This course is designed for students to develop the reasoning and tools for urban policy analysis, while engaging with key debates in urban politics. Over the course of the semester, we will address several questions, including: What is urban policy analysis, and how does it differ from policy analysis in other domains? How do situations become problems that local governments feel compelled to solve, while others never make it onto the agenda? Once an urban policy problem is defined, how do we generate a range of alternatives to address it? What criteria should we use to compare those alternatives? Are efficiency and equity the only trade-offs that matter in urban policy analysis? Why do decision-makers choose certain policies over others that look, on paper, just as sound? How do we know whether a policy succeeded, and who gets to decide what counts as success?

This course is designed to help students develop and apply the analytic skills necessary for informed decision-making. We will rely substantially on case analysis, applying theory and tools to problem definition, the design of policy alternatives, and their assessment. We will also devote a unit to cost-benefit analysis and to incorporating it into this analytical toolbox. Based largely on case discussions, the class will explore the choices facing decision-makers (in the public and nonprofit sectors, in the US and abroad) with regard to a wide range of urban issues, including public health, environmental protection, transportation, housing, economic development, and infrastructure. We will use a variety of cases to practice and become nimble in the logic and techniques behind urban policy analysis, rather than becoming an expert in any one subject area. Students will learn to communicate their findings and recommendations clearly, succinctly, and persuasively in written and verbal form.

While students will develop rigorous analytic skills, they will also critically engage with the tools and frameworks presented. Alongside the stage-based approach, the class will bring in political economy perspectives to discuss issues including issue framing, the role of interest groups, distributive politics, and the limits of the evidence-based policy movement.

In addition to class attendance and active participation, students will be expected to present cases weekly, to prepare two pieces of policy analysis in the form of a policy memo to a decision-maker, and to work on an issue analysis as part of a team. The team’s analysis will culminate in a policy memo and a live briefing to a “client.” Prior to the group issue analysis, all students will complete a “presolve” — a single iteration of analysis in the absence of data collection. In addition, there will be a written homework assignment for a cost-benefit case that will require doing some quantitative analysis using a spreadsheet. Since policy analysts in organizational settings rarely work independently, but more often work as part of a team, the final analysis and briefing will be a team project. The grading on the project will be a team grade, and effectiveness in group dynamics will be included in the grade.