Stanford University
Political Science 101p: Politics and Public POlicy
Spring 2001, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00-12:20
http://www.stanford.edu/class/polisci101p
Professor David W. Brady
office: Knight Building 314 email: dbrady@stanford.edu
Course Overview
This course is designed to introduce students to the major areas in political science and public policy. The course establishs a framework in which to analyze public policy formation in the United States. In particular, we will analyze how many different interests compete within various democratic institutions to determine policy outcomes. This competition is constrained by our constitutional arrangements, as well as by cultural and electoral forces. Numerous examples of these processes will be drawn from contemporary policy areas. We will study the current debates and prospects for the California energy crisis, the tobacco settlement, and welfare policy, among others policy areas.
Course Requirements
There will also be an in-class midterm exam worth 30% of the final grade, and a final exam worth 30%. There will be 2 assignments, accounting for 20% of the grade. The required sections meet once a week, and your participation in these will determine the remaining 20% of the course grade.
Required Reading
There are three required books:
Brady, David and Craig Volden. Revolving Gridlock. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998.
Fiorina, Morris and Paul Peterson. The New American Democracy. Allyn and Bacon. 1998.
Aaron, Henry J. and Robert Reischauer (eds.). Setting National Priorities: The 2000 Election and Beyond. Brookings Institution. 1999.
There is also a course reader with the remainder of the readings listed in the course outline. The reader will be available for purchase in class and in the history building (building 200).
Course Outline
April 3th:
Course Overview
April 5th -April 10th:
Introductory Case: Daylight Savings Time
California Energy Crisis
Manifesto on the California Electricity Crisis
http://haas.berkeley.edu/news/california_electricity_crisis.html
Assignment 1 handed out
April 12th
Reading:
Sawhill, Isabel V. "Families at Risk." in Setting National Priorities. ch.4.
Burtless, Gary. "Growing American Inequality: Sources and Remedies." in Setting National Priorities. Ch 5.
April 17th-April 19th:
Reading:
The Federalist Papers #10 and #51.
Schattschneider, E.E. "The Scope and Bias of the Pressure System." Chapter two in The Semisovereign People. San Diego: HBJ College Publishers, 1975.
_____. "The Displacement of Conflicts." Chapter four in The Semisovereign People.
Hansen, John Mark. Gaining Access.. Chapters 1, 4.
Scrubbers: A Case Study in Interests Competing over Policies within Institutions
Due: Assignment 1
April 24st:
Fiorina and Peterson, chapter 11.
Mayhew, David. Congress: The Electoral Connection. New Haven: Yale UP.
1974. Ch 1.
Fenno, Richard., Jr. Home Style: House Members in Their Districts. HarperCollins. 1978. "Perceptions of the Constitutuency." ch. 1.
Assignment 2 handed out.
Presidential Elections
Fiorina and Peterson, chapter 10.
Downs, Anthony. "The Statics and Dynamics of Party Ideologies." Chapter eight in An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper & Row, Inc., 1957.
Brady, David W., and Joseph Stewart. "When Election Really Matter: Realignments and Changes in Public Policy." Chapter 1.2 in Do Elections Matter?. New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc, 1986.
Guest Lecturer Dan Kessler.
Reading:
Bulow, Jeremy, and David P. Kessler. "Smoke and Mirrors." Pages 14-15 of Stanford Business, June 1998.
_____. "If You Smoke, Florida Wants to Tax You." Page 25 of The Wall Street Journal, November 26, 1997.
_____. "Robbing Smokers to Pay Lawyers." The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 1998.
Bulow, Jeremy, and Paul Klemperer. 1998. "The Tobacco Deal." Brookings Papers on Economic Activity , Supplement: Microeconomics. 323-394. (Skim the article, Ignore the appendices)
May 3th :
Due: Assignment 2
May 8th:
Congress
Fiorina and Peterson, chapter 12.
Oleszek, Walter J. 1996. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process. 4th edition. ch.3 "The Congressional Budget Process."
Cox, Gary and Matt McCubbins. 1993. Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House. Introduction, Chs. 6,7.
May 10th :
Presidency
Fiorina and Peterson, chapter 13.
Moe, Terry. "The Politicized President." in The New Directions in American Politics. John Chubb s and Paul Peterson (eds.). Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. 1985.
May 15th :
Courts: Structure of the Judiciary
Fiorina and Peterson, chapter 15.
The Policy Process: An Overview
May 17th - May 22nd:
Brady, David W., and Craig Volden. Revolving Gridlock. Entire book.
Cogan, John. "The Dispersion of Spending Authority and Federal Budget Deficits." Chapter two in The Budget Puzzle: Understanding Federal Spending. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994.
Cogan, John F. "The Congressional Response to Social Security Surpluses, 1935-1994." Hoover Institution Essays in Public Policy No. 92, 1998.
Assignment 3 handed out --- also counts as half of the final exam.
May 24th -May 29th:
Reischauer, Robert D. "The Dawning of a New Era." in Setting National Priorities.
Ch 1.
O'Hanlon, Michael "Defense and Foreign Policy: Time to End the Budget Cuts." in Setting National Priorities. Ch 2.
Aaron, Henry J and Robert D. Reischauer. "Paying for an Elderly Population." in Setting National Priorities. ch. 6.
Aaron, Henry J., William Gale, and James Sly. "The Rocky Road to Tax Reform." in
Setting National Priorities. Ch. 7.
May 31st Free Day --- Content to be Determined.
June 5th:
Monday, June 11th:
Final Examination 7:00-10:00pm
Teaching Assistant List
office hours to be announced in section
David Law davidlaw@stanford.edu
Jeremy Pope jpope@stanford.edu
James Strickler vjames@stanford.edu
Shawn Treier satreier@stanford.edu (head TA)
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