ECON 374
Poverty and Public Policy Spring 2015
Division II Writing Skills
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Class Details

Since 1965, the annual poverty rate in the United States has hovered between 10% and 15%, though far more than 15% of Americans experience poverty at some point in their lives. In this course, we will study public policies that, explicitly or implicitly, have as a goal improving the well-being of the poor in this country. These policies include safety net programs (Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Food Stamps, Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program, and housing assistance), education programs (Head Start and public primary and secondary education), and parts of the tax code (the Earned Income Tax Credit). We will explore the design and functioning of these programs, focusing on questions economists typically ask when evaluating public policy: Does the policy achieve its goals? Does the design of the policy lead to unintended effects (either good or bad)? Could it be redesigned to achieve its goals in a more cost-effective manner? Through in-depth study of these programs, students will learn how economists bring theoretical models and empirical evidence to bear on important questions of public policy.
The Class: Format: tutorial
Limit: 10
Expected: 10
Class#: 3493
Grading: OPG
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on six 5- to 7-page papers and on the quality of the student's oral presentations and commentary on the work of his/her colleagues
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: POEC 253 or ECON 255 or permission of the instructor
Enrollment Preferences: Economics majors, Political Economy majors
Distributions: Division II Writing Skills
Attributes: POEC U.S. Political Economy + Public Policy Course

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