January 8 – Welcome, overview and introductions

January 15 – The characteristics of policy and its analysis

• Readings: chapter 1
• Simeon, Richard. 1976. “Studying Public Policy” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 9.4: 548-580.

January 22 – Theoretical approaches to the study of public policy: Political Economy Rational Choice and Institutionalism

• Readings: chapter 2

January 29 – The policy context

• Readings: chapter 3
• Verweig, Marco. 2000. “Why is the River Rhine Cleaner than the Great Lakes?” Law and Society Review, 34.4: 1007-1054

(article review due)

February 5 – Agenda setting

• Readings: chapter 4
• Case study #1

(peer review due)

February 12 – Policy formulation: policy instruments and policy design

• Readings: chapter 5
• Schmidt, Ron. 2007. “Comparing Federal Government Immigrant Settlement Policies in Canada and the United States,” The American Review of Canadian Studies; 37, 1; 103-122.
• Balch, George I. 1980. “The Stick, the Carrot, and Other Strategies: A Theoretical Analysis of Governmental Intervention.” Law and Policy Quarterly, 2.1: 35-60.
• Case study #2

(research proposal outline due)

Note: no class on February 19 due to reading week

February 26 – Public policy decision making

• Readings: chapter 6

March 5 – Policy implementation

• Readings: chapter 7

Briefing note exercise

March 12 – Policy evaluation

• Readings: chapter 8

March 19 – Patterns of policy change

• Readings: chapter 9
• Klassen, Thomas R. and Daniel Buchanan. 2006. “Ideology, policy and economy: Liberal, New Democratic and Conservative reforms of Ontario's welfare program, 1985-2000,” Journal of Canadian Studies. 40.3: 186-210.

April 5 (note this is Monday) – Conclusions and reflections

• No assigned readings

Final paper is due