BGP/ITF-150Y: Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Seminar
Business and Government Policy (BGP) & International Trade and Finance (ITF)
Syllabus, 2013-2014
Faculty:
John Haigh
Littauer 118617-495-9761
Office Hours: By appointment /
Assistant:
Claire McCarthy
Littauer 118617-495-9756
Philip Hanser
Rubenstein 119Office hours: By appointment
Description
This PAC seminar is designed to provide support and direction to MPP students writing a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) in the areas of: (1) Business and Government Policy (BGP) and; (2) International Trade and Finance (ITF). The course operates like a small consulting firm in which each student has his or her own client and consults with that client, drawing on insights from his or her faculty advisor, the faculty teaching the seminar, and fellow students. Most of the class sessions are built around student projects. The seminar is designed to provide you with a real-time professional opportunity to draw on and integrate the skills you have learned in your coursework to solve a specific public problem.
How the seminar will be conducted
BGP-150Y and ITF-150Y seminars meet jointly. There are several reasons why seminars encompassing different policy domains meet jointly. First, most of you will be focusing on the analysis of policies impinging upon private sector performance. Second, most of your topic-specific substantive advice will not come from the faculty teaching the seminar. Rather, your PAE advisor and other professionals in the field will be your primary sources of topic-specific information. You will work with your advisoer independently of the seminar class time. Third, the primary purpose of the seminar is to help you find a topic and client and provide you with information in research design and techniques, and the structure of policy analysis; and to help you develop and refine your skills in research, written and oral presentation, and your skills in working with and managing a client. client capabilities. This seminar will meet only eight seven times this fall and will focus on discussing and helping you develop the skills needed to conduct a PAE. Although you have your own project and will be primarily focused on thatyour topic, other students’ progress on their projects of others in the class areis also part of your course responsibility. Many of the best suggestions for how to strengthen your project will come from others in the course; likewise, others in the class will benefit from your insights and suggestions. In other words, this process works best and everyone’s final product is much better if each of you spends some of your time thinking about what others are doing. We encourage you to spend time on professional communications skills. As we discuss research design and research methods in the context of specific PAEs, we also want to pay attention to and analyze the structure of PAEs, the way they are written and the use of graphics. We encourage you to also take advantage of the offerings of the Kennedy School Communications Program. The goal is to help you to produce the best possible product for your client.
We will then convenemeet during the second semester to hear one another present findings and recommendations. You are expected to attendallof these sessions.
How to Select a PAE Topic
You are free to select your own PAE topic and, as mentioned above, we will spend part of the first few PAC Seminar sessions talking about how to select a topic and a client. It is useful, however, to do a bit of “homework” before the first class.
- Browse the PAE Client Proposal database on KNet:
- Talk to classmates. Many had interesting jobs for organizations that would like a PAE but may not want to pursue the topic themselves.
- Look at PAEs from past years on topics that interest you to see who their clients were, what interesting case studies they might have conducted, etc. You can search for PAEs in the Harvard online catalog (HOLLIS) which links from the Harvard Kennedy School Library web site at To retrieve only PAEs in your search results, once you are in HOLLIS, you need to select the advanced search option at the top of the search screen. In the Keywords anywhere field enter your search terms (in your example: health policy). In the Series field enter “policy analysis exercise.”
- Use the alumnae/i data base. Look for alums working in fields you are interested in and talk to them.
- Each year several students have specific issues that they would like to pursue or specific individuals or organizations they would like to have as clients. Talk to us and other faculty teaching in the areas of interest to you to explore the feasibility of various topics and clients.
Each year several students have specific issues that they would like to pursue or specific individuals or organizations they would like to have as clients. Feel free to talk with us or other faculty about the feasibility of your PAE ideas or a strategy for finding a client.
How your advisor will be assigned and your small group formed
The final decision pairing students with faculty advisors will be made at the School level, influenced by the recommendations of the seminar faculty. In making our recommendations, we will rely on students’ requests and work closely with all faculty. We try to carefully match topics to faculty in a way that best taps faculty expertise and interest. In addition, we guarantee that every student has an advisor and that no advisor has too many students to responsibly supervise. Although you cannot request a specific advisor and be guaranteed an assignment to that person, we do take your requests – both with whom you want to work and with whom you feel you could not work – into consideration as we make advisor assignments. Final advisor assignments are made by Jack Donahue, Faculty Chair of the MPP program, and Suzanne Cooper, Associate Academic Dean.
In general, students will have only one primary advisor for their PAEs – the faculty member assigned to them as their advisor (and who leads their small group). However, you should feel free to consult with any of us during office hours or by special appointment on any issues related to your PAE, including client, partner, and advisor relationships.Once your advisor is assigned, you should reach out to him/her and arrange an initial meeting. We cannot stress enough that your relationship with your advisor is a critical piece of the process. You should feel comfortable taking the initiative to reach out to your advisor.
Course Requirements
All major deadlines, as outlined below, are set and enforced by the School’s administration. The ultimate deadline, when all participants are expected to complete a PAEis5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, 2014. In addition, participants are expected to attend the seminar and meet regularly with their advisors. Finally, during spring semester, each student is expected to make a formal presentation of her/his problem, findings and recommendationsand to listen to and comment on the presentations of fellow students. These presentations will be scheduled at a later date..
Each student is required to meet with one of us at some point in early February. Think of this meeting as a check-up: our chance to find out how you are doing and your chance to get advice. We should try to schedule these meetings so we have a chance to read your first draft before we meet.
Grading
The transcript grade for the PAE and seminar will be assigned by the seminar leader in consultation with the advisor. Rather than an academic letter grade it takes the same form as the transcript grade for Spring Exercise:
DST (distinction): 5 to 10 percent of each PAC seminar
PRF (proficient): 15 to 25 percent of each PAC seminar
P (pass):55 to 75 percent of each PAC seminar
LP (low pass): 5 to 10 percent of each PAC seminar
F (fail):No set percentage range
This grade is based on the advisor’s assessment of the final product (40 percent), the PAC seminar leader’s assessment of the final product (40 percent), and the PAC seminar leader’s assessment (in consultation with the advisor, where relevant) of the student’s contributions in the seminar and other aspects of performance (20 percent).
ADVISOR’S ASSESSMENT OF FINAL PRODUCT (40 percent of grade)
____Professional caliber with significant elements of distinction
The PAE uniformly meets real-world standards for professional analytic work and features significant elements of distinction, specifically ______
______
_____Uniformly meets professional standards
The PAE uniformly meets real-world standards for professional analytic work.
_____Uniformly competent graduate-student performance
High-quality analytic work with no shortcomings other than those due to limited experience.
_____Generally competent graduate-student performance
While there are no major problems, some aspects of the PAE fall short of reasonable expectations for a second-year MPP student.
_____Minimally acceptable performance
The PAE is clearly short of professional quality, and is somewhat below the level of performance reasonably expected of second-year MPP’s.
_____Major flaws in content, delivery, or professional responsibility
SEMINAR LEADERS’S ASSESSMENT OF FINAL PRODUCT (40 percent of grade)
____Professional caliber with significant elements of distinction
The PAE uniformly meets real-world standards for professional analytic work and features significant elements of distinction, specifically ______
______
_____Uniformly meets professional standards
The PAE uniformly meets real-world standards for professional analytic work.
_____Uniformly competent graduate-student performance
High-quality analytic work with no shortcomings other than those due to limited experience.
_____Generally competent graduate-student performance
While there are no major problems, some aspects of the PAE fall short of reasonable expectations for a second-year MPP student.
_____Minimally acceptable performance
The PAE is clearly short of professional quality, and is somewhat below the level of performance reasonably expected of second-year MPP’s.
_____Major flaws in content, delivery, or professional responsibility
SEMINAR LEADER’S PROCESS ASSESSMENT (20 percent of grade)
To include quality of presentations and other participation in the PAC seminar; peer feedback and other contributions to other students’ PAE projects; professionalism in dealing with client, advisor, partner or teammates; and (where appropriate) client feedback.
_____Significant elements of distinction, specifically ______
______
_____ Superior
____ Typical
____ Unprofessional
CCourse Administration
Most PAE coordination will be done via e-mail.You should also plan to check the PAE KNet site web page ( and our course pages on the Kennedy School Home Page on a regular basis to get announcements and find copies of forms and readings.
Useful Links
The MPP Program staff (Eleni Cortis and others) have assembled some materials that you may find very useful for yourself or as introductions to the PAE for potential clients:
The Knet site is where students can access the online guidebook, the PAE proposals database, templates for all aspects of the PAE process and where we will post deadlines and other important announcements throughout the year.
PAE Knet site:
PAE Client Proposal database:
Main PAE website:
PAE Student Guidebook:
PAE proposals database:
Last year’s database:
PAExchange:
And she has summarized the deadlines in a useful chart:Key deadlines are summarized in the chart below:
1.Date / Product
Tuesday, September 24, 2013 / Topic Selection due by 10:00 a.m., by completion of the electronic form (link available on Knet).
Monday,
October 28, 2013 / 1.Prospectus due by 5 p.m. to advisor, PAE seminar leader, and client
2.Human Subjects Review Form to be completed and submitted to PAE seminar leader
3.Memorandum of Understanding signed by client strongly encouraged to also be submitted with prospectus
4.Winter funding common application anticipated due date
Thursday,
November 21, 2013 / Progress Report due by 4 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader
Thursday,
February 6, 2014 / First Draft due by 4 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader
Tuesday,
March 25, 2014 / Final PAE due by 5 p.m. to MPP Program Office (L-133) and copies to be hand-delivered to PAE seminarleader and advisor. Reception to follow!
Below find important links to also include on your syllabus. The Knet site is where students can access the online guidebook, the PAE proposals database, templates for all aspects of the PAE process and where we will post deadlines and other important announcements throughout the year.
PAE Knet site:
PAE Client Proposal database:
Date / Product
Tuesday,
September 24, 2013 / Topic Selection due by 10:00 a.m., by completion of the electronic form (link available on Knet).
Monday,
October 28, 2013 /
- Prospectus due by 5 p.m. to advisor, PAE seminar leader, and client
- Human Subjects Review Form to be completed and submitted to PAE seminar leader
- Memorandum of Understanding signed by client strongly encouraged to also be submitted with prospectus
- Winter funding common application anticipated due date
Thursday,
November 21, 2013 / Progress Report due by 4 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader
Thursday,
February 6, 2014 / First Draft due by 4 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader
Tuesday,
March 25, 2014 / Final PAE due by 5 p.m. to MPP Program Office (L-133) and copies to be hand-delivered to PAE seminarleader and advisor. Reception to follow!
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BGP/ITF-150Y: Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Seminar
Course Schedule and Reading Assignments
Date / Topic/Reading Assignment / GroupThurs., Sept. 5 / No formal class meeting
Profs. Haigh and Hanser will be holding office hours in L-230 to answer any questions you might have.
Class 1
Thurs., Sept. 12 / Introduction to the PAE Seminar – Getting Started
This class is an introduction to the PAE, the PAE process, and your fellow students. We will use this class to explore your ideas about potential topics, interest in having a partner, and strategies for getting started. / PAC Seminar
Class 2
Thurs., Sept. 19 / Policy Analysis and the Characteristics of a Good PAE
The first half of the class will be spentd on a discussion identifying qualities of good PAEs. In the second half, Cristina Garmendia and Alex Kapur, both MPP’13, will join us to share their experiences of writing a BGP PAE. Their PAE was titled, “Enhancing Government Property Management with Data and Technology.”
Readings:
- Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, pp. 1-59.
- Robert D. Behn, “Policy analysts, clients, and social scientists,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Spring 1985), pp 428-432.
- Mark H. Moore, “Managing for Value: Organizational Strategy in For-Profit, Nonprofit, and Governmental Organizations,”Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol.29, no. 1, Supplement 2000, pp. 183-204.
- Herman B. Leonard, “A Short Note on Public-Sector Strategy-Building,” Harvard Kennedy School, November 2002.
- Mark H. Moore and Sanjeev Kahagram, On Creating Public Value: What Business Might Learn from Government About Strategic Management, Working Paper of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School, March 2004.
- Talk to faculty about topics that interest you;
- Read PAEs from previous years;
- Read through the PAE topics in the notebook and on-line;
- Talk with any potential clients you have identified;
- Draft a short-list of potential clients, which we will discuss during class.
Tues., Sept. 24 / TOPIC SELECTION
Due by 10:00 AM, by completion of online form (link available on KNet) / ******
Class 3
Thurs.,Sept. 26 / Framework for the PAE Process: Research Designs/ – Research Methods – Structure of a PAE
Readings:
- Gary King, Robert D. Keohane, and Sidney Verba, Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Chapter 1: “The Science in Social Science” pp. 3-33, and Chapter 3: “Causality and Casual Inference” pp. 75-114.
- David A. Freedman, “On Types of Scientific Inquiry: The Role of Qualitative Reasoning,” chapter 11, pp. 221-236, in Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards, ed. Henry E. Brady and David Collier.
- Example PAEs:
- Adam Ruder, Smart Growth Opportunities for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Massachusetts, April, 2008
- Andrew Sullivan, Rail Station Renovation Studies: Recommendations for the Redevelopment of New York City’s Pennsylvania Station, March 2009
- Jon Glassman and Vilas Rao, Evaluating the Economic Benefits and Future Opportunities of the Maine Island Trail Association, March 2011
Class 4
Thurs., Oct. 3 / Framework for the PAE Process: Research Designs/s – Research Methods -- Structure of a PAE (Continued)
Members of the startup organization SparkPlug will join us for the second half of class.
Readings:
- Example PAEs:
- Stephen A. Elliott and Louis B. Beryl, Natural Gas Development in Kurdistan, March 2012
- Ryan Anderson, Improving Incentives to Reduce Readmissions in Massachusetts, March 2013
- Be prepared to discuss the example PAEs.
Class 5
Thurs., Oct. 10 / Consulting 101
Readings:
- David A. Nadler, Confessions of a Trusted Counselor, Harvard Business Review, September, 2005.
Outline your research design and methods, and bring research design questions from your own project. / PAC Seminar
Class 6
Thurs., Oct.17 / Small Group DiscussionsHuman Subjects in Research and the IRB Process – Mary Ruggie
Assignment:
- Small Group Discussion: Bring your draft prospectus and be prepared to discuss it with your classmates.
Thurs., Oct. 24 / Meeting with Advisor / Seminar Leader Office Hours / Individual or Small Group with Advisor
Mon., Oct. 28 / PROSPECTUS -- Due by 5 p.m.
- 1 Copy to Faculty Advisor
- 1 Copy to Client
- Email a copy to
- Human Subjects Review Form to be completed and submitted to PAE seminar leader
- Memorandum of Understanding signed by client strongly encouraged to be submitted with prospectus
- Winter funding common applicationanticipated due date
Class 7
Thurs., Oct. 31 / Framework for the PAE Process: Research Designs – Research Methods (Continued)
Reading:
Robert S. Weiss, Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies, New York: The Free Press, 1994. Chapter 4: Interviewing, pp. 61-83
Peter H. Rossi, Mark W. Lipsey, and Howard E. Freeman, Evaluation: A Systematic Approach, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 2004. Chapter 6: “Assessing and Monitoring Program Process” and Chapter 7: “Measuring and Monitoring Program outcomes,” pp. 133-231.
Assignment:
Refine your research design and methods. Be prepared to discuss research design and methods issues about your PAE, as well as general questions about your progress.
Meeting with Advisor / Seminar Leader Office Hours / Individual or Small Group with Advisor
PAC Seminar
Thurs., Nov. 7 / Meeting with Advisor / Seminar Leader Office Hours / Individual or Small Group with Advisor
Thurs., Nov. 14 / Meeting with Advisor / Seminar Leader Office Hours / Individual or Small Group with Advisor
Thurs., Nov. 21
/ Meeting with Advisor / Seminar Leader Office Hours
PROGRESS REPORT -- Due by 4:00 pm
- 1 copy to Faculty Advisor
- Email a copy to
Thurs., Nov. 28 / NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Holiday / ******
Class 78
Thurs., Dec. 5 / Discussion of Status of PAEs, Spring Presentations, and General Progress / PAC Seminar
SPRING SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Class 89
Thurs., Jan 30 / Discussion of Spring Schedule, Including Presentations / PAC Seminar
Thurs., Feb 6 /
FIRST DRAFT -- Due by 4:00 pm
- 1 copy to Faculty Advisor
- Email a copy to
Thurs.,
- Feb. 13
- Feb. 20
- Feb. 27
Note: During one of the four three class sessions starting February 13 and ending February 27 you will present your PAE research, conclusion and recommendations to the class. You should invite your faculty advisor to attend / PAC Seminar
Thurs.,
- March 6
- March 13
Tues., March 25 / FINAL PAE -- Due by 5:00 pm
Please hand-deliver three hard copies as follows:
- 1 bound, black and white copy to Joe Solomon in the MPP Program Office, Littauer 133 (this will be the copy that ends up in the library)
- 1 bound, black and white copyas well as one electronic copy/PDF to PAC Seminar Leader (bring your hard copy to Littauer 118; email the PDF to )
- 1 bound, black and white copy to your Faculty Advisor. (Some Advisors may prefer to receive your PAE electronically; please be in touch with them directly.)
1. PAE title
2. Name of the client and organization to whom you are submitting the PAE
3. Your name, program, and expected graduation date
4. Your PAE advisor and seminar leader(s)
5. The date
In addition, we would also like you to include the following text on the cover page, perhaps at the bottom:
"This PAE reflects the views of the author(s) and should not be viewed as representing the views of the PAE's external client(s), nor those of Harvard University or any of its faculty." / ******
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