Time Schedule:
Laura E Evans
PB AF 565
Seattle Campus
Examines various topics of public importance in urban policy. Integrates the political, managerial, and economic dimensions of these issues.
Class description
TOPIC: URBAN AND REGIONAL POLITICS AND POLICIES - This course considers the politics behind policy in metropolitan areas in the United States. Power in metropolitan areas is divided among state governments, various municipal governments, and local special authorities. Yet public problems rarely fall neatly within a single political unit. Many regional concerns spill across jurisdictional boundaries, which can lead to policy responses that are fragmented, contradictory, or simply ineffective. The consequences of spillover can be particularly acute in central cities and poor suburbs, which often lack critical resources needed to undo harms done by their neighbors. This class examines when various governments deal collaboratively with regional concerns, and when and why governments fail to resolve conflict. We will evaluate the consequences of fragmentation and strategies that can help mitigate it across a variety of policy areas.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
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Class assignments and grading
