Major Courses and Plans of Study
With the governance and international public management concentration, you will choose from a range of core courses tailored to you interests as well as taking a set of required degree courses. Explore a few of the concentration courses below, or download a full plan of study for the concentration as part of the MPA and MID program.
- PIA 2310 - Markets & States
Markets and States considers how governance explains why some countries are rich and others are poor. In the context of this course, "governance" refers to the formal and informal rules that liberate and constrain individuals and groups in their efforts to improve their economic situation. The course begins by considering the economic foundations of prosperity, including the role of competitive markets, private property rights, and foreign aid in the process of economic development. It then considers the role of the state in economic development, with emphasis on analysis of the political factors that create incentives for governments to do what is in society's best interests. Its empirical focus is on developing countries, but will also consider some examples of the political economy of development in the U.S., including when the U.S. was a developing country. The course will also focus on evaluation of development policies, including understanding the logic of randomized impact evaluations and other methods used to analyze the causal impact of public policies seeking to improve prospects for economic development. The course is relevant for students in international development, public administration, and international affairs.
- PIA 2388 - Sovereignty, Globalization & International Law
This course begins with an exploration of the history and sources of international law. We then survey the legal process and the application of international law to explore laws governing relations among states, and its expansion to non-state actors (e.g., the private individual, international organizations, NGOS, and multinational corporations).Students will learn about how and why international law is created and develop an understanding of the mechanisms and institutions of its enforcement. The enforcement of international law, its successes and difficulties, will require students to learn about, inter alia, the nature of international disputes, the subjects of international law, and the forums in which disputes are settled. Throughout the course, we will consider the emerging challenges faced in an international law paradigm including, organized violence, global markets, cultural coherency and conflict, identity and citizenship, technological evolution, and environmental regulation.
- PIA 2529 - Political Economy Analysis for Global Affairs
This course introduces students to tools of applied Political Economy Analysis. Many government agencies around the world require such analysis before considering policy change or adopting new strategies. As a result of this course, students will have a framework to situate policy interventions within the context of the political and economic processes in a society including the incentives, relationships, distribution, and contests of power between groups and individuals. Such analysis supports more politically feasible and thus, more effective policy strategies by setting more realistic expectations of what can be achieved, over what time frame, with consideration of risk. Institutions matter for development, but Political Economy Analysis tells us how they matter and shows us what needs to be done in order to overcome obstacles to change. By helping to identify these incentives, this course provides a more grounded, informed approach to policy design. This structured analytical approach helps policymakers examine political, economic, and social forces that influence policy outcomes around the world.
