Excel Fundamentals

This introductory course surveys fundamental Microsoft Excel concepts and functionality applicable to SIPA courses and in professional settings. Topics include understanding references and functions, writing formulas, interacting with spreadsheets, building basic models, controlling formatting and presentation and creating basic charts. The course is targeted at students with limited or no prior Excel experience. The course is open to SIPA students only. Note: A laptop is required for this course

• US 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Kenyon S Saverance
  Info
• 0 points

Advanced Techniques in Excel

Prerequisites: SIPA U4010 or equivalent experience This course explores skills needed for sophisticated spreadsheet development and problem solving in Microsoft Excel. Topics include implementing advanced logic using complex formulas, managing complexity with Excel's auditing features, leveraging lookup functions leveraging and calculated references, parsing and cleaning raw data, refining data structure, and constructing and leveraging PivotTables. The course does not focus on specific models or applications, but instead explores general concepts and techniques that can be flexibly applied to different solutions in Excel. The course is open to SIPA students only. Instructor approval is required: students will be waitlisted in SSOL and contacted by the instructor. Part of the Excel at SIPA course series. Deadline to drop this course is one week prior to the start date of the course. A notation of "W" will be assigned if requests to drop are not made by this deadline.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Kenyon S Saverance
  Info
• 0 points

Financial Modeling in Excel

This intensive one-day workshop develops financial modeling skills through the hands-on construction of an interactive financial model. Using a real company as a case study, the lectures will direct participants to blend accounting, corporate finance and Excel skills to create a dynamic, three-statement financial model. The completed product has five years of projections, three years of historical data and supporting schedules including working capital, debt, equity, depreciation and amortization. Other advanced topics include understanding and controlling circularity errors, troubleshooting, sensitivity analysis and discounted cash flow valuations.

• S 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Kenyon S Saverance
  Info
• 0 points

Professional Development

Building Professional Profile

Whether you’re in the early stages of your career or an experienced professional navigating a career change, pursuing your next position requires a compelling, marketable professional profile. This course will cover the essential strategies and tools you will need to present yourself effectively to prospective employers. Topics include career assessment and its value to your self-marketing tools; your “pitch” and why it’s critical to your candidacy; constructing a resume that’s right for your industry and experience; and the value of LinkedIn as a professional network. Like all Professional Development courses in 2020-2021, Building Your Professional Profile is a single-class course. Students may attend only the section for which they are registered. This course is a required component of the two-course (0.5 point, total) SIPA Professional Development requirement; the other component may be chosen from among a menu of four electives (see SIPA U4041 through SIPA U4044). Students should complete both components of the PD sequence in their first semester.

• T 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Building Professional Profile

Whether you’re in the early stages of your career or an experienced professional navigating a career change, pursuing your next position requires a compelling, marketable professional profile. This course will cover the essential strategies and tools you will need to present yourself effectively to prospective employers. Topics include career assessment and its value to your self-marketing tools; your “pitch” and why it’s critical to your candidacy; constructing a resume that’s right for your industry and experience; and the value of LinkedIn as a professional network. Like all Professional Development courses in 2020-2021, Building Your Professional Profile is a single-class course. Students may attend only the section for which they are registered. This course is a required component of the two-course (0.5 point, total) SIPA Professional Development requirement; the other component may be chosen from among a menu of four electives (see SIPA U4041 through SIPA U4044). Students should complete both components of the PD sequence in their first semester.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Managing Intercultural Dynamic

In the contemporary workplace, teams are comprised of leaders and contributors from myriad cultural backgrounds. Each person’s way of viewing and being in the world shapes their approach to teamwork, leadership and interpersonal relations in general. This course examines the ways in which diverse experiences and perspectives are critical to the growth and productivity of teams and organizations. Participants will gain insight into unconscious biases and other impediments to teamwork in the workplace and learn interpersonal skills that foster effective collaboration, conflict management and productive team outcomes.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Effective Public Speaking

Common workplace interactions such as leading or contributing to meetings and delivering presentations are a critical component of professional life. Yet for many professionals, public speaking is highly stressful. This course will introduce you to public speaking skills that produce effective results, including how to structure, frame and organize a presentation and deliver it with impact. You will learn the key elements of an effective presentation, and how to communicate your message convincingly by analyzing your audience and determining its needs. Participants will have an opportunity to practice important verbal and non-verbal delivery techniques – and begin to overcome the fears of speaking up and speaking out.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Negotiation Skills in Workplac

Effective negotiation is a key skill for leaders and contributors at all professional levels, in organizations and workplaces around the world. This course is designed to promote understanding and build problem-solving skills that can lead to strength and competency in this vital activity of everyday work life. Participants will be able to define negotiation and articulate the key tension that exists in all negotiations; prepare for negotiations using a research-based framework; and articulate their strengths and weaknesses as negotiators, as well as ways they can improve negotiation outcomes.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Networking for Career Advance

Workplace environments have always been bastions of operative professional relationships, explicit and tacit. Over the last 40 years research has demonstrated the value and benefits of networking, both in finding jobs and in career advancement within an organization. In this course, you will learn what networking is and isn’t; how to network effectively and respectfully; balancing the “getting” and “giving” aspects of networking; and an actionable framework for conducting effective networking meetings. Participants will have an opportunity to practice a mock networking meeting to build and refine relationship-building skill, and to increase confidence, comfort, and motivation.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 0.2 points

Professional Development

Using the MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a well-known personality assessment instrument widely administered in organizational and workplace settings around the world. It does not measure skills or aptitudes, but personality preferences – the qualities that combine to make us unique individuals. The benefits of using the MBTI in professional settings include developing a self-awareness of our own preferred ways of decision-making, problem solving and relating to others -- and insight into the preferences of those who share styles that are dissimilar to ours. Understanding your MBTI profile will enable you to appreciate difference and mesh with the complexities of working within diverse organizational cultures.

• T 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• 0.2 points

Effective Global Leadership for Economic

Effective Global Leadership II

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.

• F 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Accountability in Humanitarian Action

Account-Humanitarian Assistnce

Prerequisites: Undergraduate students are not permitted to register this course This short course will explore the concept of accountability within humanitarian intervention. In particular it will look at the contemporary significance of accountability for humanitarian response – when and why it has become an important concept for humanitarian intervention, and specific events that have led to a shift from donors to recipients of aid as the agents of accountability and how it is being implemented in the field. Key questions that will be explored include: To whom are humanitarian agencies accountable? What are the competing accountabilities and how do these influence program decisions and agency performance? Why is accountability to affected people important during a humanitarian response? Aside from ideological views, why should the humanitarian sector be concerned with accountability to affected people? What are its end goals? What does an effective accountability mechanism look like? How do agencies implement it? Do these work? In what contexts? How is their effectiveness being measured? By whom? Through an exploration of case studies from the field (including 2005 South East Asian tsunami, Pakistan earthquake and flood response, Haiti earthquake, European Migration of 2015/2016), a mix of lecture, group exercise, video presentation, the course will address the above questions. Guest speakers will be brought in to discuss the issues with those who are grappling with the accountability debates in the field.

• F 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jessica B Alexander
  Info
• 1 points

Political, Social & Economic Development

Pol, Soc, & Econ Devp-Brazil

This course is set-up in a form of a practicum where major activists concerned with Brazilian political, social and economic development will be asked to address a policy problem and discuss their proposals for effective changes. Other speakers will analyze the government's policies but will also discuss major new reports or studies, and bring to our attention key issues that are not yet on the policy agenda.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Sidney N Nakahodo
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 1.5 points

Programming for Social Impact

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of programming so you can start writing web applications that can potentially be used in non-profit or public sectors. The course will be very hands-on and you are expected to code during the class. The topics will include - fundamentals of computer science, programming basics, data structures, client-server architecture, javascript, application programming interface, LAMP stack and web frameworks, design tools, scalability issues and infrastructure for application deployment. We will discuss some of these topics in the context of agile development methodology for startups. If you are interested in building a startup as a social entrepreneur, the tools and methods you learn in this course should help you in coding the first prototype of your application. As part of the final project, you are expected to build a fully functional web application. No programming background is required. Students are expected to complete all the reading assignments before the first day of class.

• FFU 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Sameer R Maskey
  Info
• 1.5 points

Effective Management in the Public Servi

Effective Mgmt in the Pub Serv

The course is designed to introduce you to the field of public management. It is a practical course, organized around the tools managers may use to influence the behavior of their organizations. The course also discusses the political environment in which public managers must interact. This course serves as an introduction to management in government and in the non-profit and private organizations that contract with and/or partner with government to provide public services. Lectures, cases, discussions and group projects focus on an array of management tools that help managers implement public policy and deliver critical services. While many examples come from the instructor's experience in New York City and US state and federal agencies, numerous comparative cases and projects from Asia, Latin America and Europe are used to discover best practices, common challenges and the impact of culture on organization behavior. The course will be valuable to those expecting a career in large, complex organizations, either as a manager or a policy advisor. A laboratory section focuses on assigned readings and case studies, provides more opportunities for student discussions and brings in prominent guest speakers from multiple sectors.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: William B Eimicke
  Info
• 3 points

Artificial Intelligence in Public Policy

Artificial Intel in Public Pol

Prerequisites: INAF U6004 or INAF U6006 This course is meant for students who want to learn the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how AI is applied for public policy and implications of AI in the future of governance. Students can expect to learn: Foundations of AI. We will go through the mathematical and programming background of how the most common Machine Learning (ML) algorithms work, specifically focused around how to predict scores, classes, and clusters from data. Applications of AI. With the understanding of basics of ML algorithms we will look at how AI is being applied for various functions across businesses, non-profits and governments. Building AI Solutions At the end of the course we will spend time on how to build an AI solution that has a significant value from public policy perspective. We will go through an exercise of how to think of a problem from AI perspective, how to take account data and algorithm challenges when building AI solution. As student groups you will be asked to go through “Concept to Implementation” process and propose an AI solution for a given problem that student is keenly interested in.

• F 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Sameer R Maskey
  Info
• 1.5 points

Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management

Strategic & Entrepren Mgt

This course will provide the analytical ability and practical skills to build the right strategy, entrepreneurial operations and culture for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. The methodology of this class is to learn from case studies, leading management texts and insights from practitioners. Students will learn to recognize and develop entrepreneurial skills by examining and analyzing the strategies employed by practicing entrepreneurs in building new ventures. Particular attention is given to the criteria used in analyzing the strategies of international and non-profit new venture ideas. Further focus on strategy, managing people and organizational culture will be emphasized. Each student is required to develop an entrepreneurial venture focused on a social/non-profit, emerging market or private sector opportunity.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: David Siegel
  Info
• 3 points

Sustainability Management

Sustainability management matters because we only have one planet, and we must learn how to manage our organizations in a way that ensures that our planet is maintained. The course is designed to introduce you to the field of sustainability management. This is not an academic course that reviews the literature of the field and discusses how scholars think about the management of organizations that are environmentally sound. It is a practical, professional course organized around the core concepts of management and the core concepts of sustainability. This year I am introducing a specific emphasis on urban sustainability as the planet’s urban population continues to expand. Each week we will read one or two cases in management and/or sustainability, and some background material designed to help you answer the questions posed at the end of each case exercise. The cases always pose practical issues for decision makers to address—but issues that are best addressed with a firm grounding in the literature of management and sustainability. The literature and case material we will study this semester are based on lessons learned in government, non-profits and the private sector. However, most of my own work focuses on government and non-profits so this course will emphasize management in public and nonprofit organizations and the role of public policy in sustainability. In this course you will be assigned to one team that will present a briefing in class on an assigned position for a particular case, for which another team will present an opposing view. You will also write three two-page memos according to a specified format. The syllabus includes a schedule for each assignment. There is also a take home final exam that is due the last day of class.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Steven Cohen
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia h-index: 21 Info
• 3 points

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Prerequisites: SIPA U6300 or SIPA U6400 This course aims to provide an introduction to cost-benefit analysis and the economic evaluation of government or development programs, projects and policies. The course consists of two parts: theory/methodology in the first half of the semester and application of the learned concepts through an analysis of various case studies in the second half. Case studies will cover the full range of possible applications of CBA -from early education, social policy, health, urban planning, transportation and energy to environmental regulations. Case studies will cover both the US and developing country contexts. In the second half of the semester students will be expected to apply what they have learned by carrying out a cost-benefit analysis on a topic of their choice. The project is expected to include all components of a professional CBA - description of policy or program scenarios to be evaluated, compilation and monetization of the main costs and benefits, development of an Excel model including discounting and sensitivity analysis.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Eva Weissman
  Info
• 3 points

Leading & Managing in Moments of Adversi

This course will provide the analytical ability and practical skills to lead and manage in moments of adversity and opportunity. The frameworks and strategies apply across the sectors from change-makers to start-ups, teams to companies, not-for-profit to government. The focus is on the leadership and management needed at key high stakes moments: turn arounds, pressures from competition or innovation in the market, pivots, pervasive and recurrent challenges, large scale social change, reform processes… The methodology of this class relies on the case method using two types of cases: individual student professional leadership cases and business case studies. It also draws on readings, structured exercises, videos and role-plays. The learning is experiential – we will be using ourselves as cases and the class as a space to practice and develop our diagnostic, communication, management and leadership skills. All students will be called on to participate in weekly class discussions and must come to class prepared. The course views the analysis of failure as a meaningful way to learn. Students will be asked to identify a professional leadership failure and present it in the small groups and write their final paper analyzing it. Some students will have the opportunity to share their case with the class and receive further feedback on their analysis.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Kirsti Samuels
  Info
• 3 points

International Trade

Prerequisites: SIPA U6400 The course has two dimensions: theory and policy. In the former, the fundamental models of international trade theory will be presented. Using these models we will try to understand why countries specialize and trade, what determines the pattern of trade (i.e. which country will export which good), and how trade affects relative prices, welfare, and income distribution within a country. The second part of the course deals with issues concerning trade policy. We will compare the effects of and rationale behind the usage of various policy instruments such as tariffs, subsidies, quotas, etc. The political economy of trade policy and trade policy in developing countries will also be covered. Additional topics may be included at a later stage if time permits.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Benjamin R Mandel
  Info
• 3 points

Mastering Leadership in Big Moments of C

Mastering Leadership in Change

When you take on a leadership role you face the challenge of leading into the unknown. There is an uncertain new situation to manage, people to lead, and your own doubts and perceived limits to overcome. Where do you begin? How do you create a path for others, when you are outside your own comfort zone? What does it mean to lead successfully? In this practical and social science-informed course, you will learn how to lead in big moments of change by developing your skills in three areas: developing self awareness (“You”), communicating a path forward (“It”), and building great teamwork (“We”).

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Andrews
  Info
• 3 points

International Finance & Monetary Theory

Intl Finance & Monetary Theory

Prerequisites: SIPA U6401 Registration restricted to IFEP students This is a methods course meant to provide students with the analytic tools necessary to think through real life international economic policy situations. The class is primarily meant for those interested in working at international financial institutions, the foreign-service, Wall Street, or the financial press. Lectures will, in part, be fairly rigorous though, if the student has taken first year economics, knows basic algebra, and (most importantly) can navigate graphs, he/she will be able to handle the material fairly easily. While theory will at times dominate, its policy relevance will be illustrated through i) l0-minute discussions at the beginning of every class on topical issues; ii) continuous references to recent economic/market episodes meant to illustrate the theoretical material; iii) reading short pieces of Wall Street research that cover timely market topics; and iv) the term paper that will be graded on how well theory and policy are integrated. In terms of topics, the first half of the semester will develop an analytic framework that thinks though the concept of the exchange rate in terms of its (short and long term) determinants as well as the interaction between the exchange rate and macro variables such as growth, inflation, and monetary policy. The second half of the semester we will investigate individual themes including exchange rate regimes; BoP crises and contagion; global imbalances and the savings glut; the role of FX in inflation targeting regimes; and capital markets and emerging markets finance.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel J Waldman
  Info
• Instructor: Richard H Clarida
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

Decision Models & Management

This course provides an introduction to computer-based models for decision-making. The emphasis is on models that are widely used in diverse industries and functional areas, including finance, accounting, operations, and marketing. Applications will include advertising planning, revenue management, asset-liability management, environmental policy modeling, portfolio optimization, and corporate risk management, among others. The aim of the course is to help students become intelligent consumers of these methods. To this end, the course will cover the basic elements of modeling -- how to formulate a model and how to use and interpret the information a model produces. The course will attempt to instill a critical viewpoint towards decision models, recognizing that they are powerful but limited tools. The applicability and usage of computer-based models have increased dramatically in recent years, due to the extraordinary improvements in computer, information and communication technologies, including not just hardware but also model-solution techniques and user interfaces. Thirty years ago working with a model meant using an expensive mainframe computer, learning a complex programming language, and struggling to compile data by hand; the entire process was clearly marked "experts only." The rise of personal computers, friendly interfaces (such as spreadsheets), and large databases has made modeling far more accessible to managers. Information has come to be recognized as a critical resource, and models play a key role in deploying this resource, in organizing and structuring information so that it can be used productively.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Lucius J Riccio
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

International Banking

This course offers a comprehensive understanding of the trends and challenges associated with the provision of cross-border commercial, investment and wealth management/private banking services. We will study the evolution of the global financial system over the past 30 years and explore how banks tend to make their decisions regarding the scope and the geographical reach of their operations in response to geopolitical and economic circumstances, systemic crises, regulatory developments, technological challenges, evolving competitive dynamics at home and abroad and, last but not least, the COVID-19 crisis.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Irene E Finel-Honigman
  Info
• 3 points

Electricity Markets

The electricity sector worldwide is changing more rapidly today than at any period since the inception of the industry. Billions of dollars of new investment will be required over the next decade to maintain and improve electricity service, particularly in emerging economies. Models of service delivery are changing, and the role of the traditional regulated utility continues to evolve. This class is designed to provide a full exposure to current issues across the electricity value chain, including both regulated and competitive sectors. In addition, it is intended to provide insights that are applicable to other industries, including infrastructure financing, maintaining competition in markets, structuring good governance arrangements, and promoting economic efficiency.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: A.J. Goulding
  Info
• 3 points

The Economics of Energy

Prerequisites: SIPA U6300 or SIPA U6400 This course is an introduction to the economics of energy markets. We will study the main sources of ineciency in energy markets, namely market power and externalities, and discuss alternative policy responses to them. With these tools, we will analyze recent challenges faced by policy makers in energy markets, like the incorporation of renewables, electric vehicles, and the impact of energy storage at large scale.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Hannah Druckenmiller
  Info
• 3 points

Energy & Power Financing Markets

Energy & Power Financing Mrkts

Prerequisites: Familiarity with Corporate Finance The global energy industry is comprised of the largest and most interrelated set of businesses in the world. From its inception, the industry has grown dramatically to provide ever increasing amounts of energy and power to commercial, industrial and retail consumers around the world. Given its unique industry structure, specialized financing techniques have been developed to expand and/or complement conventional public and private financing alternatives. These specialized financing approaches have, in turn, allowed the energy industry to access an unprecedented range of capital sources to finance its increasingly complex and challenging business model.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Brooks James Klimley
  Info
• 3 points

Current Issues in Energy Policy

Current Issues-Energy Policy

The purpose of this course is: (1) to familiarize participants with seven current issues in energy policy, (2) to better understand the interplay of policy and political factors that guide public sector decision-making, and (3) to improve skills for drafting memoranda to senior policymakers. The class will focus on U.S. energy policy, but explore policies in other countries as well. Sub-national, national and international issues will be examined. The seven topics studied will be: 1. Climate change legislation in the U.S. Congress; 2. Chinese coal policies; 3. Critical minerals and the clean energy transition; 4. California solar policies; 5. Energy and climate change implications of crypto currencies; 6. Vehicle-grid integration; and 7. Food and climate change.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: David Sandalow
  Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 points

Economic Development in Latin America

Econ Development:Latin America

This course aims at familiarizing students with historical and contemporary debates on Latin American economic development and its social effects. The focus of the course is comparative in perspective. Most of the readings deal, therefore, with Latin America as a region, not with individual countries. The first five classes are historical. After an initial overview of long-term historical trends and debates on institutional development in Latin America, it looks at the four distinctive periods of economic development: the “lost decades” after Independence, the export age from the late nineteenth century to 1929, the era of State-led industrialization, and the recent period of market reforms. The latter should be viewed as an introduction to the second part, which deals with the major contemporary issues: macroeconomic management, trade policies, production sector trends and policies, income distribution and social policy. The course will end with a session on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on Latin America and the ongoing debate on it future economic and social development.

• T 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jose A Ocampo
  Wikipedia h-index: 77 Info
• 3 points

Environmental Justice and Climate Resili

Enviro Justice & Climate Resil

This course will examine the intersections of race, equity, and the environment – focusing on the growing role and impact of the environmental justice movement. Environmental Justice embeds various disciplines into its analytical framework ranging from political science to urban ecology, economics, sociology, environmental science, community organizing, and more. Drawing from these disciplines, as well as from recent climate laws, policies, advocacy, and regulations, students will develop a deep understanding of climate, equity, and environmental justice in New York City. Building on the concept of integrated climate resiliency, this course will introduce students to the policies, stakeholders, research, and advocacy involved in the development and implementation of environmental laws, energy policies, nature-based solutions, and sustainable infrastructure. Throughout the course, we will review the impact and implications of particular policies, as well assess case studies of particular communities. The course will also invite guest speakers currently working in the field to share their views and expertise.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Annel M Hernandez
  Info
• 3 points

Microeconomics II - Topics in Policy-ori

The class covers basic economics thinking and policy applications derived primarily from labor economics, industrial organization and international economics. It will examine the effects of government policies on firms, labor, and capital markets. It will also focus on issues of corporate and national governance and performance. There will be several guest lectures on these and other topics.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jan Svejnar
  Wikipedia h-index: 49 Info
• 3 points

Macroeconomic and Financial Policy Issue

Macroeconomic & Fin Pol Issues

The course will focus on key macroeconomic and financial policy issues, paying special attention to the role of global factors. Students research a specific country or group of countries related to the current Subprime crisis or any of the past major international financial crises (including the Great Depression).

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• 3 points

Visual Storytelling

Taught by PBS NewsHour Weekend producer/correspondent Christopher Booker, Multi-Platform Storytelling will teach students some of the tricks, turns and pitfalls of the 21st digital story. With an emphasis on video storytelling, the course will be dedicated largely to technical production of videos and interactive content, but will also be an exploration into some of the current thinking behind editorial video development, production and distribution. Students will use photographs, audio, video and data to tell compelling stories and create comprehensive outreach strategies, but will also be asked to contemplate, as well as justify, the usage, delivery and goal of their work. Students will work with digital cameras, Adobe Premiere, smartphones, Timeline JS and Google Fusion Tables.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

Storytelling for Social Change: Skills a

INSTRUCTOR: N. Jamiyla Chisholm. The person who tells the story can shape the narrative and have power. Politicians have traditionally practiced narrative-building — by telling stories that draw people in, sharing examples from the lives of real people they’ve encountered, and using emotive language — as a way to control or manage their image, message,  and the events that created their personal history. They use story and narrative to create public policy and recently created story and narrative around the pandemic to push political agendas further to the left or right. And it's not just politicians who depend on storytelling. Activist organizations, such as the Movement 4 Black Lives, increased visibility for their messages by participating in interviews, writing op-eds, and proposing legislative policy to galvanize the public in support of social and racial justice. This led to a reexamination of the concept of systemic racism, white supremacy and fragility, inside and outside of academic circles, to create more realistic understandings of the U.S.’s imbalanced economic, educational, and healthcare systems. And within pop culture and sports, the debate over mental health and who deserves it has forced some to consider the topic for the first time. Storytelling is a communicative, educational, and entertaining device that is required in most fields, such as policy making, NGO and non-profit work, broadcast and print journalism, theater and film, books and podcasts, litigations and court cases, and more. This course will explore various modes of storytelling that create successful narrative change to give students the skills needed to excel in any industry. We will read essays, speeches, and a book. We will listen to podcasts, review news specials, and articles, all with a journalistic eye that critically examines who is telling the story; which voices are represented and left out; the message and the audience; and if the narrative could have been better told using a different storytelling device. We will examine if the storytelling succeeds in its goal to recreate a similar successful campaign that can translate to writing for newspapers, magazines, and new sites, or for writing opinion pieces; speeches and marketing materials; political and justice campaigns or guides; project proposals, white papers, or reports for work and the public; discussion guides; and more.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Nicole Jamiyla Chisholm
  Info
• 3 points

Building & Scaling Social Impact Program

Building & Scaling Soc. Impact

The concept of “social impact” has captured the imaginations of many professionals eager to make their mark on the world and give back to society. But what exactly is social impact, and what is its role in today’s public policy and social justice landscape? Many companies, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs are making big bets on how they can “do well by doing good” by leveraging their brands, products, resources, and capital to make the world a better place – all the while paying attention to the bottom line and creating value for donors, shareholders, and businesses. But there are important and consequential considerations about this “win/win” approach, and what role the private sector can and should play in ensuring political, social, and economic equality. The course will take a practical, case-based approach to looking at social impact programs, and we will: Examine business-led models of giving, including corporate social responsibility, cause marketing, social entrepreneurship, and impact investing; Assess how corporate social impact programs and market-based solutions have created innovative interventions to complex social issues; Consider the tradeoffs and unintended consequences that can occur when resource allocations for social impact programs consider business interests; Identify strategies to successfully design and implement social impact initiatives with an individual or business. The case-based analysis in the first part of the course will inform sessions that focus on how to design, implement, and scale effective social impact programs, with specific attention on how to conduct a landscape assessment on a specific issue, identify potential solutions and interventions given available resources, program design and implementation, and impact assessment.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Ogletree
  Info
• 1.5 points

Scale Up Ventures: Growing a Business Ou

Scaleup Ventures

This course will focus on the tools required to scale a business, nonprofit or social enterprise. Scale-ups are firms that grow big and fast and transform people, industries, regions, and countries, yet they are not as popular as their close cousins, the Start-ups. Going from zero clients to one is a big challenge, yet growing from one client to a hundred or from one employee to many is much harder. In particular, the course will ask you to look at the world of scaleups from three different and unique perspectives: First, the bottom-up approach, where you will need to think like an entrepreneur. How do you achieve scale by leading the attraction and retention of talent, capital, and customers? Second, the top-down approach, where you will need to think like a policy maker. Which policies are effective to help scaleups attract top talent, capital, and more customers? Are there policies that help startups but actually hurt scaleups? And third, you need to think like a global citizen: What are the differences in managing a rapidly growing firm (in terms of risk and rewards) based in New York versus one based in Istanbul or Mexico City?

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Fernando Fabre
  Info
• 3 points

Design for Social Innovation

Design for Social Innovation is a project-based course where students work in teams to solve real-world problems on behalf of social sector clients including nonprofits, social enterprises, and government agencies. Students work as “intrapreneurs” (entrepreneurs within organizations) on innovation projects on behalf of client organizations, looking at their client’s organizational or programmatic challenges through the lens of design thinking and human-centered design.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 3 points

Storytelling and The Art of Creating Soc

Storytelling and Social Impact

After countless videos of police brutality, why did the video of George Floyd’s murder dramatically accelerate the pace of cultural and policy change that had been demanded by Black Lives Matter since 2013?  How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact this and other campaigns?  After years of governmental and NGO campaigns to reduce teen pregnancy, how was it that a TV show became one of the main drivers of reducing teen pregnancy to the lowest point in recorded history?  After losing 31 state referendums, why did a new narrative approach enable the gay marriage campaign start winning nationwide?  These examples are part of broader social impact campaigns that combined the right mix of strategy and narrative to create change.  A social impact campaign is one that creates a significant, positive change that addresses a pressing social issue. Often, there is too little focus on the power of narrative to change behavior and drive action.  This class will explore all aspects of social impact campaigns that harnessed the power of “effective” stories to engage audiences and prompt action.  Additionally, we will investigate how corporations and brands develop campaigns and how they partner with the government, foundations and NGOs.  Students will have the chance to question some of the leading creators/practitioners as they create their own social impact campaign.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Stephen Friedman
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Impact Investing: Essential Skills

Impact investing is young but fast-growing industry. An increasing number of philanthropists, traditional investors, and asset managers look to impact investment as a compelling asset class. Entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental issues are finding in impact investors a more reliable and better-aligned source of capital to finance their ventures. The industry requires a committed, talented, and well-prepared pool of capital to continue evolving and growing. This class aims to provide the students with some of the essential skills and tools they will require to work and thrive in the impact investing industry. This is an experiential course designed to introduce students to impact investing and provide them with the skills used by impact investors every day. Students will work on the key "products" required in an impact investment transaction, including: assessing a possible impact investment; writing an investment memo with a full impact analysis, and presenting an investment proposal to a group of seasoned impact investors. **THIS COURSE MEETS ONLINE VIA ZOOM SAT 10/9 FROM 9-11am EST, THEN IN-PERSON FRIDAY 10/15 FROM 3-6pm EST, SATURDAY 10/16 FROM 9am-2pm EST, AND SUNDAY 10/17 FROM 12-3pm EST

• S 9 a.m.-noon
• 1.5 points

Civic Innovation & Building a People-Cen

Civic Innov/People-Center Govt

Governments around the world are tasked with delivering services to millions of citizens using a range of technologies and initiatives. They constantly assess their impact and find new ways to better serve the public and to provide service more efficiently and effectively. This course provides a look at innovative efforts underway, and an analytical framework for developing new approaches to serving people. Invention is part of innovation, of course. But innovation has another meaning. It is also a process-a process of improving, adapting, or developing a product, system, or service in order to deliver better results and create value for people. It is this second meaning of innovation that applies most acutely to government. While entrepreneurs may tinker with new products and ideas, government has a unique ability to take new ideas, adapt them to the needs of the public, and apply them at scale. This course explores what innovation actually means in government, what it looks like, and how it happens. It is focused on understanding how the same methodology that firms use to design and build revolutionary products can be (and is being) applied in government to design more effective policies, programs, and services. The goal of this course is to prepare students for working creatively in a policy environment, and finding new solutions to complex human problems, in a manner that prioritizes people over politics and bureaucracy. To this end, the course takes a blended and hands-on approach to learning, combining reading and lectures with design studios, and guest speakers who will provide a firsthand narrative of their experience with innovation in government. Guest speakers will include people who have been able to develop and implement new systems within government such as rescuing healthcare.gov and modernizing our immigration system.

• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Chelsea Mauldin
  Info
• 1.5 points

Humanitarian Crisis Simulation

This short course is designed to enable participating students to weigh and apply humanitarian principles, concepts, best practices, and minimum standards to a simulated humanitarian emergency. The simulation exercise challenges student participants with issues and dilemmas confronting humanitarian practitioners face when responding to a complex emergency, and inspires them to work within the humanitarian system and architecture to solve problems in creative ways. In their roles as staff of humanitarian response agencies charged with responding to a large-scale crisis, student participants will analyze a dynamic stream of assessment data, prioritize key humanitarian needs, and make critical decisions about the appropriate type and scale of needed interventions. Participants will also be introduced to the importance and mechanisms of international humanitarian coordination in assembling the response. The simulation will include a day-long exercise followed by a day of debriefing, analysis, and identification of key challenges and lessons. The Humanitarian Crisis Simulation focuses on humanitarian operations from the perspective of humanitarian assistance agencies operating in the field. The course should likely, therefore, be of interest to those wishing to work with humanitarian agencies responsible for planning and conducting responses to vulnerable populations affected by disaster, or to those who want to better understand the humanitarian assistance system and the challenges confronting humanitarian decision-makers.

• SU 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jeffrey Klenk
  Info
• 1 points

Media Campaigning and Social Change

Media Campaigning & Social Chg

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Energy, Corporate Responsibility & Human

Energy, Corp Resp & Hum Rights

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.

• TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jenik Radon
  Info
• 3 points

African Development Strategies

This course focuses on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa from a political economy perspective. It is divided into three sections. The first section examines the broad economic trends, policies and strategies of the past 50 years. The Washington Consensus and the lost decades are examined in some detail. The focus of this part is on economic growth and structural change, notably the controversies around economic policies and institutions. In the second section the course turns to socioeconomic dimensions and aspects of development including poverty, inequality, employment, health, education, and gender. The final section concludes with an examination of the implications of climate change, debates around foreign aid and an overview of what we have learned. Some readings are to be finalized.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Akbar Noman
  Info
• 3 points

Innovation for Development in Practice

Innovation-Developmt Prac

The Sustainable Development Goals have garnered remarkable momentum across the globe, providing a framework for thinking and acting on the world’s most urgent challenges. Since they were agreed upon there has been growing recognition that more, and better, innovation will be needed if they are to be achieved. Development organizations and governments across the globe are increasingly investing in different forms of innovation to advance development outcomes. Innovation has also played a crucial role in addressing the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines highlights the importance of innovation research and practice. Also innovation efforts led by people in low-income countries and middle-income countries have been of vital importance to local and national responses to COVID-19. In this course students will learn how to frame and advance innovation within international organizations and governments in support of development goals. Innovation in the development cooperation context can be conceptualized and operationalized in two pillars: 1. To help advance organizational reforms, change the institution and contribute to continued relevance. 2. To help advance development outcomes and more inclusive processes in low and middle-income countries through innovation. The course will discuss both aspects and outline their linkages. The course is designed to help students gain a critical conceptual understanding of the practice of innovation in development and humanitarian contexts, obtain skills in change management tactics to help organizations further embrace innovation, and learn the practical application of selected innovation approaches and methods. Students will be exposed to a variety of frameworks, along with case studies and practical exercises. Students will gain an understanding of advancing innovation in development cooperation and humanitarian affairs in practice. The syllabus will also cover central questions related to the ethics of innovation and to inclusive innovation, especially with regard to equitable outcomes. Students will explore the relationship between innovation practices and management practices that emerged over the last decade to infuse more flexible and adaptive practices. These include ‘working and thinking politically’, adaptive management, problem-driven iterative adaptation, doing development differently and lean impact. These approaches intersect at times with innovation efforts in developme

• SU 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Benjamin Kumpf
  Info
• 1.5 points

Community Economic Development

This course will provide an overview of the community development industry. Tracing the evolution from a nascent movement to organize blighted inner-city neighborhoods to today's multi-billion dollar industry, the course will examine how community development happens, the way communities set development priorities, the financial tools used to accomplish projects, and how key partners interact. The course will explore how affordable housing, health care, schools, childcare, and retail development projects interact to turn neglected neighborhoods into communities of choice. The level of financial and underwriting analysis will not require previous real estate finance experience. Particular attention will be paid to the role of community development corporations, community development financial institutions, direct public subsidies, and the role of banks and the Community Reinvestment Act.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew Ditton
  Info
• 3 points

Technology for Intl Crisis Response & Go

Tech for Intl Crisis Response

The advent of new technologies has fundamentally changed the capacity for processing and exchanging information. NGOs, governments, and companies alike are just beginning to understand the potential that these tools and systems can have in analyzing and addressing a range of social problems. This course will explore how technology is being used to respond to international crises, create early warning mechanisms, monitor elections, provide banking services, ensure effective governance, and much more. It will also take a critical approach and consider key challenges related to access, privacy, implementation, scale, and evaluation based on evidence that working with technology presents. The course is designed for graduate students to assist them in developing strategies and technological skills to work amid this rapidly evolving landscape. Students can expect a hands-on and interactive learning environment with a variety of examples from organizations working in the field.

• FS 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Nicholas Martin
  Info
• 1.5 points

Accounting for International and Public

The purpose of this course is to enable you to become an informed user of financial information. To be properly informed you need to understand financial statements, the note disclosures and the language of accounting and financial reporting. We will focus on the three major financial statements – the balance sheet, the income statement and the statement of cash flows - that companies prepare for use by management and external parties. We will examine the underlying concepts that go into the preparation of these financial statements as well as specific accounting rules that apply when preparing financial statements. As we gain an understanding of the financial information, we will look at approaches to analyze the financial strength and operations of an entity. We will use actual financial statements to understand how financial information is presented.

• W 1:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Norman Bartczak
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Internet Governance and Human Rights

Whoever controls the future of the internet, controls the future of the world. We'll look at the technical roots of the internet, and the people and entities -- telecom companies and their regulators, technologists and idealists, security forces and hackers -- shaping it today. Each group faces challenges. Policymakers have reached consensus that human rights apply online, but need to update and replace laws, regulations, and norms for the digital age. Companies have responsibilities to law and policy, but vary widely in their respect for users and governments. The UN Sustainable Development Goals identify internet access as essential to development, but policy environments fail to extend connectivity to vulnerable or marginalized communities. And the cat-and-mouse game between cyber offense and defense continues, leaving many less-resourced groups -- and the right to privacy -- lagging behind. Will national sovereignty reassert itself, breaking the internet, or will the vision of a borderless cyberspace prevail? Will the European approach to data protection set global standards? Does network neutrality function amidst the internet of everything? To find the answers, we nimbly role-play, enjoy small group activities, welcome guest experts, and hone tech policy skills under time pressure. Expect to participate frequently, and learn to navigate the most pressing issues facing companies, governments, and technologists today.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter Micek
  Info
• 3 points

Political Economy of Finance

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.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Arvid J Lukauskas
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

Operations Management

This course provides a foundation for understanding the operations of an organization. The objective is to provide the basic skills necessary to critically analyze an organizations operating performance and practices. Such knowledge is important for careers in a variety of areas, including general management and consulting. Unlike other courses which tend to treat operations as a black box, this course will be concerned with opening up the inner workings of an organizations operations to see how they work or dont work, learning the fundamental laws of behavior of producing a product or services, and lastly to learn how to design operations that perform at maximum levels. Its focus will be on the technical and mathematical analysis of operations rather than a human factors approach, although there are obvious connections between the two that will be explored. Concern is given to understanding which elements of an organizations operations enable it to produce quality outputs at a reasonable cost. The course will accomplish this by grouping the material under two major headings. The first half of the course will be devoted to understanding the physics of how material, paper work, and information flow through an organization to produce a product or service and how its design encourages or impedes good performance. The second half will focus on excellence in operations, learning techniques and approaches that increase overall performance in production, quality, variety, or speed of service.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Lucius J Riccio
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

Leadership & Innovative Policy Making

In this course the students will (a) master key themes in leadership development and policy making, (b) increase their own leadership and policy making capacities through reflection and discussion and (c) evaluate the leadership record of an extraordinary policy leader. The goal of the three-pronged approach is to prepare students for understanding and exercising leadership-executive ability in government, non-governmental organizations, and business. Leadership is the ability to influence people towards achieving a goal. An important part of the SIPA mission is to prepare students for leadership and innovative policy making. In this course we will examine leadership and policy making out of the box as well as inside the box by having students tackle several key themes and some specific questions. The themes include issues such as, are leaders born or made? What kind of leaders design and implement good versus bad policies? Can nudging and innovative policy making substitute for forceful policy intervention? To what extent are economic and political outcomes products of leadership as opposed to external environment?

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Jan Svejnar
  Wikipedia h-index: 49 Info
• 3 points

History for Future Policymakers

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.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Sarah C Kovner
  Info
• 3 points

Comparative Social Welfare Policy

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.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Yumiko T Shimabukuro
  Info
• 3 points

Corporate Sustainability: Issues, Strate

Corporate Sustainable Develop

In a climate, biodiversity, social justice, and pandemic challenged world, corporate leaders are, often reluctantly, beginning to put into practice various interpretations of sustainability. This course explores the underpinnings and elements of corporate sustainability, including but not limited to, the sustainability context,  planetary boundaries, sustainability thresholds and allocations, cumulative impacts, systems thinking, the carrying capacity of capitals, stakeholder/rightsholder engagement, circular and regenerative economies, as well as true measures of cost, benefit, price, compensation, and tax. This course seeks to provide the tools to become advocates of net positive action, “Positive mavericks” within and outside the corporate ecosystem, taking into consideration the career risk and opportunities of advocating and achieving “sustainability” for transformational change and creating system value.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

EU Policymaking & New Global Challenges

EU Policymaking-Global Challen

This course explores the process of EU policy-making - how and why certain public policies are pursued by the institutions of the European Union - and analyses what the Union is doing to address a number of major policy challenges in today's interdependent world. After providing a general introduction to the overall policy process in the EU - looking at how policies are born, adopted, enacted, implemented and reviewed - this term's course will examine the specific policy agenda of the current European Commission (2019-24), led by Ursula von der Leyen, and do a 'deep dive' into EU action in three areas: the fight against climate change, the development of a 'digital Europe', and the EU response to the on-going coronavirus crisis. It will identify the key characteristics of these policies, assess how far they are succeeding or failing, and ask what they show about the evolving EU political system. The course will round off with an assessment of the growing emphasis on strategic foresight in the EU policy-making and identify new policies that are likely to be developed in coming years. Taught from a practitioner perspective by Anthony Teasdale, Director General of the European Parliament's research service, the course aims to provide a firm grounding in modern EU policy and should appeal to those interested both in EU politics and in the individual policy issues under discussion.

• S 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Anthony Teasdale
  Info
• 1.5 points

Environmental Finance: Scaling Up Clean

This class will address Environmental and climate challenges, the role of public sector funding and financing, and the need and potential for private sector investment and financing; The current state of clean energy deployment around the world: wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, ocean, and biomass, plus nuclear and cleaner fossil fuel options, and advanced transportation and vehicles, and energy efficiency, with attention to the financial characteristics of each; Methods and practices for clean energy investment and financing including government funding and incentives, corporate financing and project financing; Who the players are, and their respective activities and roles including government and corporate sponsors, multilateral development banks, commercial banks, equity investors, capital market equity and debt investors, and others. Students should leave the course with a better understanding of how the world is responding to the challenge of clean energy financing and a sense of where and how they might forge a career.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Eckhart
  Info
• 1.5 points

Politics & Policy of Urban Sustainabilit

Politics & Policy-Urban Sustai

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; sev

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Rohit T Aggarwala
  Wikipedia h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

Comparative Urban Policy: Global Develop

Studying developing cities, such as Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai, has never been more important. Over half of the world's population is now urban. As cities continue to expand, metropolitan areas around the globe face a growing number of challenges, including: sprawl, poor sanitation, poverty, pollution, corruption, and crime. This course in comparative urban policy will help you develop a keener understanding of these challenges. Our focus will be on how academics and analysts study and debate global developing cities. We will explore questions, such as: What accounts for the global pace of migration from rural to urban places in our time? What are the major challenges facing developing cities? What strategies do individuals, neighborhoods, and economic interest groups have available to influence, and to optimize their experiences in developing cities? How well are developing cities' urban governance and planning geared to resolve controversies and, where appropriate, implement effective remedies? What can we learn from innovative change initiatives?

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Vojislava Filipcevic
  Info
• 3 points

Development Practice Lab I

Development Practioner's Lab I

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.

• MW 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 3 points

Managing the Clean Energy Transition

Managing Clean Energy Tra

INSTRUCTOR: Amb. Paul Simons. This seminar will explore the principal policy challenges facing the U.S. and other key global players in transitioning toward a clean energy future and the goals of the Paris climate change agreement in the new “net zero” environment, while simultaneously meeting energy security needs and keeping their economies competitive. The course will place all these issues in geopolitical context, drawing on the instructor’s personal experience. The United States’ experience will form the primary focus of the analysis and case studies.

• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Paul Simons
  Info
• 3 points

Financing Sustainable Development: The R

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.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Aniket A Shah
  Info
• 1.5 points

The Politics of Defense in the United St

The Politics of Defense is concerned with the construction and implementation of American defense policy—including strategies, budgets, modernization and acquisition programs, personnel issues, and decisions on the use of force.  But it focuses on the politics, and process, of making policy more than on overarching theories or abstract ideas.  Who are the key players, inside the Beltway and beyond?  How do members of the Congress and Executive Branch wrestle with each other—and within their own organizations—as they collectively construct U.S. defense policy?  Which parts of the process are badly flawed and which work well?  How healthy is the relationship of the armed forces to American society?  How do Republicans and Democrats, civilians and uniformed personnel, soldiers and sailors (and airmen/women, Marines, and space guardians), cooperate and compete?  The readings of the course tend to focus on issues and debates of the past several decades.  But in the interest of preparing students for the here-and-now of modern U.S. defense policymaking, the midterm and final take-home exams will consider questions of immediate salience in today’s debate.  Is either major U.S. political party becoming isolationist?  Is America truly preparing for possible great-power war against China, and how likely do different parts of the policymaking process as well as the broader polity consider such a war to be?  Do we waste huge sums on the military?  Does Congress add too many earmarks or pork-barrel projects to that budget?  While the course emphasizes the United States system, its scope necessarily considers other countries and regions as well, if for no other reason than it is in regard to today’s international environment that U.S. defense policy is made.

• W 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael O'Hanlon
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Economics of European Integration

Econ of European Integration

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.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Seamus C O'Cleireacain
  Info
• 3 points

Corporate Finance

Corporate finance is an introductory finance course. It is a central course for students taking the international finance track of the International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP) concentration. The course is designed to cover those areas of business finance which are important for all managers, whether they specialize in finance or not. Three fundamental questions will be addressed in this course: How much funding does a firm require to carry out its business plan? How should the firm acquire the necessary funds? Even if the funds are available, is the business plan worthwhile? In considering these questions, the following topics will be covered: analyzing historical uses of funds; formulating and projecting funding needs; analyzing working capital management; choosing among alternative sources of external funding for company operations; identifying costs of funds from various sources; valuing simple securities; evaluating investment opportunities; valuing a company based on its projected free cash flow The course will combine lecture time and in-class case discussions, for which students should prepare fully. The goal of the course is to provide students with an understanding of both sound theoretical principles of finance and the practical environment in which financial decisions are made.

• TR 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• TR 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Deborah McLean
  Info
• 3 points

Macroeconomics for International and Pub

Prerequisites: SIPA U6300 or SIPA U6400 This course continues the one-year sequence initiated with SIPA U6300 and focuses on macroeconomics. The goal of this course is to provide you with the analytical framework to examine and interpret observed economic events in the global economy. We will first familiarize with the measurement of the macroeconomic variables that are used to evaluate the well-being of nations. Next, we will build from microeconomic principles to clarify the causal links between macroeconomic aggregates. The subject matter will always refer to concrete situations with a particular focus on the causes and effects of the current global financial crisis. The controversial nature of macroeconomic policies will be central.

• MW 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• MW 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• MW 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
• TR 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• TR 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• R 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• R 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
• R 6:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
• R 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• F 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• F 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• F 12:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Groll
  h-index: 7 Info
• 3 points

Financial Inclusion

Research shows that countries with deeper levels of financial inclusion -- defined as access to affordable, appropriate financial services -- have stronger GDP growth rates and lower income inequality. In recent years, research around the financial habits, needs and behaviors of poor households has yielded rich information on how they manage their financial lives, allowing for the design of financial solutions that better meet their needs. While microfinance institutions remain a leading model for providing financial services to the poor, new models and technology developments have provided opportunities for scaling outreach, deepening penetration and moving beyond brick and mortar delivery channels. The course will provide an overview of financial inclusion, focusing on the key stakeholders and providers, including leading-edge mobile money offerings by telecos, as well as banks, cooperatives, and microfinance institutions. The course will examine the full range of financial services -- savings, credit, insurance and payments -- and will evaluate the early successes and failures of new and innovative approaches such as mobile financial services. The course will be highly interactive, with select leading industry experts as guest speakers, group assignments, debates, and presentations by students.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

Debt Financing Sovereign and Quasi Sover

Debt Financing-Emerging M

Public Entities are subject to fundamental, technical and political factors when devising an efficient financing structure and policies. This course will explore how the different economic and market variables, as well as fiscal and monetary policies affect funding needs. We will explore the composition of sovereign debt, looking at different sources of financing, including multilateral institutions. We will also cover the broad spectrum of capital markets based financing - from local to international markets, evaluating effects of market dynamics on the different tools these entities can use. All discussions will take into account the effects of the COVID pandemic on public finances.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Cristina D Schulman
  Info
• 1.5 points