ILRST 3030 - [Policy Analysis by the Numbers]

(crosslisted)
(also STSCI 3030)

Fall. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Next offered 2014-2015.

M. E. Karns.

An array of decisions are made by policymakers (regulators, administrators, and politicians) who rely in part on information from data and statistics. What if polices were decided entirely on the empirical evidence or by the numbers? What if we looked at the studies, statistics, and results and made decisions based only on this type of evidence? This course will develop ideas of evidence-based policy making through all stages, from initial problem identification to ending a specific policy, and then apply it to current problems.Topics considered will include pharmaceutical approvals, hyrdrofracking, education initiatives, and health care decisions. Lectures and discussions will include presentations from Cornell researchers. Students will be expected to develop a evidence-based policy issue, find supporting data, and present arguments in support of the issue. Short writing assignments and a final paper will be required.

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