Political Science 201

Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy

Professor Keiser

Spring Term 1997

The making of public policy in the United States is a complex endeavor. Many voices seek influence over public policy including individual citizens, interest groups, PACs, and political parties. In our federal system, policy is made at the local, state, and national levels and the interaction of these levels resembles a marble cake more than a layer cake. In each of these levels there are executive, legislative and judicial branches which are arenas for the shaping of policy. Often these arenas are not solely forums for interest articulation, conflict, and conciliation; these arenas are also actors which possess institutional interests that have an influence on public policy. Quite similarly, we may think of the media as an institution that reports the efforts of interests groups to shape policy yet it should be obvious that the media quite frequently have an interest and a stake in policy outcomes. and then there are the bureaucracies at all levels, in which policies are often made (because the laws that have been passed are written with vagueness and flexibility), always implemented and sometimes evaluated. The American political system has many openings through which a diversity of interests can be heard and when one avenue is preempted, many others remain available. About half of this course will focus on these aspects of policy making. We will examine how the structurally determined dispersion of political power systematically influences policy outcomes.

Yet even with all of these opportunities for the exertion of influence, many citizens feel powerless in the political system. Some nonvoters undoubtedly do not vote for this reason. Others vote but feel unefficacious in a system that they correctly perceive to be dominated by powerful interest group lobbies and big financial donors. It is widely accepted that money buys access (if not more) and access is a prerequisite for influence. The idea that individual voters or even mobilized factions with meager financial resources can have influence is widely dismissed as civics text balderdash. The second part of this course will not focus on these reasons for cynicism; rather, we will focus on the avenues of opportunity and the tools that seem most promising to those with the least financial power. If the one aspect of the course answers the question of how the powerful consolidate and exercise political power, the second part asks how might the subordinated gain empowerment.

My office is 417 Willis and my phone is 646-4122. Office hours will be announced in the first week of class. My e-mail is RKeiser@Carleton.edu. Class presentation and summaries are 10% of grade, class participation and attendance is 10%, paper is 20%, and each exam is 30%. Failure to complete any of these assignments may result in an "F" in the course. No senior options.

Course Plan

Wed: Ripley and Franklin, Congress, the Bureaucracy and Public Policy, chs. 1-3. Much of this should be a review of material familiar to students who have taken PS 122. Pull out your old textbook and look up "iron triangles" and "subgovernments."

Fri: Ripley and Franklin, ch. 4. Come to class prepared to answer the following: What are distributive policies? What are the characteristics, the descriptive traits of policies that are distributive? What actors are

the typical proponents and typical opponents of distributive policy?

Mon2: Evans, "Reconciling Pork-Barrel Politics and National Transportation Policy," RESERVE=RR; view the video, "The Power Game: Pentagon" RR.

Wed: Ripley and Franklin, ch. 6

Fri: Ripley and Franklin, chs. 5, 8. Come to class prepared to explain how the Ripley and Franklin book addresses the two themes of the course mentioned in the syllabus.

Mon3: T. Moe, The Organization of Interests, ch. 2, RESERVE. How does the problem of the orchestration of collective action by actual and potential interest groups relate to the themes of our previous classes?

Wed: M. Lipsky, "Protest as a Political Resource," RR. Is Protest A Valuable Resource?

Fri: L. Killian, "The Significance of Extremism in the Black Revolution," RR; H. Haines, Black Radicals and the Civil Rights Mainstream, 1954-1970, 2 chapters RR; J. Walker, "Protest and Negotiation: A Case Study of Negro Leadership in Atlanta, Georgia," RR; S. Barkan, "Strategic, Tactical and Organizational Dilemmas of the Protest Movement Against Nuclear Power," RR.

Mon4: PAPER DUE! Two pages, double spaced, use short citations. Lipsky wrote prior to three of the four readings from Monday. You have been invited to coauthor a revised version of Lipsky's article, and he has asked you to suggest specific changes that he should consider, based on these articles. He believes his work has stood the test of time, so you must be persuasive not merely assertive in your suggested changes.

Wed: TBA.

Fri: Browning, Marshall, and Tabb, Protest Is Not Enough, chs. 1-3. Two students will present a three page, double-spaced summary of the highlights of the arguments of chs. 1-3, about one page per chapter. Students will lead class, organize it any way (Wilson says "organization matters"). You are responsible for getting these 4 pages to all of your fellow students and to me by the start of class.

Mon5: Browning, Marshall, and Tabb, chs. 4-5. Two students, two pages, two chapters, as above.

Wed: Browning, Marshall, and Tabb, chs. 6-7. Two students, two pages, two chapters, as above.

Fri: First Exam In Class

Mon6: Midterm Break

Wed: Wilson, Bureaucracy, chs. 1-6. Two students will present a four page, double-spaced summary of the highlights of the arguments of chs. 3-6 (4 pages, 4 chapters, 2 students). Fri: Wilson, chs. 7-9. Two students, three pages (three chapters). Same deal as above.

Mon7: Wilson, chs. 10-12. Two students, three pages, as above.

Wed: Wilson, chs. 13-16. Two students, four pages, as above.

Fri: Wilson, chs. 17-20. Two students, four pages, as above.

Mon8: M. Lipsky, "Street Level Bureaucracy and the Analysis of Urban Reform," RR; Lipsky, Street Level Bureaucracy, chs. 4 and 11, RR. Note these are 3 separate readings.

Wed: Review of Bureaucracy in Wilson and Lipsky

Fri: Cronin, Direct Democracy, chs 1-3. . Two students, three pages (three chapters). Same deal as above.

Mon9: Cronin, chs. 4-5. Two students, two pages.

Wed: Cronin, chs. 6-8. Two students, three pages.

Fri: Cronin, ch. 9

Mon10: TBA

Wed: Second Exam In Class