POLITICAL SCIENCE 310 Public Bureaucracy in the Policy Process (Hybrid) Michigan State University Summer 2009 Instructor: Phone Office Hours

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1 POLITICAL SCIENCE 310 Public Bureaucracy in the Policy Process (Hybrid) Michigan State University Summer 2009 Instructor: Professor Davia Cox Downey Phone: Office Hours: By appointment only Introduction: A traditional view of policy making under the United States Constitution is that bills are proposed and become law through an orderly sequence of events: The Congress or President proposes, Congress considers and passes, the President signs or vetoes, and government bureaucrats dutifully put any changes into effect. However, public policy is often created in an atmosphere where competing interests between agencies, bureaucrats, interest groups and the public muddle the ability of policymaking to be straightforward. This course seeks to introduce students to the theories of public policymaking in the United States, the role of bureaucracy in the process of implementing public policy and the complicated role of the 4 th branch of government in the United States. Required Texts: 1. Fesler, James W., and Donald F. Kettl. The Politics of the Administrative Process. New York: C Q Press College, Henry, Nicholas. Public Administration and Public Affairs, Pearson/Prentice Hall: New York, Course Requirements: Exams: There will be two exams, a midterm exam and a final exam. Both are take home exams due 24 hours after the exam is sent. Each exam will comprise a series of multiple choice and short essay questions taken from the readings and online lecture notes. The final is not comprehensive. The first exam will be worth 30% and the second exam will each be worth 30% of your final grade (60% of your total grade). Agency Review Paper: Students will choose a bureaucratic agency of their choice, at the level of government of their choice, and write an agency review. This paper will be 3-5 pages in length and should discuss: the agencies mission, population served, services provided, policy area it is involved in, type of policy the agency carries out (i.e., type: regulatory, substantive, procedural, etc.), and discuss which groups (in the public at large or interested interest groups) are most affected by the policies the agency is responsible for. If applicable, the paper should discuss any laws recently passed that affect the agency directly. The paper will be due on the final day of class and is worth 20% of your grade. It may help to use Kettl and Fesler s examples in Chapter 6 or in the Abbreviations and Acronym page as a starting off point, if you need assistance finding a local or state agency to review, please see me.

2 Paper Due Dates: Agency Choice Submitted Final Paper Due June 10th July 1 st Discussion Forums: Each week, a number of questions will be posed for students at the end of posted lecture notes (They are also listed below). The responses should be submitted using the Angel Drop Box feature online. Reponses to questions posed will be graded on a 1-5 point scale (1= a basic response to 5= a detailed response). These scores will be tabulated each week and will be worth 20% of your final grade. These answers should be no more than 2 pages in length. Grading: The assignment of letter grades is based on the following: Scale: < Exam 1-30% Exam 2-30% Agency Review Paper- 20% Discussion Forum Drop Box- 20% Failure to complete the assignments above by the due date will result in a deduction of points. The instructor will review drafts of the final paper if turned in by June 23 rd, Students should not view this as an opportunity to have their drafts graded. Comments on drafts will be on content and organization of the paper only. I will only accept completed drafts. Academic Integrity: The principles of truth and honesty are fundamental to the educational process and the academic integrity of the University; therefore, no student shall: 1.01 claim or submit the academic work of another as one's own procure, provide, accept or use any materials containing questions or answers to any examination or assignment without proper authorization complete or attempt to complete any assignment or examination for another individual without proper authorization allows any examination or assignment to be completed for oneself, in part or in total, by another without proper authorization alters, tamper with, appropriate, destroy or otherwise interfere with the research, resources, or other academic work of another person fabricates or falsifies data or results.

3 See: General Student Regulations for more detail. Disability Policy: MSU s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) houses the resources for students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the RCPD for coordination of services. For additional information, visit: Writing Center: MSU s Writing Center Network is available for students who seek input and help with writing. Please visit: for details. Wikipedia: At no time during this course should wikipedia be used as a legitimate source of information. For final papers: journal articles, books, newspapers, in person interviews, public documents and government documents are the only sources that will be accepted. Schedule: Week 1: Introduction: What is Public Bureaucracy? What is the Role of Bureaucracy in the Policy Process? Topics: Instructor and student introductions; course introduction, requirements and expectations; Public administration--roots, context, values, change; the role of bureaucracy in politics and policy-making. ASSIGNMENT: Prepare a brief statement in response to the following questions: What is the meaning of the politics-administration dichotomy, and why is it important in the evolution of public administration? Readings: Henry Ch. 1-2, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 1-2 Week 2: Organizational Design in Public Organizations Topics: Open vs. Closed Organizations; The Administrative State; Theories of Organizations. ASSIGNMENT: Respond to the following questions: Distinguish between the formal organization and the informal group within it. What purposes does the latter serve? What does it mean to say that an informal group can develop norms or values which conflict with the formal organization's values? Readings: Henry Ch. 3 and 4, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 3, 4 and 7 Week 3: The Civil Service System Topics: The role of human capital; the development of the civil service system; Affirmative Action Issues; and the problem of leadership. ASSIGNMENT: Respond to the following questions: Does patronage in government hiring make government more or less "democratic"? How does the creation of a permanent, neutral civil service affect public control over the bureaucracy?

4 Readings: Henry Ch. 9, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 8 and 9 MIDTERM EXAM: Take Home Wednesday June 10 th (due Thursday June 11 th by 5 pm) Week 4: Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations and Separation of Powers Topics: Executive power, the role of the courts, Federalism, and the role of state and local governments in policy. ASSIGNMENT: Respond to the following questions: What is fiscal federalism? How does federalism complicate the role of smaller units of government? What is the role of the executive in the intergovernmental relationship? Readings: Henry Ch. 12, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 13 and 14. Week 5: The Public Budget Topics: The role of budgeting in bureaucracy; Government expenditures; nature of and reasons for; sources of revenue; budgeting processes, concepts; reform. ASSIGNMENT: Respond to the following questions: How is budgeting a "political" process? Of what value are such efforts at "rationalizing" the budget process as PPBS and ZBB? Why have these "rational" approaches to budgeting been so difficult to implement effectively in American government? Readings: Henry Ch. 8, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 11 Week 5: The Role of Bureaucrats in Policymaking Implementation Topics: Incrementalism, Rational Choice, Public Choice, and bargaining; contracting out and the role of privatization in policy implementation. ASSIGNMENT: Answer the following questions: Compare and contrast the different approaches to implanting public policy in the United States. Which approach is most realistic? What are the consequences of choosing one approach over another? Readings: Henry Ch. 10 and 11, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 10 and 12 Week 7: Evaluation and Reform Topics: Measuring productivity, program evaluation; the public s interests; administrative reform ASSIGNMENT: Answer the following questions: Discuss the various attempts to reinvent the bureaucratic state in the United States, have these attempts been successful? If so why or why not? What measures seem to work best in measuring government performance?

5 Readings: Henry Ch. 7, Kettl and Fesler Ch. 5 FINAL EXAM: Take Home Wednesday, July 1st (Due by 5 pm July 2 nd )