FWS: Reading and Writing in Public Policy

Catalog description

In this class, we will discuss how public policies can be understood and evaluated through clear, evidence-based writing. Assigned reading will focus on poverty alleviation in developing countries with the assistance of Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo's Poor Economics - a book which addresses the health, education, and financial lives of the poor. Students will be asked to write a series of essays identifying policy problems, detailing proposed solutions, and arguing in favor of specific policy proposals. Students will choose essay topics based on their own policy-related interests with no requirement that they be related to the reading. Students will be advised and evaluated on the strength of their writing with a special emphasis on clarity and cited evidence.