University of Calgary : Public Policy PPOL

Public Policy PPOL

PPOL 601 603 605 607 609 611 613 615 617 619 621 623

Instruction offered by members of the School of Public Policy and individual faculties.

Public Policy 601

Foundations I

This preparatory course covers the foundations necessary to understand and apply economic analysis and it covers selected topics relevant to the core courses listed below.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA

Public Policy 603

Foundations II

This preparatory course covers the foundations of basic empirical analysis, including quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA

Public Policy 605

Markets and Public Policy

The role of markets in the allocation of resources and the determination of income. Sources of market failure, and the appropriate public policy response to those failures, are examined. Students learn how private firms make decisions, and how they respond to policy initiatives.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 607

Politics and Collective Choice

How public policy issues emerge and how they are developed, refined, and influenced by the political process. The roles and influences of NGOs, interest groups, the media, political parties, and social protest on the development of new public policies are examined from the perspective of several disciplines. The importance of agenda setting, management and planning, policy reform and the organizational resistance to change is examined. Models of rational actors and bureaucratic behaviour are explored.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 609

Decision Analysis

The focus is on the foundations, applications and use of quantitative methods commonly used in decision making in the public and private sectors. Included are methods such as impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis, surveys, game theory and risk management tools.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 611

Independent Study

Supervised individual study in a selected public policy area.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

Public Policy 613

Effective Writing and Research Skills

Development of skills for writing high quality documents in a professional setting. Defining, designing and executing applied, policy-oriented research.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 615

Public Finances

An overview of government finances and the restrictions on policy choices resulting from the need for governments to satisfy a budget constraint. Tax policy, the appropriate design of expenditure policies, policies with respect to deficits and debt, and issues of intergovernmental relations will be examined.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 617

Regulation and the Law

The role of international and national legal institutions in determining public policy choices. Legal research and interpretation skills are developed through specific public policy issues such as the design of market regulation in telecommunications, energy and various utility markets.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 619

Governance, Institutions and Public Policy

An examination of the rules and informal relationships among those determining public policy outcomes. Alternative institutional relationships and the evolution of those relationships are studied. The ever-changing dynamic of multi-level governance and court versus legislative public policy making are explored.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 621

Communicating Policy

Examines all aspects of communication in the context of policy, including the impact of new modes of communication on the development and dissemination of public policy. The new role of blogs, online communities, and web-based media at marshalling and influencing public opinion and the changing role of print media are discussed and evaluated. Implications for copyright policies, media concentration, privacy, and advertising are among the issues examined.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(3-0)

Public Policy 623

Capstone Project

Students learn methods by which research contributes to the design and development of policy outcomes. Students are required to apply the skills they have learned to the completion of a capstone project which investigates a well-defined issue of public policy. The final product of the capstone project is expected to be a substantive, well-researched, focused and highly professional document. Work on the capstone project will be guided by a School of Public Policy faculty member and may include input provided by an expert from the private sector or public sector.
Course Hours: 3 units; H(9-0)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA

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