These two-part mid-career global leadership development courses (1.5 credit course in the summer and spring) provide intensive, collaborative, and highly interactive hands-on instruction, constructive evaluation, and ample opportunities to transform theory into practice. It utilizes cutting-edge, research-based methodologies and customized case studies to build the next generation of leaders that turn differences into opportunities, ideas into solutions, and knowledge into action. Students will acquire a variety of leadership skills in global contexts, including cross-cultural negotiation strategies, consensus building, collaborative facilitation, persuasion, inclusionary leadership, design-thinking-based problem-solving techniques, and public speaking in knowledge-intensive industries. They will gain a competitive edge in their professional careers by participating in a variety of simulation games, role-playing exercises, and mock public policy panels to apply the skills they have learned and receive valuable feedback.
Prior to the SIPA orientation, MPA-DP students participate in a week-long intensive program called Getting Started. The program introduces students to the MPA-DP program, including skills and resources that lay the foundation for a successful graduate learning experience.
Examines international finance and the institutions and principles governing the functioning of the international monetary system. Among the topics discussed are the structure, operation, and stability of foreign exchange markets, the causes and consequences of international accounts disequilibria, the mechanisms of balance-of-payments adjustment, the merits of different exchange rate regimes, financial crises, the effects of international capital mobility on trade, growth, and employment, and the problem of international policy coordination.
This course deals with how public and non-profit agencies interact with their external environment: how they generate revenue, and develop brand identity. The class further discusses the application of private sector marketing techniques to non-profit and governmental organization as well as methodologies and uses of strategic planning in the public sector.
The purpose of this course is to explore, identify and detail the connectivity between good governance and the realization of social wellbeing, economic justice and environmental health. Occurring in many forms, corruption is currently a worldwide phenomenon that impedes the realization of human rights, economic development and environmental stewardship by obstructing the rule of law and the administration of justice, whether subtly or blatantly. The meaningful and functional institution of anti-corruption measures depends upon an understanding of both attitudinal and transactional deficiencies in human affairs across many dimensions of malpractice in public service. Attitudinal deficiencies are often intangible, as in cases of narcissistic disorder, normalized collusion and cultural hypocrisy. Transactional deficiencies are often tangible, as in cases of immediate conflict of interest, ranging from gifts and bribes, to self-dealt compensation and investment, besides nepotism, cronyism and favoritism; and intermediate conflict of interest, ranging from undue influence to campaign contributions, voter suasion and lobbyist support, in exchange for regulatory loopholes, waivers, earmarks, bailouts, subsidies, permits and contracts, besides perquisites such as honoraria, board directorships and revolving-door career advancements.
The course has four primary sections, each addressing in three subsections a domain or theater of ethics, which is distinct from but interconnected with the others. The first section addresses ethics in discourse, particularly the contemporary need to frame ethics in global, scientific and practical terms. The second addresses ethics in leadership, especially the current debates about the traits, authenticity and efficacy of leaders. The third section addresses ethics in management, including the peculiar hazards or pathologies of its main forms: loyalty-based, science-based, and behavior-based management. The last section of the course addresses ethics in society, including three critical sets of values that are significantly determinate with regard to achieving good governance: public, civic and social values, associated with governmental, nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Cost-benefit analysis and the economic evaluation of policies and projects. The course consists of two parts: methodology and practice. The goal is to be practically adept, not methodologically sophisticated. The goal is to give you the necessary skills and confidence to undertake an independent cost-benefit analysis.
Cost-benefit analysis and the economic evaluation of policies and projects. The course consists of two parts: methodology and practice. The goal is to be practically adept, not methodologically sophisticated. The goal is to give you the necessary skills and confidence to undertake an independent cost-benefit analysis.
The Global Leadership Seminar II is one of the core classes of the MPA in Global Leadership. It provides students with concrete lessons on the practice of leadership, enables students the opportunity to interface with established leaders across the spheres of government and civil society. The course culminates with each student submitting and presenting a plan to address a global policy challenge.
Strategic Management of Information and Communication Technologies for the Public Good” addresses the spectrum of policy issues, options, and critical decisions confronting senior managers in the public sphere. Classes will be taught by a combination of lecture, readings, and case. Each class will address policy, technical, and managerial challenges for a particular domain of practice from the introduction or use of established and leading-edge information and communication technologies (ICTs), among them cloud, mobile and social. Arenas may include, for example, health, education, energy, economic development, transportation, civic engagement, law enforcement, human resources, social services, transportation, or compliance and regulatory affairs. The cases will involve a variety of managerial dilemmas and decisions, from governance to transparency, performance management to project management, and be generalizable across multiple domains, arenas, and technologies. Our goal is to expose students to the broadest range of policy challenges, and technologies comprising ICTs in use in the principal domains of practice, giving students a comprehensive exposure to the issues and opportunities as managers encounter them today - and will in the very near future. The course is intended for general, non-technical managers and assumes no engineering capability greater than plugging in a USB stick.
The class focuses on strategies for optimal decisionmaking by managers in the public and private sectors. At the level of public- and private-sector firms, the areas covered will include pricing with market power, investment in risky situations, exporting and importing, productivity and compensation of workers and managers in unionized and non-unionized firms, and employment setting. At the level of government institutions, the areas covered will include government budget constraints and debt sustainability, capital flow waves, optimal taxes, tariffs, quotas and subsidies, market regulation, and competition policies. Related issues to be considered include internal and external macroeconomic shocks, macroeconomic policies in the energy transition, and the role of international institutions. There will be several guest lectures on these and other topics.
This class examines how to reconcile the differing/conflicting interests/goals of energy, and mining, companies and the public interest (e.g. governments); how to negotiate PPP agreements; understand the function/impact of laws and international trade agreements; and determine how CSR, especially environment and anti-corruption, and human rights apply. Case studies of multi-billion international energy pipeline projects, including TAP in Albania and Greece, TAPI in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, BTC in Georgian and the Caucasus and , for comparative purposes, the controversial Keystone in US and Canada, will be the prism/focus for analysis. The class is dynamic and cross-disciplinary.
The course will examine the role of states, districts, the federal government, private foundations, and corporations in American education policy We will focus in depth on a range of educational policy issues influenced by politics: including governance, equitable funding, choice, charter schools, teacher preparation, teacher evaluation, standards, accountability, collective bargaining, and the school to college pipeline.
This course provides an introduction to the political economy of financial and international monetary policy, presenting both theoretical perspectives and more policy-oriented concerns. The course requires no knowledge of formal economic models, but it does presume familiarity with basic concepts in open economy macroeconomics and finance. Students without this background may find several sections of the course very difficult. The course has three main sections. The first examines the political economy of the global monetary system. We begin by surveying the evolution of international monetary arrangements from the gold standard period to the present day. Then we analyze the difficulties posed by floating rates and capital mobility as well as the global imbalances that have been frequent features of contemporary times. In addition, we examine the Euro crisis and trace its origins to the establishment of the monetary union. The second section examines the political economy of financial policy, regulation and central banking. The role of financial policy in economic development, especially of industry, in developing and emerging market countries is the primary lens for exploring this topic. The final section considers financial crises, with a special focus on the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98 and 2007/08 global crisis that had its origins in the United States.
The private sector has been widely criticized for economic and social conditions in the United States. Income inequality, the movement of jobs overseas, the disruption caused by technology, and the wide pay disparity between CEOs and employees are all placed squarely at the feet of leaders in the private sector. A historical review shows that much of the distrust of the private sector is justified. However, a review also shows ample examples, in the past and present, of private sector leadership shaping positive societal reforms. The substance of this course will entail a review of the past with lessons learned, where we are today in areas of critical concern to the nation, and most importantly, a review of specific next steps needed in the future to achieve real progress solving our most critical economic and social problems.
Leaders often invoke the lessons of history, but rarely talk about anything but a few familiar episodes. Even if we can all agree that we should avoid another attack on Pearl Harbor or war in Vietnam, does this actually help us make decisions about the future? In this course, students will explore both the problems and the opportunities with using historical analysis to grapple with present and future challenges. They will develop a deeper understanding of the most often cited historical episodes, but also learn how to avoid using analogies in the place of more original thinking. That means thinking like a historian, and the course will introduce key concepts that can be used to analyze a range of complex challenges, including continuity and change, contingency and inevitability, human agency and structural constraints. But they will also learn how NOT to think like a historian, such as using history as a weapon, and extrapolating into the future.
This core course explores welfare systems from a comparative perspective and analyzes the political, economic, socio-cultural, and historical factors that shape and sustain them in advanced industrialized countries. It pays particular attention to the development of key national social welfare policies, such as social security, health care, unemployment insurance, social assistance, childcare, tax expenditure, and public employment and training, and emerging best practice in these areas. The course also identifies pressing global/regional trends (e.g. greying of societies, labor market stratification, and persistent gender inequality) and compares how developed and developing countries address them through policy.
This seminar surveys the defining political economy issues of our time. It explores the interplay between politics and economics in the substantive issue areas of trade, finance, investment, development, and redistribution. The seminar surveys the most provocative, influential contributions in multiple disciplines utilizing a wide range of research methods. Contemporary debates are studied in depth, including the fragmentation of production, causes and consequences of financial crises, growing inequality, economic development challenges, and the determinants of public goods provision. The course equips students with the conceptual and empirical tools to better understand current developments, provides exposure to multiple perspectives, and builds confidence in development one's own point of view.
This course is designed to upgrade the students’ skills to design global policies by providing an in-depth understanding of essential International Relations theories and instructing how to apply them to solve real-world issues through exercises. As global cooperation is difficult to build yet critical for solving global issues, this course focuses on theories that are helpful to achieve such cooperation and employs issues related to the U.S.-China competition, a key obstacle to global cooperation, as case studies. At the end of the course, students will be able to define a fundamental structure in each complex and dynamic global issue and tailor policy recommendations that reflect this structure.
This is a course for thoughtful people who wish to influence actual policy outcomes related to sustainability challenges in major cities. Its objective is not to provide a primer on urban sustainability solutions; this is readily available from textbooks and will change by the time you are in a position to act. Rather, the course’s objective is to prepare you for the kind of challenges that will face you as a policy practitioner in the field of urban sustainability. Cities are increasingly recognized as a key level of government for environmental and sustainability policy. As at all levels, politics and policy are intensely intertwined, and perhaps more so at the local level because the decisions involved often affect constituents directly and intimately --in their neighborhoods, in their homes, in their commutes. This reading-heavy colloquium explores the politics and the policy of urban sustainability from the perspective of someone who wishes to effect change. It culminates in a team project in which students act as a sustainability policy team in a mayoral (or equivalent) office in one of the world’s major cities. The course considers key components of the city itself, with the objective of understanding what shapes the city and its impact on the environment. It mainly uses case studies from the twentieth-century United States, paired with international readings to allow a comparison with other experiences. The focus on deep case studies allows the consideration of the situations, constraints, and political dynamics of specific situations. It is intended to provide students with the ability to recognize patterns in urban political and policy dynamics related to sustainability. These are paired with an overview of leading solutions and how the professor believes practitioners should evaluate them for their own cities. The course also prominently features in-class presentations and discussions of the students’ main project: a team-based memo making a specific recommendation to solve a problem in a specific major world city, which is presented twice, once for a diagnosis of the problem in a given city and a second time with a policy recommendation. This project is the major portion of the overall grade for the class, and is used to allow the students to wrestle with the challenge of turning ideas from past and present into successful urban sustainability policies that can get implemented in a political and institutional world. In order to cover issues in depth, this course is not exhaustive;
DP-Labs I & II are two full-semester, 3-credit courses with a first-year spring course focused on skills and tools around program design and a second-year fall course focused on skills around program management and leadership. The DP-Labs will bookend MPA-DP students’ 3-month professional summer placements, allowing for DP-Lab I skills to be applied over the summer and for DP Lab II to process those experiences as real case studies and examples. These skills will be applied to final semester capstone projects and allow students to synthesize lessons learned for their eventual job search and career development. DP-Lab I is designed to introduce students to key tools, techniques, and approaches used by development practitioners when diagnosing problems and designing programs. Throughout the semester, students will receive hands-on training by experienced practitioners in high priority skill areas, while looking at communications and ethics and power as cross-cutting themes that can be applied to all skills.
This course will focus on the practice of financing sustainable development. During the past several years, there has been significant attention given to the challenges of mobilizing public and private finance for sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Climate Agreement (PCA) have spurred a significant amount of activity in public policy, regulation, new financial instruments and asset class development. As a result, financing sustainable development is even more complicated than it was before, and requires students to have an understanding of a broad range of topics. The goal of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the practical realities of the topic of sustainable finance. The course instructor has been directly involved with major aspects of the topic, including as a policy advisor to the United Nations, an expert advisor to the Asian Development Bank and Uganda Development Bank, and a senior executive at various global financial institutions.
Affordable Housing Finance is an introduction to the public policy concepts and technical skills necessary for development of both rental and owned housing for individuals and families earning less than 80% of the area median income (AMI). This immensely challenging field requires familiarity with the capital markets, knowledge of zoning, general real estate transactional concepts, contract and tax law and architecture, just to name a few trades. Affordable housing is often developed with public sector support (PPP’s) and with non-profit community development corporations (CDCs) and other development organizations with a mission to create affordable housing. The course will introduce the application of new digital tools to the assessment of investment opportunities and risks in these markets. Instruction in the use of these tools will be provided. Students should have a working knowledge of excel, real estate finance and securitization concepts.
A policy-oriented but theory-based course on the current state of economic integration in the European Union. Topics include: macroeconomic policy responses to the Covid-19 crisis; the impact of Brexit; design failures of the Eurozone and steps to completing the Banking Union and Monetary Union; monetary policy of the ECB; fiscal policies and fiscal rules; EU labor markets; the Common Agricultural Policy and environmental policy; tax and competition policy for high tech firms in a digital economy; EU trade policy particularly relations with the U.S. and with China, the EU’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine and the economic dimensions of European security.
The use of quantitative research techniques, statistics, and computer software in designing public policies and in evaluating, monitoring, and administering governmental programs. Practical applications include research, design measurement, data collection, data processing, and presentation of research findings.
The use of quantitative research techniques, statistics, and computer software in designing public policies and in evaluating, monitoring, and administering governmental programs. Practical applications include research, design measurement, data collection, data processing, and presentation of research findings.
The course will introduce students to the practice of modern diplomacy through case studies of global or regional crises and the EU’s response to them. Students will learn how foreign policy is devised and implemented from the perspective of a professional diplomat.
The course will start with an introduction to the history of EU foreign policy and then to the institutions and instruments involved in foreign affairs. Each class will then focus on specific case studies starting with the EU approach to its different international partners: allies (transatlantic partnership and UN system), neighbors (the Southern Neighboring policy, the Eastern Partnership, the new European Political Community), and the rest of the multipolar world (Russia, China, India, Turkey,…); then the situation in Ukraine; the conflicts in the Middle East region (Libya, Syria, Middle East peace process) and the Iran nuclear agreement; lastly, the migration crisis. The final class will wrap up the course with a reflection on lessons learned and possible future developments of EU foreign policy’s organization and agenda. In each case, students will explore the interplay between the various instruments of foreign policy, including crisis management, defense and security, trade, financial aid, humanitarian assistance, and public diplomacy.
Together we are going to learn how to plan, manage, and execute the major elements of a modern American campaign using skills that can be applied to all levels of the electoral process. What are the elements of a modern political campaign? How are those pieces executed? How do we get the people elected (or un-elected) which impacts Public Policy for decades? If you are interested in political campaigns, this is your chance to learn directly from top experts in the field about the various tools and strategies used in all aspects of American politics and campaigns today.
Although this is a course focusing on practical competence, empirical political theory and relevant political science will be applied to our work. Guest lecturers, simulations, and additional materials such as videos and handouts will augment the course. When we are done, you will know what you need to do, and where you need to turn, in order to effectively organize an election campaign. The curriculum is ambitious, specialized, and task-specific. This is not a course in political science, but rather a hands-on, intensive training seminar in campaign skills. By May, you will be able to write a campaign plan, structure a fundraising effort, hire and work with consultants, plan a media campaign (both paid and unpaid), research and target a district, structure individual voter contact, use polling data, understand the utility of focus groups, write press releases, conduct advance work on behalf of your candidate, manage crises, hire and fire your staff, and tell your candidate when he or she is wrong. Our aim is to make you competent and eminently employable in the modern era of advanced campaign technology. For the purposes of this class, you will design a campaign plan for a political race. To make this more interesting (and realistic), you will be provided with information and situations throughout the semester that will require you to plan, anticipate, and adapt your campaign plan to the changing realities inherent to every campaign.
The course will be co-taught by Jefrey Pollock, the Founding Partner and President of Global Strategy Group, a premier strategic research and communications firm, who has advised numerous local and national political candidates and organizations; as well as, Camille Rivera, Partner at New Deal Strategies, an experienced policy and political legislative director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization managem
This course offers an overview of recent and contemporary politics in the European Union. On the basis of the assumption that the latter is inextricably determined by both supra-national and infra-national dynamics, it examines the European Union as a whole, as well as the politics of certain key member states. Classes are based on readings from foundational texts in the recent comparative politics and history literature on the European Union and its member states. They will involve initial lectures by the instructor and leave ample time for seminar-style discussion. In addition, students will be required to participate in a number of structured class debates, which will form an integral part of the pedagogy, and serve as one of the bases for individual evaluation. Throughout the duration of the course, students will also be working on a final research paper, whose topic will be determined individually with the instructor.
The course will introduce students to the key political, institutional and democratic challenges the EU is currently facing. The course will start with an overview of the EU’s institutions different roles throughout the last decade. It will look at how crises – economic, geopolitical, Covid-19, the green transition and war in Ukraine – have challenged governance and Europe’s political landscape. It will delve into the restructuring of Europe’s political landscape, with the rise of populism and the erosion of traditional parties. It will end on how EU could foster democratic resilience, inside its institutions and abroad through deepening transatlantic ties, to adapt our modes of participation and policy-making to new challenges and demands from citizens. Students will learn how the EU - confronted with multi-faceted crises - attempts to chart a unique model in a tumultuous world from the perspective of a former European Commissioner, Vice-president of the European parliament and Minister for the economy and finance.
This course is designed to prepare future policymakers to critically analyze and evaluate key urban policy issues in US cities. It is unique in offering exposure to both practical leadership experience and urban affairs scholarship that will equip students to meet the challenges that face urban areas. Students will read academic articles and chapters from books dealing with urban politics and policy, and will hear from an exciting array of guest lecturers from the governmental, not-for-profit, and private sectors. Drawing from his experiences as former Mayor of Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter will lay out the basic elements of urban government and policymaking, emphasizing the most important demographic, economic, and political trends facing urban areas.
This seminar will explore the outlines of a new way of thinking about and operating in global politics that is focused less on the security and prosperity of nation states and more on human wellbeing and planetary health and sustainability. Each week will examine a different global issue and identify actors and problem-solving methods that are at the forefront of crafting effective solutions. Our quest is to identify the components of a global governance system that works for our time.
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his course addresses one of the major political challenges of our times. Over the past generation, more scholarship, political analysis and journalism has been devoted to extreme-right parties than all other parties families combined. This course seeks to understand what effect such parties have had on concrete foreign policies of influential countries around the world. To do so, it scholarly research, policy analyses, case studies, journalistic accounts, visiting experts and student contributions. The course begins by reviewing foundational scholarly research and journalistic work about the nature, sources and pathologies of extreme-right populism, but spends most of the time discussing what concrete and consequential effects of such parties on foreign policy—a topic scholars have barely addressed. Those effects vary greatly across countries and issues. For example, most people believe President Trump’s term in office had—and a hypothetical second term would have even more—considerable impact on US foreign policy and global politics. On the other hand, in Italy extreme-right populists currently dominate government and in Austria they have been in the government for about half the last quarter century, with relatively little impact. Other countries seem to be somewhere in between. Since scholars have written far less about this, and many of these issues are ongoing, we draw on a wider range of materials. We don’t know what the future will bring—but few deny that the consequences of populist movements are potentially large and that the world will probably be facing this challenge for some time to come. The course will include meetings with a selection of prominent politicians, decision-makers, policy experts, consultants and scholars involved in these issues.
This course focuses on social movements and citizenship in sub-Saharan Africa to examine how people form political and social movements and deploy citizenship strategies within social, historical, and economic structures that are both local and global. It draws on readings and lectures from scholars in history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and African studies to explore the following topics and themes: histories and theories of social movements and citizenship; cities and social movements and citizenship; citizenship outside the nation-state; social movements and democracy; citizenship as a creative enterprise that emphasizes claim-making and improvisation; citizenship within imperial, international, and national contexts; infrastructures, claim-making, and coalition building; opposition, leadership and democracy; and social movements of African youth and women. This course features guest lectures by and discussions with French and American scholars from Sciences-Po, Universite Paris 1, NYU, and Columbia, and is part of the Joint African Studies Program (JASP) at the Institute of African Studies that is supported by the Partnership University Fund (PUF) and the French Alliance Program at Columbia. It includes foundational readings on concepts, theories, and histories of social movements and citizenship in Africa as well as in-depth case studies on selective themes by various experts working on sub-Saharan Africa. It is unique insofar as it offers a strong foundation in social movements and citizenship while exposing students to in-depth case studies by leading experts working in a variety of disciplines and geographical contexts. All lectures and discussions are conducted in English.
This course addresses the challenges and opportunities for achieving a productive, profitable, inclusive, healthy, sustainable, resilient, and ethical global food system. Our first class will provide a brief historical perspective of the global food system, highlighting relevant developments over the past 10,000 years and will explain key concepts, critical challenges, and opportunities ahead. For the ensuing few weeks, we will cover the core biophysical requirements for food production: soil and land, water and climate, and genetic resources. We include an introduction to human nutrition –
Nutrition Week
– that focuses on dietary change and food-based solutions to malnutrition. Building on this, the course will survey a selection of important food systems and trends across Asia, Africa, and Latin America that provide food security and livelihoods for more than half of the world’s population. Case studies and classroom debates throughout the course will explore the roles of science, technology, policies, politics, institutions, business, finance, aid, trade, and human behavior in advancing sustainable agriculture, and achieving food and nutritional security. We will probe the interactions of food systems with global issues including poverty and inequality, the persistence of chronic hunger and malnutrition, climate change, environmental degradation, international food business and value chains, biotechnology (GMOs), post-harvest losses, and food waste. With a sharp eye for credible evidence, we will confront controversies, reflect on historical trends, identify common myths, and surface little-known but important truths about agriculture and food systems. In our final sessions, we address the ultimate question: can we feed and nourish the world without wrecking it for future generations?
This course aims to develop a comprehensive perspective on gangs and violence in Latin American cities, with a special focus on young men’s subjectivities in urban spaces. Particular attention will be paid to the experiences of youths from marginalized populations and sectors. We will undertake a systematic reflection departing from the following themes: urban and armed violence in Latin America, social exclusion, mano dura polices, youth gangs and their transfiguration into organized crime; criminal governances as well as negotiated paths to gang violence. Urban crime and fear of it are perhaps the most pressing concerns for Latin Americans in countries across the region, such as El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, México, and Venezuela. Media, government, and public discourse situate young men and gangs as the principal perpetrators of urban violence and crime. Indeed, most victimizers are men and they make up the majority of victims of violent deaths. They have become the target of governments’ repressive measures and extreme responses such as extrajudicial killings and mano dura policies. In this course we will pay particular attention to these extra-legal responses to young men, such as extrajudicial killings predicated upon the lethal stigmatization of lower-class youths. We will develop a thorough analysis of youth violence departing from the structural forces that drive youths to violent lifestyles. We will learn about the cultural dispositions associated with gender identities and lived experience. We will discuss the deleterious effects of Mano Dura policies in Latin American in countries such as El Salvador, Venezuela and Brazil and how gangs have transformed into criminal and lethal networks to respond. We will dive as well into the armed territorial orders and criminal governance established by these groups in their neighborhoods. Finally, we will discuss and reflect upon the ongoing fascinating debate of alternative paths to gang violence and criminal governances such as inclusion programs and negotiated pacts. The course also aims to familiarize students with the rich literature that has blossomed in Latin America related to these topics and to foster theoretical dialogues with these studies, including my own field research experience with youth in Caracas. Since the course aims to approach the experience of young men with local dynamics of armed&nbs
Communicating in Organizations is a survey course that explores aspects of day-to-day managerial communication relating to presentations and other high-profile moments and more familiar elements of interpersonal communication. The course uses many teaching techniques: short lectures, individual and group exercises, video-recorded presentations, role plays, case discussions, video clips, and writing assignments. It is highly experiential, with exercises or presentations scheduled in most sessions. Initially, we’ll focus on the communication skills and strategies that help you present your ideas to others. I’ll ask you to do two benchmark assignments―a letter and a brief presentation―to assess the abilities you bring to the course. In several of our class sessions, you’ll be the one “in front of the room,” delivering either a prepared talk or brief, impromptu comments. Such assignments will allow you to develop your skills as a presenter. I’ll also discuss the link between listening and speaking, showing you how developing your listening skills will improve your effectiveness as a speaker. And we’ll explore several elements of visual communication, including how to design effective visual aids and written documents. To communicate effectively in such roles as coach, interviewer, negotiator, or facilitator, you need to be skilled at listening, questioning, observing behavior, and giving feedback. We’ll practice each of these skills in-class exercises and assignments. The Social Style instrument will provide detailed feedback about how others view your communication style. You’ll discover how style differences may lead to miscommunication, missed opportunities, or mishandled conflict.
This course is an introduction to how emerging hybrid models of traditional and digital organizing and advocacy are building unprecedented social justice movements in the United States. During the first half of the course, students will examine the theory and practice of successful traditional offline organizing and advocacy campaigns as well as principles and characteristics of successful digital activism. In the second half of the course, students w2ill analyze contemporary social movements that have fused offline and online organizing and advocacy tactics, including ongoing activism for racial equity, drug policy reform, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, gender equity, and immigration reform. Using a blend of book and journal readings, case studies, videos, and hands-on group project, and guest speaker practitioners, this course will paint a vivid picture of how social change happens in our age of social media coexisting within the practical realities of longstanding power dynamics.
Social movements and activists are reshaping the debate on the traditional role of policing in our society. The Black Lives Matter movement has been pivotal in leading the call for systemic change, accountability and transparency. A chorus of diverse voices has called into question unchecked police power. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and other Black and brown people has led to a breakdown of trust between the public and police. This course is designed to examine current police practices through the lens of history, race, recent events, and jurisprudence. This class will serve as a laboratory of ideas and recommendations as we analyze police training, disciplinary procedures, use of force guidelines and other practices in an effort to foster and improve community - police relations. Several cities have deconstructed police authorities, focusing on a more democratic force and in some cases diverting funds towards a more non-violent and community-based approach to policing. Some governmental leaders have criticized recent movements for their lack of structure and stated objectives other than demanding change. This class will discuss common threads and differences between recent movements and those of the past. Lastly, this class will tackle those issues that have impeded progress in advancing a police force that promotes trust and service.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the structural basis of benchmarking. Using a public sector-based case study with “hands-on” group activities, as well as various other examples given by the instructors, this course will teach students the benchmarking process along with the different tools and techniques to be used in implementation.
The course examines the complex relations between politics and identities in various countries of post-communist Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. It deals with various aspects of the politics of identity, including language, ethnicity, religion, and memory, in an array of social domains encompassing education, public administration, media, churches, linguistic landscapes, and public monuments. It seeks to describe post-communist processes in these domains as both grounded in ideologies and practices of the communist and pre-communist past and shaped by the domestic sociopolitical situation and external (geo)political contexts. A case featured in the course is Ukraine, which is very interesting in view of its ambivalent historical legacy, contradictory policies in post-Soviet years, and the remarkable resilience that has been demonstrated in time of war with Russia. At the same time, considerable attention will be paid to cases as different as Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Baltic and post-Yugoslav states. This choice of cases makes it possible to present a diversity and complexity of identity politics in post-communist societies.
Russian unprovoked war in Ukraine dramatically changed the world energy landscape and created one of the primary energy crises in the world. Russian Federation is the world's largest energy exporter of fossil fuels. However, shocked by the war, the West imposed sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The course will discuss a significant energy geopolitical shift happening worldwide because of the war. We will focus on how the EU navigates this crisis and how Russia tries to escape sanctions. What new energy alliances appear, and what disappear because of this war?
This course tracks the trajectories of politics in the Caucasus, focusing on the political development of the independent states of the South Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. While the focus is on contemporary political dynamics, the course considers the mechanisms through which the legacies of Imperial Russian expansion and Soviet structures interact with current mechanisms of interest articulation and power. Students in this course will examine the contours and mechanisms of the collapse of Soviet hegemony in the South Caucasus, spending some time examining the conflicts that accompanied this process and persist today. The course will address the country contexts both individually and comparatively, thereby encouraging students to delve deeply into the politics of each state, but then also enabling them to find continuities and contrasts across major thematic considerations.
The course aims to analyze dynamic, multivariate interactions in evolutionary and non-stationary processes. The course first considers stationary univariate time-series processes and then extend the analysis to non-stationary processes and multivariate processes. The course covers a review of linear dynamic time-series models and focus on the concept of cointegration, as many applications lend themselves to dynamic systems of equilibrium-correction relations. In the final analysis, the course is aimed at presenting a certain number of econometric techniques the mastery of which is becoming increasingly inevitable in professional circles.
This course aims to provide students with further instruction on how (1) to motivate detailed empirical analysis on a research question of their choice, (2) to justify and to design appropriate econometric tests using relevant time-series, cross-sectional, or panel data, etc., and (3) to draw accurate inferences—as well as direct policy implications—from their results for a wide audience. To meet this objective, the key course requirement is to write an empirical policy paper that details (1)–(3) in no more than 5000 words total (including exhibits, references, etc.), geared not for academics but for economic policymakers or other practitioners. Also, students will be required to report their findings to their instructor, advisors, and fellow students during 10- to 15-minute slide presentations toward the end of the semester.
After completing the course, students will be able to intelligently discuss and critically analyze issues related to North Korea’s state, society, diplomacy, and security. This includes a nuanced understanding of critical areas such as: the Korean Peninsula’s division and war, North Korea’s economic management, strategy, military, human rights abuses, gender roles, social changes, propaganda and outside information, denuclearization diplomacy, and alternate approaches to nuclear North Korea. To present a variety of perspectives and viewpoints, the reading list includes works of history, analyses by political scientists, primary documents including diplomatic cables, memoirs by North Korean refugees, documentary videos, and news articles. Students engage analytically with the material, steered by weekly guided questions to comprehend the different sides of issues and develop an informed perspective.
There are two purposes to this course: 1. to develop your ability to negotiate in a purposeful, principled and effective way; and 2. to teach you how to build consensus and broker wise agreements with others. Negotiation is a social skill, and like all social skills you have to practice it if you want to get better at it. To give you the chance to practice, we'll do a number of simulated negotiations in and out of class. We'll also use lectures, case studies, exercises, games, videos, and demonstrations to help you develop your understanding. As we advance in the course, our focus will shift from simple one-on-one negotiations to more complex ones involving many parties, agents, coalitions, and organizations.
This seminar will examine the causes of human rights violations and explore how external forces can address them, with a specific focus on China. I will contextualize China within the international community, which plays a defining, framing, and exercising role in one of the core liberal norms, human rights. Consequently, this seminar will encompass a comprehensive survey of broader themes within the international human rights regime. It will also involve a critical assessment of China's role in shaping this regime, in comparison with other key actors in various regions throughout history to the present day. Throughout the course, students will be expected to critically evaluate the assigned readings, actively engage in discussions on contemporary human rights issues, and gain research experience in presenting and writing their final projects. By the end of this seminar, students will have developed a deeper understanding of the intricate landscape of human rights and the influence of external forces, particularly China, in shaping this crucial global discourse
The course introduces students to budgeting and financial control as a means of influencing the behavior of organizations. Concepts include the budget process and taxation, intergovernmental revenues, municipal finance, bonds, control of expenditures, purchasing, debt management, productivity enhancement, and nonprofit finance. Students learn about the fiscal problems that managers typically face, and how they seek to address them. Students also gain experience in conducting financial analysis and facility with spreadsheet programs. Case materials utilize earth systems issues and other policy issues. A computer lab section is an essential aspect of the course, as it teaches students to use spreadsheet software to perform practical exercises in budgeting and financial management.
The course introduces students to political risk analysis risks by exploring three key concepts and related frameworks for understanding this phenomenon at the international, country, and sectorial levels respectively: G-ZERO, J-Curve, and state capitalism. The course also equips students with key qualitative and quantitative techniques for doing political risk analysis, including the identification of top risks, fat tails, and red herrings, as well as the construction of political risk indices, models, and game-theory simulations. In addition, these concepts and techniques are further applied to analyzing and forecasting current, real-world problems and business concerns, such as market entry or portfolio investment allocation. These concepts and techniques are further practiced in the course practicums, which include interactive activities that invite students to grapple with the challenges of identifying and forecasting the range of outcomes of current, real-world risks as those come up at the time of the course. In the process, the course explores a range of political-risk topics on the macro- and micro-economic impacts of geopolitics—including issues of international and civil war, international trade, unconventional conflict, and a shifting global political order—as well as of politics at the national and sub-national level, including elections and political transitions, social unrest, the social and political drivers of economic and investment policies, and emerging vs developed markets dynamics.
This two-semester course demonstrates that it is both possible and useful to think about public policy rigorously: to examine underlying assumptions; to understand how formal models operate; to question vagueness and clichés; and to make sophisticated ethical arguments. An important goal of the class is to have students work in groups as they apply microeconomic concepts to current public policy issues having to do with urban environmental and earth systems. The course includes problem sets designed to teach core concepts and their application. In the spring semester, the emphasis is on the application of concepts to analyze contemporary policy problems. Some time is also devoted to international trade and regulation, and industrial organization issues. Students not only learn microeconomic concepts, but also how to explain them to decision-makers. Student groups take on specific earth system policy issues, analyze options through the use of microeconomic concepts, and then make oral presentations to the class.
This course will examine the linkages between urban governance structures and an economically successful democratic city. We will consider the particular policy challenges that confront both developed and developing cities in the 21st century. It will be important to understand the institutional political causes of urban economic decline, the unique fiscal and legal constraints on city governments as well as the opportunities that only cities offer for democratic participation and sustainable economic growth. The course will draw on case material from primarily American cities and from other developing and developed cities around the globe. It is important to keep in mind that creative policy solutions to the problems of urban economic sustainability may be found in small towns, in rural areas, in private businesses or in other global cities. The utility of importing ideas and programs rests on a practical understanding of politics in that city or community and an effective implementation strategy. Our objective in this course is not simply to understand the challenges to governing the 21st century city but also the policies that promote effective urban governance and economic sustainability.
This course focuses on financial stability monitoring and evaluation as an essential discipline for macroeconomic, financial and prudential policymakers. We begin by defining financial stability, examining the dynamic behavior of macroeconomic models with developed models of the financial sector, and considering conceptual frameworks for assessment of threats to financial stability. From there, we identify key signatures of financial instability, how they can be measured and combined in a monitoring system, and how such measurement systems signal changes in the level of systemic risk. Through case studies, class participation and two assignments, you will interpret these measures, develop questions for further investigation and assess the nature and extent of systemic risk. You will be asked to write two policy memoranda: the first proposing and justifying a small set of financial stability indicators for monitoring; and the second assessing the risk of financial instability in indicators for that (or another) country, in indicators of vulnerabilities with strong network effects, and in unconventional risks such as cyber or widespread trade tensions. Both assignments emphasize developing timely and persuasive analysis that prompts policymakers to consider the need for action to preserve financial stability.
This short course will start with a brief overview of the post-crisis reforms and focus on the gap that macroprudential policy was meant to fill: the lack of a system-wide perspective on financial stability. It will explore the conceptual and practical difficulties in defining financial stability and setting an operational target for policy; provide a high-level overview of the tools for monitoring systemic risk, including stress tests, as well as of the various macroprudential policy instruments available to mitigate it; and discuss the governance challenges in setting up an institutional framework for macroprudential policy. The course will review how the major advanced economies (US, UK, Euro area) have tackled these issues, as well as discuss aspects of macroprudential policy specific to emerging market (EM) and developing countries. Lastly, the course will examine recent and emerging challenges to financial stability, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber risk, and the transition to a low-carbon economy; discuss the experience so far with macroprudential policy responses to these challenges; and assess the adequacy of the existing tools to address them.
This course will have a practical focus, emphasizing the perspective and actual experience of policymakers. By the end of this course, students should have a good understanding of the concepts of financial stability and systemic risk and their measurement, as well as how they are applied in the real world; the difference between the micro- and macro-prudential approach to financial regulation; the architecture and working of macroprudential policy in a variety of country circumstances; the role of central banks and the associated political economy challenges; and emerging risks to financial stability. Students will be encouraged, including through class discussions and assignments, to approach these issues from the standpoint of policymakers.
This course will examine the impact that the current social and racial justice awakening (or reckoning), at the intersection of race and gender, is having on the US politics and policy. We will look at this along several dimensions, including politics, voting rights and voter suppression, governing and philanthropy. Ultimately, political change is the natural consequence of social and economic disruption, but will the change that is to come be of the kind that activists in movements such as the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter, and gender equity leaders have envisioned? If the US has yet to fulfill the promise of a truly representative government, what solutions might there be to address systemic barriers to power its citizens face on the basis of race and gender? There is an opportunity to influence the broader national conversation with the very best ideas and work to implement them, but this unique moment in history and the opportunity that comes with it will not last forever. Our goal will be to critically examine and explain these systemic barriers to political power found along racial and gender lines. We will look at the causes and consequences of racial, economic and social inequality, and how that plays out in different systems, policies and spaces. In addition to readings, students will benefit from the practical knowledge of guest lecturers drawn from the political sphere. This course will help prepare policy makers and elected officials in their efforts to create an equitable government for all citizens regardless of race or gender.
In 2020, the tragic loss of George Floyd and numerous other incidents of police brutality, alongside the disproportionate COVID-19 impact against Black people in the United States, led to a heightened global response to racial injustices. This period marked a transformation within the field of racial redress. In 2021, the UN created the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) unanimously passed Human Rights Council resolution 43/1, Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent. Nationally, municipalities began to be accountable for historical racial injustices, such as the passage of housing reparations in Evanston, Illinois, for historical discriminatory zoning policies between 1920-1950.
Despite the transformation, reparations remain a contentious political issue. HR40, a federal bill to support the formation of a reparations commission, appears to be stalled in committee. A California task force voted to limit reparations to individuals who could prove enslaved ascendancy, creating rifts within the Black community for those who believe reparations are also due for other historical injustices, such as those that occurred during the Jim Crow Era. Public opinion polls suggest that over sixty percent of the population remains opposed to the idea of reparations. Even the process of forwarding local reparations is a complex process fraught with community disagreement on the value and need for racial repair.
This course will examine the concept of reparations, explore the historical and contemporary US reparation efforts, and study how various sectors approach this issue, including legal scholars, historians, community activists, and legislators.
This course will explore the relationship between representative and direct democracy, movement strategy and public policy development in the United States. The course will begin by defining movements and their relationship to power and democratic institutions. This course will examine three movements (1) civil rights, (2) Black Lives Matter/policing reform, and (3) disability rights and the relationship between policy development and governance. We will then examine limitations and opportunities for movement and protest strategies overall. The final two classes will focus on the principles of protest and governance and visioning. Student presentation will consider 21st century strategies for mobilizing popular movements and future opportunities for local and national governance change. And the final course will address scenario planning for the near future.
A central issue of our time is the strength of democracy in an era of mounting threats of authoritarianism, rising inequality, and deep insecurity and precarity for working people. This seminar will probe the relationship between labor, inequality, and an inclusive, multiracial democracy from a variety of perspectives in law, political science, sociology, history, and economics. Our discussions will address questions as varied as: Can political democracy thrive when people spend the bulk of their time in workplaces that are autocratic? What is the connection between workplace democracy and political democracy? How have global trade, outsourcing, contracting, on-call and contingent employment arrangements, monopolistic business practices, and technology shaped labor markets while contributing to rising inequality and an erosion of democracy? How does racial and gender stratification in labor markets interact with ethnonationalism and growing threats of authoritarianism—and what role does labor organizing play in countering ethnonationalism and authoritarianism? How can labor law be reformed to achieve greater workplace, economic, and political democracy, and what are new hooks and opportunities for labor organizing? During several sessions, we will be joined by policymakers and labor organizers or by academics who will present works-in-progress for discussion.
Prerequisites: SIPA U6500 This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of Time Series Analysis (in the Time Domain) thereby allowing them to develop an appreciation for the range of available methods, their strengths and limitations, and their use in a research context. After completing the course, students will be able to examine critically the use of these methods in the technical literature and be capable of selecting, using and interpreting appropriate statistical methods for describing and analyzing time series data sets, in the context of their own work.
An introduction to the culture, politics and international relations of Iran which will explore the countrys transition from the 19th to the 21st century. Topics include continuity and change in traditional social structure, the conflict between clergy and state and the modernization of Iran under the Pahlavi shahs (1925-79). The role of women will be explored. The roots of the Iranian revolution will be examined, and an assessment made of the present Islamic Republic. The role of Iran in international affairs, including the course of U.S.-Iranian relations, will also be considered. Sources will be multidisciplinary and include historical works, literature and films.
The seminar like course consists of three parts: Historical Background, Thematic and Political Issues and Conclusions. It provides historical perspectives on the development of today’s Ukraine, analyses the evolution of its politics since Independence and its quest for Euroatlantic integration. While providing an assessment of political, social and economic transformations, the course examines major causes of Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity The current political situation in the country and an ongoing military conflict are thoroughly investigated. The results of the 2019 Presidential and Parliamentary election and it's impact will also be analyzed in detail. What are the chances by the new Government to reach a "peaceful solution" in the Donbass, eradicate corruption, improve economic situation and implement reforms ? Is there a future for the Minsk accords? What's the significance of the Normandy Summit? These and other issues, including behind-the scenes activities, power struggle and diplomatic activities, are dealt with in the newly revised course delivered by a career diplomat. The format of the course will encourage active dialogue and analytical reflection on the part of the students. The professor regularly provides additional articles and analytical reviews on current political situation to be discussed at each session. During the course each student is to prepare a mid-term and final papers exploring the prospects of Ukraine becoming a free, prosperous, democratic state and a member of European institutions or staying in the zone of Russian influence and the consequences thereoff.
The EMPA Capstone workshop applies the practical skills and analytical knowledge learned during the EMPA program to a current, real-world issue. Students are organized into small consulting teams (typically 7 students per team) and assigned a policy-oriented project with an external client. Student teams, working under the supervision of a faculty expert, answer a carefully defined problem posed by the client. Each team produces an actionable report and presents an oral briefing of their findings at the close of the workshop that is designed to translate into real change on the ground. Capstone or Portfolio Presentation Workshop is a graduation requirement for the EMPA program and it is typically taken in the final semester at SIPA. Registration in this course is managed by the EMPA Assistant Director and requires an application.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
A Capstone Workshop is a live consulting project with an external client outside of SIPA. Each workshop partners a team of about 6 graduate students with a faculty advisor. The goal is to provide clients with innovative analysis and practical recommendations while SIPA students gain experience by working on a real-world problem. A core requirement for the Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), the workshops give students an opportunity to put learning into practice. Serving as their culminating educational experience at SIPA, students work in teams of 6-8 students under the guidance of an expert faculty advisor to work on a real-world consultancy project with an external client. For more information, visit: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sipa-education/capstone-workshops.
Students are required to register a total of 3-points.
Starting with the Class of 2023, students have six registration options for “Field Study for MPA-DP” (PUAF U9015), with some restrictions for international students seeking CPT:
3 units in the Spring 2023 semester*
1.5 units in the Spring 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Fall 2023 semester*
3 units in the Fall 2023 semester
3 units in the Spring 2024 semester
1.5 units in the Fall 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Spring 2024 semester
1.5 units in the Spring 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Spring 2024 semester
*For international students on F-1 visa who conduct their summer placement in the United States and secure CPT, the
ONLY
available options for registration are noted with an asterisk, to ensure compliance with CPT policies and regulations. (All six registration options for U9015 are available to J-1 students using AT).
Students are required to register a total of 3-points.
Starting with the Class of 2023, students have six registration options for “Field Study for MPA-DP” (PUAF U9015), with some restrictions for international students seeking CPT:
3 units in the Spring 2023 semester*
1.5 units in the Spring 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Fall 2023 semester*
3 units in the Fall 2023 semester
3 units in the Spring 2024 semester
1.5 units in the Fall 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Spring 2024 semester
1.5 units in the Spring 2023 semester and 1.5 units in the Spring 2024 semester
*For international students on F-1 visa who conduct their summer placement in the United States and secure CPT, the
ONLY
available options for registration are noted with an asterisk, to ensure compliance with CPT policies and regulations. (All six registration options for U9015 are available to J-1 students using AT).
In the spring semester, new groups are formed to undertake analytic projects for real-world clients in government and nonprofit agencies. These teams, working under the supervision of faculty members, write a report analyzing an actual environmental policy or management problem faced by their clients. Again, projects selected will be relevant to the cohort’s two earth systems problem themes.
In the spring semester, new groups are formed to undertake analytic projects for real-world clients in government and nonprofit agencies. These teams, working under the supervision of faculty members, write a report analyzing an actual environmental policy or management problem faced by their clients. Again, projects selected will be relevant to the cohort’s two earth systems problem themes.
This is a course during which the mid-career executives who are enrolled as students in the Executive MPA program exhibit and share professional work they have managed or directly created during their first year in the program. Materials are presented to the faculty and students for criticism, analysis, and potential improvement.