Policy+Outcomes

=Group work on policy outcomes=

__Explaining policy outcomes: group work for 10/20, 10/22, 10/24__

Chapter 9 of our text discusses ‘policy outcomes’ or observed conditions which can be attributed to some public policy or other. Policy outcomes, then, are the results of public policy interventions (it contrasts ‘policy outputs’ which are the policies themselves). Divide into SIX groups to discuss the following phenomena (A-F) using the data sheets provided in class. Note that we will include the US in our comparisons and explanations. This should help with Part 2 of the midterm if you are doing Q1 and also will help you understand the logic of writing research papers for this class. We will work on the questions Monday and half of Wednesday’s class. Then, we’ll discuss our findings during the second half of Wednesday’s class and during Friday’s class. A. Long term unemployment http://caliban.sourceoecd.org/pdf/factbook2008/302008011e-06-02-02.pdf B. Employment rates http://miranda.sourceoecd.org/pdf/factbook2008/302008011e-06-01-01.pdf C. Number of women in parliament http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm (or use figure 9.5 in textbook) D. Education performance Use figure 910 in textbook or: http://www.pisa.oecd.org/document/2/0,3343,en_32252351_32236191_39718850_1_1_1_1,00.html#tables_figures_dbase E. Life expectancy http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3343,en_2649_34631_2085200_1_1_1_1,00.html or Figure 9.9 F. Infant mortality http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3343,en_2649_34631_2085200_1_1_1_1,00.html Groups must 1. Briefly (2-3 minutes) //Discuss the relevant indicator//: what does it tell us, and why is it politically important? 2. Brainstorm to //identify what factors might be causally related to the variable//: what causes increases or decreases in the variable? (10minutes) These might be directly, indirectly, or not at all related to some public policy. 3. Speculate //how public policies could affect the variable// in the direction desired by the public. (10 minutes) What policy might be making a difference in this particular case? 4. Think about //what political variables might be related to the policy// in question. (10 minutes) That is, what explains policy choices? 5. // Generate hypotheses specifying the relationship between these variables // (politics, policies, outcomes) (10 minutes) 6. // List what information // we would need to know to evaluate the hypotheses (5 minutes). Choose a group member to keep careful notes of your discussions, and be prepared to share your thoughts with the class on Wednesday and Friday.

= = =Reading for this section:= Crepaz and Steiner, Chapter 9

Additional reading [|The Social Construction of an Imperative: Why Welfare Reform Happened in Denmark and the Netherlands but Not in Germany,] by Robert Henry Cox, World Politics, April 2001, Vol 51, Issue 3, p463-498, available electronically through Project Muse