This course will review and analyze various strategies and methods for assessing the political feasibility of implementing public policies at the federal, state and local levels. Enacting public policy is a dynamic process because of the changing nature of the political environment. Developing and implementing successful public policies requires an array of strategic approaches, skills and resources, while understanding the importance of historical timing and key pressure points in the political system. This course will review and analyze successful and unsuccessful campaigns to bring about public policy change nationally and locally in variety of areas including health care, economics, immigration, energy, environment, hunger/nutrition, veteran’s affairs, agricultural reform and social justice, among others. Class will examine key elements and variables to help develop and implement winning public policy strategies. Students will analyze policy domains at the legislative, executive and bureaucratic levels. They will evaluate indirect policy makers outside of government such as lobbyists, public interest groups, unions, media, public relations firms, business groups, faith-based organizations and individual activists. Course will examine the growing impact the Internet, digital communications and social networking strategies on public policy implementation and public affairs campaigns. Various strategies will be reviewed to develop and implement public policies such as inclusionary, exclusionary and persuasive. Students will be required to examine successful and unsuccessful policy strategies by researching various real world case studies at all governmental levels. Strategies will be evaluated in terms of risk and opportunity for the organization, leadership and constituents. By the end of the course, students will be adept at assessing the political feasibility of implementing current public policies under debate at all levels of government. Class discussion and presentations will focus on some of the Obama Administration’s policy initiatives and strategies requiring students to remain current on the hot policy topics in debate with Congress and in the media. Guest speakers will be invited including legislators, lobbyists, bureaucrats, journalists, business leaders, union and public interest group representatives.
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