is in your toolkit. 

Bennis talks about the fact that leaders force themselves to find time to reflect on what is going on in their lives, both past and projecting forward.  These leaders are seeking to identify lessons and look forward, with some thought, to what might be happening now.  Your toolkit is a way of forcing reflection.  When you come upon a problem you're not sure what to do with, look at your toolkit list while you ponder the problem.    Pretty soon, you won't need the list, it will be part of the way you think.

What form can my toolkit take?
3x5 cards
A sheet of paper
A binder
A collage
The key to a toolkit is to have it visible frequently, someplace where you will use it, and start to incorporate it into the way you think everyday, not just when you have the benefit of reflection.  My toolkit was a 4x6 index card, taped to the wall near my phone.  It had been compiled over the course of my graduate school work, in several spiral bound index card books.  

What should be in my toolkit?
The most critical item about your tool kit is that it is YOURS.  Not mine, not your groups, but yours.  It is those tools that work for you.  The thing that makes the world crystal clear for me may be simply an ancillary thought for you.

Your toolkit should contain the words and phrases and concepts that remind you of the bigger theme behind them.   It should be brief, but meaningful. 

For example, one of the items in my toolkit is simply the word "incentives".  For me that conjures up a story I heard when I visited a friends policy class at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.  The professor was talking about a state where roads where being torn up by cars and trucks.  The policy wonks decided that it would be best to assess a fee to the vehicles which did the most damage.  Naturally, trucks did the most damage so the policy folks suggested a per axle fee be levied against all trucks in the state.  Makes sense right?  Fine the guys who do the damage.  Well, if you charge a fee per axle, what is the incentive you provide?  For the truck drivers who want to reduce their costs, the incentive is to reduce the number of axles.  As you reduce the number of axles, you increase the amount of weight per axle, further damaging the roads -- exactly the opposite affect the policy makers were trying to achieve. 

At some point, policy analysts began to have a conversation about welfare benefits.  If people actually made less money if they went off welfare, what was the incentive to leave the system and work?  Paying attention to what it is that you are encouraging people to do helps me understand how policy solutions sometimes have unintended consequences.

"Incentive" logic can be applied to individuals as well.  Understanding what motivates people can often help address workplace morale issues.  Public organizations in particular seem to have trouble finding ways to reward "good" employees monetarily.  Eventually it becomes clear that punching the clock and doing the minimum required gets you the same pay as going above and beyond the call of duty.  So what is the incentive for an employee to work harder?   What is the incentive for someone to come to work there, to stay, or to work hard? 

I also occasionally think about organizations when I see the word incentive.  For example, what is it that drives this organization?  Is it an organization which gets its revenues from charging fines to the people it regulates?  If so, then what happens if the regulatees disappear?   Sometimes organizations have perverse incentives, if the EPA really cleaned everything up, it would go out of business. 

All these are questions I think about when I see the word "incentive".  

How can I use my toolkit?
Schon talks about being a reflective practitioner, that is, the people who are the most skilled are doing and thinking at the same time, unconsciously.  Weick talked about this in his piece in the Executive Mind as well.  Ed St. John talks about it as individuals framing, deconstructing, and then re-framing concepts.  People learn something, take it apart so it's pieces make sense to them, and then reconstruct it in a way that they can "carry around".  This is a art of building a tool kit.  The use is in finding a way to carry around what you have learned until you no longer need to put it on paper. 

Some other examples from my toolkit
Values - what are the real, unspoken values (sort of a cross between org. culture and incentives)
Who pays? - who is financing this and what are the implications
Inherent tensions - will these people just always be fighting? 
Who are these people? - what are their backgrounds, experiences and the other things that color their perspective and what interest are the representing (spoken or not)
Context - what is it? 
Levels of analysis - what is the right one?  Am I mixing them up?
Neustadt STOP! - Think backwards first, what is the right question here?

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