Teaching
Courses
Graduate
- PUBM 5010: Politics and Public Administration
- PUBM 5100: Economic Analysis
- PUBM 5430: Research Design for Program Evaluation
- PUBM 5900: Capstone for Public Services
- PUBM 5910: Advanced Data Analysis and Management
Undergraduate
- PUBA 3910 (Special Topics): Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- PUBA 3910 (Special Topics): Public Policy and Economics
Course Details
PUBM 5010: Politics and Public Administration
This course seeks to offer a comprehensive overview of public administration in the American system of government. It provides students with conceptual foundations they need, while also introducing them to important trends in the discipline.
The overarching question we will address in this class is: How politics influences public administration? The course is organized into three major themes. The first theme, “The Job of Government”, identifies the role of government in American society and the nature of public administration in such political and cultural context. More specifically, this theme covers topics including what government does and how it does it, government strategies and tactics in policy process and public service delivery, and issues of administrative responsibility.
The second theme of the course is “Managing Public Organization”, which probes theories underlying public organizations. It will explore the structure of the executive branch and its organizational problems that hamper its performance; it will also cover important theories of organizational behavior and expose challenges and strategies of human resource management with a special emphasis on social equity and diversity issues.
The final theme, “Making and Implementing Government Decisions”, will cover topics including government decision making process, and implementation and performance. Under this theme, we will focus specifically on street-level bureaucrats’ ethical decision making, unravel why good policies may lead to a major failure in the society, and how performance evaluation may or may not improve equitable and efficient public service delivery.
PUBM 5100: Economic Analysis
This course deals with the application of basic microeconomic analysis to public policy problems. The primary goal of the course is to learn the basic principles of economic reasoning so that you can use those principles to help untangle the complex policy problems you will confront as policy makers, policy analysts, and administrators. The course differs from more traditional microeconomics courses in its emphasis on public policy applications.
PUBM 5430: Research Design for Program Evaluation
This course exposes students to issues central to understanding and applying research-based evidence to public affairs and administration. These issues include the use of theory or models, measurement concepts and methods, qualitative and quantitative modes of observation, identifying causes, the logic of control variables, and understanding experiments and quasi-experiments. The emphasis is on learning these ideas through practice with many different examples of real-world research and empirical evidence.
Skills covered:
- Causal diagram
- Logics of causal inference with randomized experiments and quasi-experiments
- Survey design
- Qualitative inquiries
- Qualitative data analysis
- Logics of evidence-based decision making
PUBM 5900: Capstone for Public Services
The primary objective for the course is to thoroughly research and analyze a problem or issue faced by a client organization in the public or nonprofit sectors, and to make recommendations for improvement. To ensure you have an accurate understanding of the issue being analyzed, you are required to conduct and analyze a series of interviews in preparation for their final report. You will work independently, with support from me and your peers, to select a client, identify a policy or organizational issue that impacts that client, research and analyze that issue, and make a final recommendation to your client. At the end of the quarter, you will submit a written report and present your findings and recommendations in a 10-12-minute oral presentation to a public audience.
PUBM 5910: Advanced Data Analysis and Management
Public agencies are increasingly interested in unlocking the potential of large-scale data to improve service delivery and inform policy efforts. Computational tools capable of making productive use of big data have proliferated in recent years, drastically decreasing the barriers to entry for interested parties. This 8-week course will be divided into two following sections:
The first part of this course will explore the practice of using data to improve organizational performance, including techniques for data collection, analysis, and behavior change. Regression serves as the foundation for modern quantitative program evaluation techniques, so the first part of this course establishes a baseline set of skills that can be extended in your future self-studies.
The second part of the course focuses on effective data management for public agencies. Students will operate as their own laboratory through a data journaling exercise, and devise strategies for incorporating data into management practices of public and nonprofit organizations.
PUBA 3910 (Special Topics): Public Policy and Economics
This course offers a unique approach to economics by focusing on the practical application of economic principles to key policy fields. Unlike traditional economics courses that emphasize graphic and mathematical approaches, this course prioritizes the real-world application of concepts and theories to analyze and address contemporary social issues.
Students in this class will explore how economic insights can explain and drive social change as well as inform policy design. Through interactive discussions and debates, students will learn to evaluate economic equity, assess environmental policies, and explore the economic implications of technological innovations. Additionally, the course will cover the intricacies of U.S. housing markets and healthcare systems, equipping students with the knowledge to design effective policies in these areas.
In addition, this class will equip students with foundations and skills for learning economics. Class activities will heavily rely on students’ use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools (e.g. Learn About and NotebookLM by Google), including active learning, fact-checking, debates, and critical writing.