DRAFT – Some changes may be made but books will stay same
California State University Sacramento
Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration
PPA 200
Introduction to Public Policy and Administration
Fall 2005
Section 2: Saturdays
August 27th to October 15th 8:30-4:30
Mary K. Kirlin Office: Tahoe Hall 3033
278-4209 (o) Office hours: Tuesday 2-4 pm
480-0525 (h) or by appointment
email: kirlinm@csus.edu
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:
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 J.
I will rarely lecture for more than an hour or so; 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 or on the weekends. 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.
Paper #1. Due at the beginning of class September 10
Paper #2. Due at the beginning of class September 24.
Paper #3 Due October 28th
Details about the group project will be distributed the first day of class.
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 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. If you are unsure
about style, consult the Hacker 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 as 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 3rd 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 2005
This may be amended as mutually agreed
August 27 : Overview and
Introduction to the field
PPA Self Study
Draft, 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.. )
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. 1997. “Integrating Ethics into the Public Administration Curriculum: A three-step Process”, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (16). 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 10: Institutional
Overviews: Federal and State Government and the California context
Federalist
Papers #10 and #51 available online at several sites including Yale’s
Avalon Project
***Kingdon, John. America the Unusual pp. 7-17.
Baldassare, all
**Schrag, Peter. 1998. Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future. New York: The New Press. pp 7-19.
Starr, Kevin. Undated. California The Dream, The Challenge
September 17: Roots
of PA: Organization Theory and Social Psychology, Bureaucracy and
Organizational Culture
Rainey, Chapter 1, 2, 8
September 24 Roots
of PA: Political Science and the Big Questions
Lascher, all
* 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)
October 1: Roots
of PA: Economics
Wheelan, chapters 1-6, 8, 12 and epilogue
October 15: Presentations
and Wrap up
Shalala, Donna E. 1998. "Are Large Organizations
Manageable?" Public Administration Review, 58 (4)
October 24: Final Papers Due
Writing an Analytical Paper
The easier part:
Use proper grammar, capitalization, punctuation, source citation, italics etc.
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?