The making of public policy in the United States is a complex endeavor. Those who seek to influence policy are typically organized into interest groups and this course will devote considerable attention to an analysis of how interest groups influence policy making and what kinds of resources enable interest groups to be highly effective. In our federal system, policy is made at the local, state, and national levels. In each of these levels there are executive, legislative and judicial branches which are arenas for the shaping of policy. The government officials who occupy these offices are not merely receptors of interest group influence; rather, they have their own interests and agendas, which may reflect personal predispositions, advice from staff or policy think tanks, perceptions of diffuse public interest, and a variety of other sources, all of which will be explored. Another topic of this course will be 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.

Six books for the course (Kingdon, Waldman, Wright, Stone, Lipsky, and Costain & McFarland are the authors) are available at the bookstore and are on reserve at the library. Additional required readings are labeled RR on the syllabus and are on reserve at the library. 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 participation and attendance are 10% of grade, three assignments total 30 percent, and the two exams are each 30 percent. Late penalty of one letter grade per day may be assessed on any assignment.

Grade standards:

A=excellent, showing unusual insight into the topic through thinking that goes beyond the material as presented.

B=good, showing complete comprehension of all materials and ideas presented, not merely in their constituent parts but in a holistic manner. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are flawless.

C=fair, an ability to regurgitate some important aspects of some materials covered in the course but unfamiliarity with other equally important parts.

D=poor, little demonstration of understanding of the material as evidenced by inaccurate and confused discussions of the subject and an incomplete approach.

W1: Kingdon, chs. 1-3.

Fri: Kingdon, ch. 4-5.

Assignment due next Friday by 4 pm: Read any article or chapter from Kingdon, ch. 4, footnotes 6, 9, 10, or 12. Write a three-page synopsis of the argument being judicious in your use of quotations. You may add a fourth page of analytical exposition (for deeper understanding and integration into our course material) or critique if you feel up to the challenge.

M2: Waldman, The Bill, chs. 1-5. At least 3 students will do separate 2-4 page summaries.

W: Waldman, The Bill, chs. 6-11.

F: Waldman, The Bill, chs. 12-Epilogue.

M3: Lindblom, chs. 10, 12-17, 23 RR.

W: Bartlett and Steel, "Corporate Welfare Series" RR and two NYT articles, "The Business of Persuasion Thrives" (9/29/98) and "New Form of Mass Lobbying Puts Public Face on Private Interest" (10/30/98).

Wednesday evening screening of video Vote for Me

F: Vote for Me discussion

?? Have you ever discovered the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences? When I was an undergraduate, I thought of it as a resource that professors didn't want students to discover because it contained too much information in too accessible a format. Check out some terms such as pluralism, elitism, and see if any terms introduced in the course thus far are defined and discussed.

M4: Stone & Sanders, The Politics of Urban Development, ch 2 RR; Keiser, Subordination or Empowerment, ch. 5 RR.

W: Kingdon, chs. 6-7; Heclo, "Political Executives: A Government of Strangers," RR; Heclo, "The In-and-Outer System," RR.

F: Wright, ch. 3-5. Review chs. 1-2 if necessary.

M5: Wright, chs. 6-7

W: Kingdon, chs. 8-10

F: TBA, no readings.

M6: Midterm Break

Tuesday: Take-home examination due by 5 pm.

W: Stone, chs. 1-5

F: Stone, chs. 6-10

M7: Further discussion

W: Stone, chs. 11-Conclusion

F: Review Stone. Assignment due in class (or choose Lipsky assignment, one week later): You have been asked to give a lecture on Stone's book to a group of undergraduate political science majors who have not read the book. Prepare the full of text of four separate points or themes that capture the most salient arguments of the book. Four to six pages double spaced.

M8: Lipsky, chs. 1-6

W: Lipsky, chs. 7-10

F: Lipsky, chs. 11-13

M9: Lipsky, review. Assignment due in class (unless you did Stone assignment, one week earlier): You have been asked to give a lecture on Lipsky's book to a group of undergraduate political science majors who have not read the book. Prepare the full text of four separate points or themes that capture the most salient arguments of the book. Four to six pages double spaced.

W: Costain & McFarland, eds., chs. 1, 3, 15

F: Costain & McFarland, eds., chs. 4-6 and 7-8. Read at least one chapter from each section. Students will be assigned to discuss and present synopses of each chapter.

M10: Costain & McFarland, eds., chs. 9-11 and 12-15. Read at least one chapter from each section. Students will be assigned to discuss and present synopses of each chapter.

W: Wrap Up