The Covid-19 pandemic and war in the Ukraine have demonstrated how suddenly life can be disrupted and also how dramatically entrepreneurial action can make a difference. The world's biggest problems are looking for new organizational and operational models that combine the advantages of business, government, and NGOs and can deliver effective responses. This course looks beyond entrepreneurship in profit motivated industries such as technology and financial services to the more complicated challenge of achieving social and policy objectives through entrepreneurial action.

The dynamics of the emergence and spread of disease arise from a complex interplay between disease ecology, economics, and human behavior. Lectures will provide an introduction to complementarities between economic and epidemiological approaches to understanding the emergence, spread, and control of infectious diseases. The course will cover topics such as drug-resistance in bacterial and parasitic infections, individual incentives to vaccinate, the role of information in the transmission of infectious diseases, and the evolution of social norms in healthcare practices.

This course explores fundamental issues in health policy in the global and domestic context. Through lectures, discussion, and case studies, we will examine interdisciplinary frameworks and methods for addressing challenges in public health. We will explore the complex interactions and tradeoffs in policy interventions to improve health; the role of various stakeholders in health care systems; and the social, economic, and political constraints affecting health policy. Students will gain foundational knowledge surrounding the global burden of disease and strategic skills to assess and influence health policy.

An introduction to the institutions and political processes of American government and democracy. Topics will include the Constitution and American political tradition, federalism, political institutions, elections and representation, interest groups and social movements, civil rights and liberties, and the politics of public policy

Why do states exist? Why are some democracies, and others autocracies? And why are some countries rich, while others are poor? This course introduces students to the study of domestic politics of other countries, or comparative politics, by focusing on topics such as economic development, democratization and regime change, political institutions, income redistribution, and political representation. Readings on Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas are used to provide an introduction to politics in different regions of the world and to show how cross-national comparisons provide insight into contemporary political outcomes.

Would universal health insurance improve the health of the poor? Do patterns of arrests in US cities show evidence of racial profiling? What accounts for who votes and their choice of candidates? This course will teach students how to address these and other social science questions by analyzing quantitative data. The course introduces basic principles of statistical inference and programming skills for data analysis. The goal is to provide students with the foundation necessary to analyze data in their own research and to become critical consumers of statistical claims made in the news media, in policy reports, and in academic research.

This course explores the political relationship of the military to the state and to society. It introduces students to the core concepts of civil-military relations, including civilian control, professionalism, and military intervention. The course engages significant cases from global twentieth-century history and surveys contemporary military politics around the world. Topics include coups d'état, responses to protests, and democratic transitions.

This course covers recent research on the role of political institutions (macro and micro) in economic development. We first introduce the concept of political distortions (e.g., patronage and state capture) that allow those in power to distort market competition and public investments. We then provide a wide range of reforms that may curb such distortions and improve democratic governance. This includes campaign finance laws, improvement in government transparency, bureaucratic reforms, and public deliberation. The course will be imbedded in the activities of the Institutional Experimentation Lab (IEL) of the Department of Politics.

An introduction to the social bases of American politics and the political forces in the shaping of American society. Topics include divisions of class, race, gender, and party; struggles over national identity and immigration; social movements and civic participation; changes in the media; and the uncertain future of American democracy.

This course introduces basic concepts of studying and practicing public policy. It is an introduction into SPIA and the many disciplines that make up its faculty, as well a wide range of policy issues: climate change, war, workers' rights, poverty, systemic inequities, food systems, and more. The course will familiarize students with the broader issues involved in analyzing, designing, and implementing public policy, introduce students to three approaches that policy makers use to design and evaluate policy, allowing students to apply these abstract notions to both policy debates and finding solutions.

This course focuses on less developed countries. Covered topics include economic growth; economic inequality, poverty and personal well-being; the role of foreign aid; credit markets access and microfinance institutions; population change, determinants of fertility, and gender inequality; health and education provision, and labor markets. The course tackles these issues both theoretically and empirically.

Course introduces use of economics in understanding both the sources of and the remedies to environmental and resource allocation problems. It emphasizes the reoccurrence of economic phenomena like public goods, externalities, market failure and imperfect information. Students learn about the design and evaluation of environmental policy instruments, the political economy of environmental policy, and the valuation of environmental and natural resource services. These concepts are illustrated in a variety of applications from domestic pollution of air, water and land to international issues such as global warming and sustainable development.

This course will review and analyze the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present. It will emphasize Beijing's relations with the US as well as examine its dealings with the USSR, Asia and the developing world. It will explore the changes and continuities in the PRC's foreign policy during three periods; 1) the era of Mao Zedong's dominance, 2) the reform era begun under Deng Xiaoping and 3) the turn back toward authoritarianism since the advent of Xi Jinping.

Since the end of World War II the developing world has experienced numerous violent conflicts. These conflicts often pit government and allied forces against those of relatively small armed groups, called "insurgents." This course will explore the roots of insurgency, the organization and tactics of insurgent groups (including the use of terrorism), counterinsurgency campaigns, and efforts at conflict resolution. It will focus on the conditions under which insurgents are most likely to prevail in their fight against better-resourced armed forces.

Poverty and inequality are increasing. In this class, a comparative approach will be applied that highlights country differences with a special emphasis on the US Israel comparison. In the first few weeks of this class, basic theories of poverty and inequality will be reviewed, and how theories regarding poverty have changed over the years will be discussed. In the remaining weeks, discussion will turn to substantive topics such as gender, immigration, ethnicity/nationality, age, and health.

This undergraduate lecture course examines the effects, response to, and legacies of pandemics in the past -- their short term and lasting impacts on government, civil liberties, trust in experts, ethnic and racial tensions, social inequalities, and global and local economies. The course uses insights from these past cases of world-changing pandemics (from the plague through influenza, polio, AIDS, and COVID) to inform our understanding of current social, political, and economic challenges. Analysis of the past is also used to inform policy discussions about planning for the future.

The course examines major moral controversies in public life and competing conceptions of justice and the common good. It seeks to help students develop the skills required for thinking and writing about the ethical considerations that ought to shape public institutions, guide public authorities, and inform citizens' moral judgments in politics. We focus on issues that are particularly challenging for advanced, pluralist democracies such as the USA, including justice in war, terrorism and torture, market freedom and distributive justice, immigration, refugees, and criminal justice in conditions of social injustice.

This course will explore how women's rights activists, lawyers, and legal scholars have considered legal institutions and law to be arenas and resources for transforming women's lives and gender norms, identities, and roles. Since the early 1970s, feminist legal scholars and lawyers have challenged traditional understandings of law and the core civic values of freedom, justice, and equality. Others have questioned whether litigation-centered approaches to reform have harmed more than helped advance the goal of women's equality and liberation.

This course will offer an in-depth exploration of multilateralism and its role in our world at a time of global change and transition. It will provide students with an understanding of how the shifting world order, the rise of new actors and power centers, in addition to new forms of fragmentation in politics and geoeconomics, are testing international cooperation in an unprecedented manner. We will examine the impact of these changes on multilateralism and global cooperation and governance. The course will focus on multilateralism in outer space and study outer space policy and the challenges to cooperation in this new domain.

Urbanization is a defining characteristic of the 21st century and the Global South. Beyond demography, urbanization is a process of transformation and change as cities increasingly determine the economic, political, and environmental present and future. The "urban question" has been raised throughout history, why do cities matter? Cities were conceptualized as drivers of economic growth and are now being positioned as drivers of environmental sustainability creating a tension about how cities develop. This course asks: What role do cities play? Is perennial growth desirable? At what cost in terms of the environment and inequality?

This survey course will introduce you to the central issues in K-12 education policy. We will first consider the normative dimensions of education policymaking: What are the substantive and distributional goals of K-12 public education? What does, and should, equality of educational opportunity mean in theory and practice? After introducing a framework for combining values and evidence, we will consider the empirical evidence on a range of policy levers, including policies that address school accountability, teacher quality, school choice, and curricula.

How have racial and ethnic inequalities in housing and neighborhood development become hallmarks of many U.S. cities? This course focuses on the complex topics of race and racism from a spatial perspective, paying particular attention to the effects of interlocking systems of oppression on primarily urban African-American communities. However, we will not just examine the built environment of such communities. People shape and are shaped by the places they physically occupy. We, therefore, also delve into the narratives and everyday experiences of racialized city dwellers through the social sciences, the humanities, and media.

In both wealthy and low and middle income countries, the most disadvantaged people in societies are more likely to be exposed to health threats and more likely to suffer the consequences of those threats. We see evidence and the consequences of health inequities across countries and within them, and across socioeconomic, gender, racial and ethnic groups. In this course, we consider differences in the burden of disease and explore the myriad reasons for these differences. We also examine how the structure of health systems and health services, and the ways these are resources, can exacerbate inequities.

In policy task forces, students work in groups of 8 to 10, first formulating the general problem, then engaging in individual research on subtopics, and finally presenting their inferences for discussion and debate and producing a collective policy report.

The junior policy research seminar serves to introduce departmental majors to the tools, methods, and interpretations employed in policy research and writing. Students may choose from a range of topics.

People have converted almost half of the world's native habitats to agriculture (excluding desert and ice) and harvested more than 75% of the remaining forests. This conversion has contributed more than a quarter of the greenhouse gases people have added to the atmosphere and has been the primary cause of biodiversity loss. In the next 30 years, the world is on a path to convert vast additional areas and harvest vastly more forests to meet rising demands for food, wood, and energy.

India's post-independence journey is a lens to study fundamental questions of economic development and political economy. Despite attempts at big-push industrialization, followed by economic liberalization in the 1990's, the country struggled to create jobs and provide public goods at par with rapid population growth. Extreme economic inequality is now only one concern amidst environmental degradation, gender-based violence, and a Hindu-nationalist political agenda. When, and how, will India achieve sustainable development? The seminar will draw on scholarly works and Indian cinema for a well-rounded economic, social and political commentary.

The Policy Advocacy Clinic provides a unique offering for students to learn about and participate in the policymaking process. This one-year, two semester program includes two core components: a fall semester academic seminar where students study the policymaking process and a spring semester field program where students engage in active campaigns to advance public policy. Topics will cover both the academic and practical, ranging from studying public policy theories and structures to developing the skills needed to engage in policy analysis, campaign planning, power-mapping, and the legislative process.

An analysis of the forces that shape the behavior of public organizations and individuals in organizational settings. The emphasis is on the workings of U.S. governmental agencies. Special attention is given to writing skills as they apply to the roles of advisers and decision makers in public-sector organizations.

Statistical analysis with applications to public policy, begins with an introduction to probability theory followed by discussion of statistical methods for estimating the quantitative effects of changes in policy variables. Regression methods appropriate for the analysis of observational data and data from randomized controlled experiments are stressed. By the end of the course students are able to do their own empirical analysis using statistical software package, interpret regression results and competently assess the work of others. The course assumes a fluency in high school algebra.

Statistical analysis with applications to public policy, begins with an introduction to probability theory followed by discussion of statistical methods for estimating the quantitative effects of changes in policy variables. Regression methods appropriate for the analysis of observational data & data from randomized controlled experiments are stressed. By course end, students are able to do their own empirical analysis using statistical software package & interpret regression results from the professional literature. The course assumes fluency in calculus, which is necessary for rigorous mathematical analysis of probability & statistics.

This course presents concepts and tools from microeconomic theory with an emphasis on how they are applied to public policy analysis. No previous experience in economics required although students should be familiar with basic concepts in calculus. A strong understanding of algebra is a prerequisite.

This course is an introduction to the use of microeconomics for the analysis of public policy on an advanced level. The emphasis is on both the intuitive and formal logic of economic principles, a deeper perspective on the impacts of typical policy measures, and an introduction to the use of professional microeconomic tools to assess and weigh these policy impacts. One goal is to move students towards the ability to read professional microeconomic literature with appreciation of both its contributions and foibles.

An introduction to the political analysis of policy making in the American setting. The course includes theoretical and empirical analyses of political institutions, including executives, legislatures, and bureaucracies. It also examines the political environment in which these institutions operate, with special attention given to the role of public opinion, interest groups, and elections.

Examines a series of major issues of policy designed to illustrate and develop skills in particularly important applications of microeconomics. Topics include education and training, the minimum wage, mandated benefits, affirmative action, the theory of public goods and externalities, and the basic theory of taxation.

This course exposes students to the recent social science literature on contemporary immigration to the United States, focusing on their origins, modes of adaptation, and enduring impacts on American society. We explore the complex process of immigrant integration, emphasizing public policy's role in shaping experiences and outcomes for immigrants and host communities. Students also develop a comprehensive understanding of the social, political, and economic aspects of immigrant integration by studying historical, contemporary, and comparative viewpoints.

Big data, social media, the internet; digital technology, is changing the nature of government and leadership in democratic societies. This course introduces students of government to the ramifications of digital technology, and its technical concepts and infrastructure. This course emphasizes how the changing technological landscape can drive performance improvement and innovation in government. We discuss what digital technology means for leaders in the public sector, and how its potential can be better used to serve the public. The course relies on the case study method.

This class will use historical analysis to understand how different kinds of economic policies have succeeded or failed in ameliorating insecurity and inequality in the United States. Looking back to the 1930s, we will explore the template that FDR's New Deal program offers policymakers in 2023. We will evaluate to what extent the New Deal, as one the most transformative moments of American public policy. provides a roadmap as well as cautionary signs for how to address the overlapping crises of today - inequality, inflation, global warming, pandemics, and more.

This seminar provides a survey of trends in U.S. poverty and how public policy has responded over time. Examines the range of benefits and services that comprise the social safety net, including refundable tax credits, housing subsidies, nutrition programs, cash assistance, and Social Security benefits. Also reviews past and current debates over the effectiveness of these programs, with a particular focus on welfare reform. Assignments are designed to provide students with practical experience in how to present ideas to policymakers and a broader public audience.

This course used historical analysis to evaluate why some presidents have been considered to be among the most effective leaders and why others have left a legacy of failure. We focus on the twentieth century, from Nixon to Biden, for our case studies. The seminar evaluates social scientific models of leadership and delves into the historical record to discover any consistent patterns that are relevant for today. Careful consideration is given to the distinct challenges posed by different institutional and political settings. The course also explores the ways in which historical analysis can be useful to policymaking.

This course thinks about how to look at public questions through a values-based framework. Drawing from a broad range of readings, we consider what defines "moral" leadership, when a "leader" should act contrary to the will of the people, what to do if the law and justice are in conflict, how to weigh individual rights against the needs of the community, and more. This course is based on a seminar series Professor (and former Congressman) Edwards has taught for many elected officials including governors, members of Congress and Cabinet, mayors, state officials, and presidential candidates.

This course introduces competing theories of international relations and evaluates their explanation of foreign policy decisions and general patterns in international relations over the last century. Broadly covering security policy and international political economy, topics include the causes of war, the role of international organizations to promote cooperation, and the interaction between domestic actors and governments in negotiations on trade and the environment.

Survey course in international economics for non-specialists. The first half covers microeconomic topics such as trade theory and policy, multilateral trade negotiations and regional economic integration. The second half addresses macroeconomic topics such as current account imbalances, exchange rates, and international financial crises. The course stresses concepts and real-world applications rather than formal models.

Evaluates arguments for and against protection and adjustment assistance and considers topics chosen from the following: non-tariff barriers, dumping, embargo threats and trade warfare, and the political economy of trade policy formation. Special attention is given to trade problems of the less-developed countries, including North-South trade relations and commodity price stabilization.

This course offers a comparative look at the making of policy and its implementation through diplomacy in the global arena. It explores concepts concerning national interest, ethics, negotiation, decision making, strategic design, & crisis management; and it applies those concepts via case studies in diplomacy, development assistance, peacekeeping, security policy, & transnational advocacy movements. Students learn not only to analyze but also to implement policy: it employs an action-oriented approach that obliges students to react as a policy-maker would and thus gain a better appreciation of how and why states & leaders act as they do.

Examines the changing meaning of "national security" and the various policies and institutions through which states may seek to enhance it. Course emphasizes the formation and implementation of national security policy by the United States government.

The field of Security Studies is distinguished by its focus on a clearly delineated set of intellectual and practical problems. This course serves as the required gateway for all students entering the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Examine ways in which international and regional financial and development institutions may be deployed as agents of change in the quest for democracy in the Arab world. A primary focus of this course is on (a) formulating the reform agendas in a manner that not only serves the immediate objective of improving governance, but seeks to do so while simultaneously promoting democratic principles and practices, and (b) facilitating the adoption of such agendas by taking advantage of the centrality of the promotion of good governance and reform to the purview of key international and regional financial and development institutions.

This seminar engages in political changes observed in Latin America. The region continues to be perceived as one of high growth potential, on the account of demographics, natural resources, and democratic values. However, data on violence, poverty, and inequality present a region lagging behind. The incapacity of reforms to tackle needs of the population, has resulted in a wave of neo-populism with a large role played by social media. We examine polling and electoral results and data analytics of social media. Also, we invite Latin American leaders to discuss about political scenarios and the potential for critical reforms.

This course will address the political strategies that human rights groups use to defend human rights. A government's decision whether to respect human rights is the product of a cost-benefit analysis. We will examine the methods that the human rights movement uses to change the terms of that analysis, from shaming abusive governments to conditioning their access to various diplomatic and economic benefits. The course will examine a range of countries--China, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the U.S.; and a variety of multilateral institutions that can contribute to the defense of human rights including the United Nations.

This seminar examines the role of strategic intelligence in the making and implementation of national security policy, chiefly but not exclusively in the United States. The course is divided into four sections: strategy, intelligence, national security, and policy. We review the classic literature in this field, look at the evolution of the principal national security agencies, focus on the role of strategic intelligence, and explore relevant case studies. The final paper assignment is a case study in strategic intelligence or a scenario analysis of the kind pioneered in the National Intelligence Council's 'Global Trends' series.

This seminar takes an in-depth look at how foreign policy decisions are made. We focus on several high-stakes decisions by the U.S. and critically explore the conflicts, crises or seminal events, through the perspective of the decision makers. The goal is to better understand how and why decisions--on issues such as war and peace, negotiations posture, or other diplomatic initiatives--are made. We adopt the perspective of diplomatic practitioners and policymakers, weighing questions of perception and misperception, the role of domestic politics, the media, intelligence, ideology, bureaucratic structures, or personal ethics.

Analysis of political change and the operation of political institutions in the development process, with emphasis on the interaction of political and economic factors. Various definitions and theories of political development are examined and tested against different economic, ethnic, geographic, and social contexts.

Introduction to the processes of economic growth and development. The course examines various theories of development; poverty and inequality measurement; and the role of markets for credit, labor and land, as well as education and health, in development. The role of public policy is considered within each of these topics. The course may also cover topics such as foreign aid, commodity pricing, and tax policy.

This course considers theories and evidence to explain processes of economic development. The course examines theories of economic growth, and the two-way links between development and poverty, inequality, social institutions, and the family. We also examine policy debates on education, health, and social policy, and governmental and international aid.

This course addresses the ethics of development policies and practices. Topics addressed include: 1. What is ethics? Is ethics about the choices you make, the consequences of your actions, or the virtues you exhibit? 2. Global redistribution. How much do rich countries, and the people in them, owe to poor countries and poor people? 3. Effective altruism. 4. Human rights. How do large development organizations deal with human rights concerns? 5. GDP per capita v. the capabilities approach. 6. How should we talk about poverty, and what are the problems with how poor people, poor countries, and development are represented?

We explore the impact of international, national and subnational political institutions on firms' and investors' strategies. Political institutions, including trade and investment agreements; democratic or non-democratic governance structures; and national labor and environmental regulations affect business strategy decisions. Political events, especially elections and mass protest and demonstrations, also can heighten political risk. We draw on research to consider how business leaders assess risk at the firm- and country-level, and to evaluate how governments that want to attract or retain investment seek to ameliorate political risk.

This course's goal is to provide an introduction to labor economics and the implications for law & public policy. It's intended to bridge what has been learned in micro-economics & econometrics and the use of these tools in practice. Given that policy makers, judges & the juries who decide the outcome of cases in the USA do not typically have technical training, one of the goals of the course is to explore ways to communicate the many advances in labor economics to a wider audience. The course provides students with tips on how to critically evaluate economic research so that they may identify work that can result in effective policy.

Examines the economics behind many issues related to energy use, including the investment and use of renewable and non-renewable resources, energy conservation, deregulation of energy markets, transportation, and energy independence. Current policy options will be discussed.

This is a macro, international finance-oriented development course, which will focus on the political economy of policy decisions. It will cover the following themes: 1. GDP growth and volatility; 2. the size, composition, and influence of international capital flows; 3. sudden stops in capital flows and financial crises; 4. the domestic and multilateral response to crises, including the role of fiscal adjustment, external financing, and debt restructuring; 5. We will draw on several country case-studies and students will be encouraged to undertake short research assignments to deepen their own policy interests.

The course investigates the interplay of politics and inequality, with a focus on class and race in the United States. The focus is on individuals' political views and behavior, with some attention to political institutions. We take up questions such as: does the political system equally represent the poor, middle class, and rich? Do Americans want government to ameliorate inequality? How do structural factors such as geography affect the politics of racial and ethnic inequality? Why are some people threatened by immigration while others embrace it?

A course required for and limited to students in the Joint Degree program in Social Policy. Papers drafted in the year-long course SPI 590a,b,c,d must be revised and submitted to the workshop leader by August 20. Papers will be provided to an expert reader outside of the Princeton faculty, who is invited to join the seminar for sessions devoted to each student paper. Each student will present his/her own paper and simultaneously contribute written critiques of one another's papers. By the end of the term, students will be required to submit their papers for publication to a leading journal.

The leadership of Mercer County Community College (MCCC) has requested support from SPIA students to help them engage in a Visioning Project for their James Kerney campus. Components of the Visioning Project include: internal data would grant funding for JKC programs and outcomes; internal opportunities would explore ideas for new or expanded offerings at JKC including credit programs, noncredit programs, grant programs, continuing education, corporate education, community service; city planning and development strategies; facilities planning would help to determine the best possible use of existing facilities to meet JKC goals.

This Policy Workshop works with BRAC, one of the leading development organizations in the Global South. The micro, small, and medium enterprise unit of BRAC (Progoti) is rolling out a number of digital initiatives. One of them is an app to make saving, borrowing, and financial transactions more efficient for BRAC's micro-entrepreneurs. BRAC would like Princeton's support in designing behaviorally informed interventions to promote the uptake and effective use of this app. This work has important spillovers across the wide range of BRAC's digital initiatives.

This Policy Workshop provides an opportunity to explore and influence real-time decisions on ways to finance the transition to renewable energy in Puerto Rico. The Caribbean Island has in place a legal mandate of 40% renewable energy by 2025, and 100% by 2050 under local Act 17 of 2019. One of the biggest hurdles to reach those goals is how to finance the necessary technology to replace the existing fossil-fuel burning infrastructure.

The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the defining and polarizing law of the Obama era. While its provisions to expand health insurance coverage, control costs, and improve the health care delivery system have made measurable improvements in the health care system and the experience of consumers, many challenges remain with the law and its structure. The workshop focuses on the policy, operational and political challenges of the ACA and future coverage and delivery system reforms. A core focus is the role that states play in the management of their health care systems.

Under Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, China has regressed from functioning as an authoritarian state to arguably a totalitarian one. China has further sought to alter and undermine previously settled understandings of international human rights at the United Nations & UN mechanisms designed to implement those rights. This project considers what opportunities exist to address China's human rights violations employing UN mechanisms, & ways to counter China's attempts to coopt the UN's human rights framework.

Climate change is generating a range of impacts on livelihoods and governance globally. These climate impacts are among the variables contributing to the rise of unprecedented migration in the 21st century. This workshop will focus on the relationship between climate change and migration decision-making in agricultural communities. By studying the causes of out-migration in Guatemala, we seek to understand which policies and programs could help to change the calculus of those who do not want to leave their communities. The students will produce a policy paper with cogent recommendations for experts at Mercy Corps, USAID, and the World Bank.

This course guides students toward preparing a policy brief. The client for this policy brief is the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency. The course asks: What indicators and tools should IOM and its partners use to anticipate forced displacement? Gathering and analyzing data focused on early warning systems and how to identify the indicators associated with an increased likelihood of forced displacement occurring. Working to answer the question 'When does displacement end?'.

We discover how cities and urbanization have been understood in relationship to a warming world in public policy and the social sciences. This includes a focus on the causes and consequences of climate change on cities, including strategies for adaptation and mitigation. We analyze the governing institutions (global, national, and local), policies, movements, and financial architectures that shape how cities address climate change today. This course has a transnational scope, across the Global North and Global South.

We examine the nature of contemporary media & information; the prevalence of misinformation & disinformation in politics & political rhetoric both in the US & beyond. We study the symbiotic relationship between the media, politics & governance. Who sets the agenda? The media? Politicians? Technology & social media platforms? The course also explores how language, semantics & conspiracy theories inform public & political discourse

For much of history, leaders could commit mass atrocities confident that they would get away with it. There was little chance that they would be brought to justice. Over the past three decades, that has begun to change. A series of new international institutions and practices have made justice for mass atrocities more likely. However, each step has been controversial, and some of the trumpeted successes have been limited. This course examines the evolution of international justice, studying the battles that have been fought, the positive and negative steps that have been taken, and possible paths for the future.

Course aims to improve students' abilities to understand and critically evaluate public opinion polls and surveys, particularly as they are used to influence public policy. Course begins with an overview of contrasting perspectives on the role of public opinion in politics, then examines the evolution of public opinion polling in the US and other countries. Class visits a major polling operation to get a firsthand look at procedures used for designing representative samples and conducting surveys by telephone, mail and Internet.

The rapidly growing fleet of Earth observation satellites has enabled the ability to image the entire planet on a daily basis. This course introduces fundamental concepts of remote sensing and geospatial information, builds on a number of hands-on exercises focused on climate change and examines additional use cases from humanitarian contexts and open-source intelligence. We explore opportunities and challenges of applying modern machine-learning techniques for analyzing satellite imagery at scale, consider limits policymaking, and discuss broader ethical issues related to surveillance and privacy.

This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of computer mapping (Geographic Information systems) for policy analysis and decision-making. Students learn ArcGIS through examples of map applications. Students are expected to complete exercises and a final project applying GIS to a policy issue.

This course examines international peace processes and mediation in a variety of conflicts, from Syria to Northern Ireland to South Sudan. It confronts technical and political questions that arise in international negotiations. What ingredients are necessary for a peace process to succeed? We examine the role of mediators, types and principles of mediation, mediation architecture, mandates and supporting institutions, the interests of 'stakeholders', and the political, moral and economic dilemmas faced in arresting violent conflict and facilitating transitions to sustainable peace.

This course focuses on the opportunities, constraints and roles of women in an increasingly interdependent economy. The class combines readings from both developed and developing country settings. Topics include: dynamics of fertility and household formation; labor market institutions--types of contracts, wage gaps and discrimination; intra-household allocation of resources and cash transfers; women's migration; education, STEM and stereotypes; violence; political and property rights.

This half-term course provides students an opportunity to explore some of the legal issues that must be considered as policymakers design and implement policies. It surveys some of the basics of a legal education, focusing on the most relevant areas for public policy work. Topics include constitutional law, administrative law (with a focus on agency rulemaking), and statutory interpretation. Course is not open to students who are pursuing or already have a JD.

This course uses the lens of reproductive justice to examine policy and politics around reproduction and family formation in the United States. The course explores the social, historical and cultural forces that shape reproduction, focusing on how inequalities based on gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, class, and citizenship structure and influence reproductive opportunities and experiences. Topics include contraception and abortion, childbirth and maternity care, adoption and family policy, reproductive technology, eugenics, the maternal mortality crisis, and the role of law, medicine and activism in shaping contemporary reproduction.

This course provides background on the grassroots environmental justice (EJ) movement in the United States. This background includes information on the organizations and coalitions that are part of the movement; the relationships between the EJ movement and the environmental movement, government and academia; and the history of the EJ movement. With that grounding, several policy issues of importance to the EJ movement are explored including cumulative impacts (multiple sources of pollution in a neighborhood), air pollution and climate change mitigation policy.

This course examines the historical and contemporary literature on international migration, the policies that enable or impede cross-national migration, and the consequences for the sending and receiving states as well as the migrants themselves. Drawing on contemporary international evidence, students will consider classical and contemporary theories of immigrant adaptation, language acculturation, and ethnic conflict from comparative international evidence.

This course explores the professed and unspoken goals nations pursue with their health systems and the alternative economic and administrative structures different nations use to pursue those goals. The emphasis in the course will be on the industrialized world, although some time can be allocated later in the course to approaches used in the developing countries, if students in the course desire it.

This course is limited to students participating in the Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative (SINSI), the Richard H. Ullman Fellowship, or an approved MPA middle year out. Enrolled students participate in one or more internships with a federal, state, or local government agency, non-governmental organization, or multilateral institution in the U.S. or overseas. The purpose is to provide a learning environment for students to use/develop quantitative and qualitative analytical skills in an active public policy setting, with oversight from Princeton University faculty and staff.