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Public Policy Bulletin Board

Edition #6: 12/7/2008

In class on December 4, we discussed and agreed on the format and assignment for the final report, which counts 24 points toward your grade. We will discuss your progress on the report in class on December 11. We will also review the policy prescriptions for building a sustainable world, Brown chapters 7-13. We can discuss your report in that context in our class of December 11.

The final report is due by December 18, but can be transmitted in advance. I will be in our classroom at our regular time, 6:00 PM, to assist should you have problems. I will depart by 6:30 PM, however.

Edition #5: 10/23/2008

We start Part II today, culminating with an exam on November 20. Our agenda is found on the Schedule. We will debrief on the election. Please note Greenspan notes Error in Regulatory View in today's New York Times. We will hold brief group meetings near the end of our class tonight.

Edition #4: 9/29/2008

I have adjusted the schedule to allow an extra week before the exam on Part I of Public Policy, now scheduled for October 16.

For class on October 2, please read the appropriate sections in Lester Brown, Plan B 3.0 Part I, that corresponds to your group's theme: energy & climate change, social aspects, and natural capital. The lecture and discussion will include these topics:

1. Introduction to agenda setting
2. Setting the agenda
3. Definitions: simple and explanatory
4. Agenda typology
5. Who sets the agenda and how
6. How to study the agenda
7. Bias and the exercise of power

We will discuss your topic and theme in the groups after the break. Class will end early to allow us all to watch the important Vice-Presidential debate, from 9 PM to 10:30 PM.

Edition #4: 9/23/2008

Meet your economic policy makers and notice their contrasting style. The engagement of of the U.S. Senate in the current financial crisis adds to the drama. The stakes are high, now estimated at $700 billion, but this is how the role of government burgeons in a complex world. Expect a rough ride as the executive and legislative branches wrangle over this very big deal.

Our agenda for class on 9/25/2008 will be to start with the definition of public policy and move rapidly through agenda and power. Read in advance.

We will dedicate about 45 minutes to form groups around our three theme for sustainability:

• Energy and climate: see my notes on energy and on climate change
• Natural capital: Earth restoration; see my notes on Natural Systems
• Social needs: hunger, poverty, women, children, exclusion; see my notes on Social Divide.

Note that we will interpret U.S. policy on sustainability in a global context. The outline of the policy prescriptions later in Brown's Plan B 3.0 roughly follow this format.

Please watch the first Presidential debate on Friday evening at 9:00 PM.

Edition #3: 9/17/2008

The financial sector meltdown continues. The Federal Reserve Bank Chair Ben Bernanke is an expert on financial distress, which will serve us well. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulsen has been flexible and, at times, aggressive in the use of federal authority to calm jittery markets. The response by Paulsen and Bernanke to the failure of insurance giant AIG demonstrates how the role of government in the economy enlarges, not due to ideological convictions but out of practical and urgent necessity. Paulsen, however, let the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy stand. Examine a summary analysis in the New York Times.

The agenda for our class of 9/17/2008 includes:

1. Roster and business
2. Review of financial crisis as policy watershed for economic regulation. See articles from last class. Read a feature article in the New York Times. Examine how the policy unfolds.
3. We will conclude the Introduction.
4. Break around 7:45
5. How to study public policy
6. If time permits, we will take the What is your political ideology quiz
7. Framing the final report: follow up on sustainability policy workshop

Edition #2: 9/9/2008

The agenda for our class meeting of 9/11 is:

1. Roster and business
2. Policy events:
   • McCain acceptance speech and contrast with Obama -- see recap in New York Daily News.
   • Where are we on the electoral map and in the presidential election?
   • The Federal Housing Finance Administration now exists to facilitate the financing of the American Dream commitment of home ownership. This is a major expansion in the role of government in society and in the national economy. What is going on here? Read a feature article in the New York Times. Find out about some of the details of this historic and complex event. Examine how the policy unfolds.
   • Remembering 9/11/2001. What happened? What did it mean? What did it do to the role of government?
   • The federal budget deficit balloons to $407 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. See an article in the Wall Street Journal and another in Forbes Magazine.
3. Introduction to public policy, all topics
4. Class on-line quiz on political ideology
5. Framing the report on world sustainability: class discussion

Edition #1: 9/3/2008

Welcome to the first edition of our Public Policy Bulletin Board for the fall 2008 term. Drop by at least once each week for updates, agenda, reminders, news, and tips. Peruse the course materials to get the feel for the Public Policy Web Site, especially the Schedule. The web site and its linked resources comprise the main text for the course. The Public Policy Web Site, which prints to over 200 pages, is a work in progress. Courseware, like software, needs to be maintained and debugged, so your forbearance and your feedback are appreciated.

Please note the agenda for our first class, September 4, 2008. Please note that attendance will be taken and absences of all who are registered at that time will be recorded. Please note in the Ramapo College Academic Calendar that the last day for schedule adjustments is September 10.

Experiential learning assignments: We need to follow the Presidential election and will discuss the latest events during each class up to the election, then debrief what happened after the election. The on-going elections, including Congress and governorships, provide an illumination of the politics and policy choices of the USA.

1. Please view the acceptance speech by Senator John McCain at the RNC convention tonight around 10 PM. Be prepared to discuss the speech, what it means, and what it does during class next week.
2. View the following web sites that track polling and electoral votes for the Presidential election:
   • Pollster.com's electoral map
   • Electoral-vote.com also offers an electoral map.
   • Follow highlights and polling at RealClearPolitics.com.
   • A highly reputable betting site, InTrade Political Markets, is worth following as well.
   • Check the Gallup Poll for recent tracking polls and issues.
   • Figure out your own Electoral College results at 270ToWin.com. Develop your own scenarios. You will learn a whole lot.

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The Public Policy Cycle Web Site | © Wayne Hayes, Ph.D. | ™ ProfWork | wayne@profwork.com
Initialized: 9/7/2004 | Last Update: 12/7/2008