This is a one-semester course on applied statistics. The objectives of the course are (i) to introduce you to the tools of statistical data collection, data analysis, and inference, and (ii) to help you evaluate statistical claims in applied social research and analysis.
This course aims at familiarizing students with major issues surrounding global economic governance, exploring both the issues that are subject to current debates (or have been in the past) as well as the institutional questions involved. "Global economic governance" is understood in a broad sense, and thus includes not only global but also regional frameworks, and both formal institutions as well as informal groupings of countries (such as the G7/8 and the G20) and rules of international transactions that have been left to bilateral agreements or are under the domain of national sovereignty but do have global implications. "Economics" is also understood in a broad sense, to include social and environmental issues. It will start with four general lectures that will place the debates on global governance in relation to those on globalization, and will give a first look at the objectives of international cooperation, the historical evolution of the current governance and typologies of the different rules, organization and governance structures that have been created at varied times. It will then deal in detail with major topics related to the architecture of international cooperation and both formal and informal (informal groupings of countries) governance structures. This will be followed by a look at two specific cases of the interaction between regional and global governance (regional financial and trade cooperation, and the European Union) and end with a recapitulation of reform proposals, particularly in light of the global economic developments in the 2008-2015 period, and the political economy of global reform.
This course is a practicum designed to enable you to discuss major economic, political, and social problems of contemporary Brazil with expert analysts, activists, business leaders, and public figures. The course structure is unusual in its heavy reliance upon a stream of outside speakers who will vary from semester to semester rather than upon a fixed syllabus, reading list, and lectures offered only by the instructor. During the Spring 2016 term, we will be focused upon current economic and social issues, while not ignoring political themes entirely. The major public policy issue confronting Brazil in early 2016 is that of re-establishing the remarkable momentum of economic growth and human development experienced during most of the early 2000s and through 2012, approximately.
Effective public management in the 21st century demands unprecedented innovation and creation of social value through new forms of cross-sector partnerships. Today's challenges are too great and too complex for any one sector to address on its own, and will require comprehensive solutions that draw on the intrinsic strengths of sound leadership, local ownership, and comprehensive processes that maximize social return. Addressing today's challenges will also require new forms of partnerships between the private sector (from multinational companies and global financial institutions to local entrepreneurs and venture capitalists) non-governmental organizations (such as faith-based groups, development experts, aid organizations, and academia), and governments (at the global, national, state, and local levels). This course will provide students with knowledge in these areas through a mix of management theory, tools for effective public management, and exposure to real-world situations that have challenged conventional management styles.