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Foundations of Policy Analysis
This course introduces students to the scope, methods, issues, and evolution of policy studies. Students learn and apply various frameworks for approaching the enterprise of policy analysis, become familiar with the logic and applicability of analytical techniques, and gain an appreciation for the ethical issue, values, and context of government policy.

Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis I & II
Quantitative Methods I applies descriptive statistics and statistical inference methods to policy analysis. Includes measures of central tendency and dispersion, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and bivariate regression. Quantitative Methods II applies regression analysis techniques to policy analysis. The course focuses on understanding the linear regression model as well as limitations of this model.

Economics for Policy Analysis
This course covers microeconomic tools for policy analysts, including resource scarcity, opportunity cost, theory of the consumer, theory of the firm, consumer, and producer surplus, market equilibrium, allocative and productive efficiency, welfare economics, market failure, intended and unintended consequences of policy interventions, efficiency versus equity, and cost-benefit analysis.

Ethical Issues in Public Policy
Consideration of the ethical issues that arise in the formation and implementation of public policy. Includes the use of ethical standards as a guide to public policy making, how they differ from other approaches to decision making, and analysis of specific ethical controversies and challenges.

Cost Benefit Analysis
Course on the theory and practice of applied welfare economics for evaluating private, nonprofit, and public projects from a public interest standpoint. Development and illustration of cost benefit analysis concepts, techniques, methods, and criteria through applications to a wide range of public policy issues such as economic development, infrastructure, social, and environmental projects. Integrated use of spreadsheet modeling framework to quantify benefits and costs, and to facilitate sensitivity and risk analysis.

Policy Process
An introduction to the policy process, especially as it takes place in the U.S. political system. Various theoretical approaches and models for the study of agenda setting, policy adoption, implementation, and evaluation are reviewed and applied, along with an examination of the legal and constitutional context.

Global Governance and Public Policy
Considers what it means to govern and to create and carry out public policy at the global level. The course examines institutions with international scope such as the World Bank; the UN system and international NGOs; and policy issues with cross-national dimensions such as climate change, trade, and human rights.

Public Program Evaluation
Introduction to the elements of policy and program analysis. Normative criteria for program evaluation; systematic strategies for assessing and measuring the effects of program elements and policy changes; and logic and limitations.