American Public Policy

This course provides an introduction to the study of American public
policy.  The emphasis is on understanding politics -- why government
responds to particular problems in particular ways.  The course focuses on
the political processes through which the federal government has developed
an extensive range of domestic policies in areas such as health care,
taxation, social security, and the environment.  Readings and lectures are
structured around three overlapping components: (1) an overview of
theories of public policymaking; (2) an analysis of the major institutions
of American national government and their relationships to the
policymaking process; and (3) a series of case studies, that allow more
detailed investigation of political struggles over pressing domestic
issues.