Harvard Kennedy SchoolPED-150y

PAC Seminar: Political and Economic DevelopmentThursday 4:10-6:00pm, L230

Course Syllabus, 2012-2013 DRAFT, 8/31/2012

All Assignments, Policies, and Dates Subject to Change Until 9/6/2012

Faculty: Ryan SheelyOffice: Littauer 205E-mail: ryan_sheely@hks.harvard.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment only; Tuesdays 3:30-6:00 PM; Fridays 10:30 AM-12:30 PM Sign up for Office Hours Online at: https://my.timedriver.com/book/LL7BG

Faculty Assistant: Sara SteinmetzOffice: 310E RubensteinE-mail: sara_steinmetz@hks.harvard.edu

Course Description

This PAC seminar provides support and direction to MPP students writing a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) on topics related to International Development.  The course operates like a small, non-profit consulting firm in which each student has his or her own client and consults with that client, drawing on the skills learned at the Kennedy School, as well as insights from his or her faculty adviser, the PAC seminar leader, and fellow students.  Most of the class sessions on research design and methods are built around applying cutting-edge approaches to Policy Analysis to current and former student projects. The goal of the seminar is to provide you with a real-time, professional opportunity to draw on the skills you have developed in order to produce a professional product for a client. Because of its focus on writing the PAE, this course is only open to MPP-2 students.  

How the seminar will be conducted

The primary purpose of the seminar is to guide you through all of the stages of the PAE process, including:

Identifying a topic and client Articulating a policy problem, research question and policy alternatives Collecting and analyzing the diverse types of quantitative and qualitative data through

desk and field research Developing and refining your skills in written and oral presentation and your capacity to

deal with a client.  

In addition to Prof. Sheely, who is your PAC seminar instructor, you will have an individual PAE advisor, who is a faculty member or senior research associate who is knowledgeable about your PAE topic or the specific research methods you will employ. Thus, much of the substantive support for your particular PAE will come from your primary advisor.

Class sessions will be devoted to discussing and helping you develop the skills needed to conduct the PAE; all assignments will be focused on your PAE topic and those of your classmates. The PAC seminar will meet most Thursdays in the fall semester and occasionally during February and early March. Although you have your own project and will be primarily focused on that, supporting the progress of the projects of others in the class is also part of your responsibility in this course.  Many of the best suggestions for how to strengthen your project will come from your colleagues in the course; likewise, your colleagues will benefit from your insights and suggestions.  In other words, this process produces the best results when each of you spends time thinking about what others are doing.

How to Select a PAE Topic and Client

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 brainstorming before the first class, using the following resources:

Laura Homokay (B-125) collects topics from a wide range of clients over the summer and compiles them online on the PAE Client/Project Proposals Database. We recommend looking through these topics to get an idea of the array available. In particular, you should choose the “International Development” filter in the “Career Gateway” column to find clients most closely related to the PED Area. Topics will continue to come in over the next few weeks, so you should continue to browse this file periodically.

Talk to your PAC Seminar colleagues.  Some of them may be able to connect you with projects in their former organizations.

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 linked from the Harvard Kennedy School Library website. 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 database. Look for alums working in fields you are interested in and talk to them.

You may already have a specific issue that you would like to pursue or a relationship with a potential client.  Feel free to talk with Prof. Sheely, as well as other faculty, about the feasibility of your PAE ideas or a strategy for finding a client.

How your advisor will be assigned

When you submit your topic selection form on September 20, you will be asked to request a faculty advisor. As a result, it is important to start looking for a faculty advisor as soon as possible. On the first class session, Professor Sheely will circulate a document providing an overview of faculty who have advised PED PAEs in the past, along with information on their substantive and methodological areas of expertise. It is highly recommend that you use this list as a starting point for meeting with faculty members to assess their interest in serving as your advisor. Faculty are generally very open to meeting with prospective PAE advisees, and you are encouraged to contact and meet with multiple potential advisors in the first few weeks of the semester so that you find a faculty member who will be able to provide useful guidance and feedback throughout the PAE process.

The final decision pairing students with faculty advisors will be made centrally by the MPP Program and Academic Dean’s office. Advisor assignments will draw on the preferences indicated on the topic selection form, but will also be based on needs to ensure that no advisor has too many students to supervise responsibly.Course Requirements and Grading Your final grade for PED-150Y will be based on four components: 1) satisfactory completion of the intermediate deliverables leading up to the PAE, 2) the quality of your participation in the PAC seminar, 3) your in-class presentation of your PAE, and 4) your advisor and seminar leader’s evaluation of your completed PAE. For students working in pairs or groups, the intermediate deliverables, presentation, and completed PAE will be evaluated for the whole group (unless otherwise noted); participation will be evaluated separately for each individual. Groups will fill out peer evaluations, which will be used to normalize grades in the event of uneven sharing of work within the group. The details for each graded course requirement are as follows: Intermediate Deliverables- Adjustment to Final GradeThe Harvard Kennedy School’s administration has established a set of formal intermediate steps toward completion of the PAE. Each step has a deadline and an expected deliverable. The deliverable at each step will be graded on the following scale:

SatisfactoryMinimally satisfactory (one-point penalty)Unsatisfactory (two-point penalty)

The step-based evaluations will enter into your final grade only if you accumulate a sufficient number of penalty points as a result of “minimally satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” performances on intermediate deliverables. An accumulation of four penalty points will result in a one-grade reduction of your final grade for PED-150Y. An accumulation of six or more penalty points will result in a two-grade reduction in your final grade for the course.

The following are the due dates and requirements for a satisfactory evaluation of each of the intermediate deliverables (Table 1). Circumstances beyond the student’s control—such as a client’s withdrawal from the project—sometimes arise during the PAE process. Such circumstances will be taken into account in the evaluations of each deliverable.

Date Intermediate Deliverable Requirement for Satisfactory Completion of Intermediate DeliverableSept. 20 Topic Selection due by 10:00 a.m., by completion of the online

form.Submission of your topic selection form by the deadline. It needs to include your topic (if you are undecided, provide instead a brief statement about the project alternative(s) or subject area(s) under consideration); faculty member(s) at HKS who could reasonably serve as an advisor to the project; and an indication of whether your preferred advisor has agreed to serve in that capacity.

Oct. 30 Certificate of Completion of Human Subjects Training and HKS Human Subjects Form to be completed and submitted to PAE seminar leader and posted on the HKS IRB Site

All students are required to complete the on-line Human Rights Training course. This takes 2-4 hours and the certificate is good for a three-year period, so you should do this at the earliest opportunity and by 30 October at the latest. This requirement is one that you either complete or fail to complete, so the possible grades are as follows: “Satisfactory” (certification by 30 October), “Minimally satisfactory (certification by 6 November), and “Unsatisfactory” (failure to obtain the certificate by 6 November).

Oct. 30

1. Prospectus due by 5 PM. to advisor, PAE seminar leader, and client

2. Memorandum of Understanding signed by client strongly encouraged to also be submitted with prospectus

3. Submission of Application Form for winter funding common application due

The requirements for the prospectus can be found on the PAE website, the course webpage, and the course dropbox. The prospectus is basically the roadmap you intend to follow in conducting the research for your PAE. Some of you will be able to map out your path in considerable detail. Others of you will not be able to do so because of uncertainties surrounding topic, evidence, and methods. In any case, what I will be looking for here is evidence of substantial progress in developing your research plan. A hastily prepared or ill-conceived prospectus will receive a one- or two-point grade deduction. A late submission will get an automatic one-point penalty and also a second penalty point if poorly executed.

Dec. 7 Progress Report due by 5 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader

Here again, you can find the instructions for this requirement on the PAE website. The evaluation in this case will be based on a timely submission as well as solid evidence that your PAE is progressing on schedule and that you’ve developed a thoughtful and realistic plan for moving the PAE forward during the semester break.

Feb. 7 First Draft due by 5 p.m. to advisor and PAE seminar leader As could be expected, there is wide variation at this point in how complete a first draft students are able to submit. Accordingly, the evaluation here will be based less on the completeness of the draft than its completeness relative to the nature of your project and your efforts to move it along on a timely basis.

Table 1: Intermediate PAE Deliverables, Deadlines, and Evaluation Criteria

Quality of Participation in the PAC Seminar- 20% of Final Grade

In addition to submitting the explicitly defined deliverables by the specified deadline, all participants are expected to be active and engaged participants in the PAC Seminar for the entire academic year, and will be evaluated on the quality of their participation in the seminar, both inside and outside the classroom. Inside the classroom, high-quality participation includes regular attendance, active participation in class discussions and activities, and thoughtful engagement with your classmates’ projects. Outside the classroom, high-quality participation includes regular meetings with Prof. Sheely, your advisor, and client.

In-Class Presentation of PAE- 5% of Final Grade

In February/March, each student/team will give a 10-minute presentation of their PAE research, providing an overview of the problem, the findings of the research, and the recommendations to the client. You are encouraged to invite your client/advisor to attend the meeting. Each presentation will be followed by a brief discussion in which your classmates, advisor, client, and Prof. Sheely ask you questions and give feedback on the substance of your presentation. These presentations will be graded by Prof. Sheely, both on the substance of the analysis and recommendations and on the extent to which the substance is communicated clearly and effectively through both public speaking and slides. Evaluation criteria for the presentations will be posted to the course website by the start of the spring semester.

Completed PAE- 75% of Final Grade

The completed PAE is due by 5 p.m on March 26 to Laura Homokay at OCA. Copies should be hand-delivered to PAE seminar leaders and advisors.   The writing/style guide for the PAE is available on the PAE website.

Readings, Course Packets, and Textbooks

For every class session, there will be two kinds of assigned reading. First, each week there will be a brief assigned academic reading that illustrates a specific element of the policy analysis process.Second, in most weeks, there will be assigned examples of student policy analyses from previous years. Most sessions will include one PAE and one MPA/ID SYPA. The purpose of providing both kinds of student policy analyses is to give you exposure to a broader array of policy topics and approaches to development policy analysis. For most of the assigned policy analyses, it will not be necessary to read the entire PAE/SYPA; instead the required pages will be posted on the course website. Typically, this will be the executive summary and the sections that illustrate the element of policy analysis discussed in that week’s academic reading.

For some class sessions, you will be asked to write a short memo (500-1000 words) about a particular element of your ongoing PAE project, and will be assigned to read the memos written by 2-3 other students/groups in the class. The purposes of these sessions are both to help you to work towards the intermediate deliverables by allowing you to subject your thinking and research to “peer review”. For

these sessions, class discussions will be a mix of full class lecture and discussion, and breakout sessions in which you discuss/brainstorm with a smaller group of your classmates.

In addition, for each class session, there are several supplemental readings that are listed. These are not required reading, but will serve as a useful starting point for deeper reading on particular elements of policy analysis.

Two packets are available for purchase at the CMO, one containing the assigned readings and one containing the supplemental readings. Both packets are also on reserve in the HKS library.   All assigned PAEs and SYPAs, and any other readings that are available in soft copy will be available on the course website.

Although the required sections of each book are available in the course packet, you may wish to own the full version of each to do the recommended readings and read the additional sections. The Patton et al book is the source of the framework for policy analysis that will be used in this course, and is an excellent reference text for going deeper into the approach to policy analysis we will develop in this seminar. We will use the Bardach book less intensively, but it is a classic in the field of policy analysis, and provides a nice overview of how to approach problem solving from the perspective of a professional policy analyst.

Copies of both books are available for purchase in the Harvard COOP and online at Amazon.

In addition, two books are the sources for many of the readings in the first unit of the course:

Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning, 3rd Edition. Pearson: March 2012

Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, 4th edition. CQ Press College: October 2011

PART I: Selecting a Client, Topic, and Research Design

September 6- Class 1: Getting Started

This session is an introduction to the PAE process, Prof. Sheely, and your fellow students. We will use the class discussion to explore your ideas about potential topics, your interest in working on your PAE with a partner/group, and strategies for getting started.

Study/Discussion Questions Do you have an idea for a PAE topic?

o If yes, what is the topic? Who is the client? Are you planning on working with a partner or team? Do you know who you would like to have as your faculty advisor?

o If no, what types of policy questions interest you? What region(s) are you interested in? What kinds of organization (government, International Organization, NGO, private

sector) would you like to work with? What did you do for your summer internship?

Assigned Reading: Read this entire syllabus Read the Online PAE Guide Review the spreadsheet of previous PED PAEs and SYPAs and Potential Faculty Advisors available

on the course website

September 13- Class 2: The PAE and The Policy Analysis Process

In this session, we will introduce a general framework for thinking about policy analysis as a process comprised of multiple steps, and will discuss the variety of ways in which these steps can be combined based on the needs of a given client or project. The assigned PAE and SYPA each present slightly different approaches to the policy analysis process; we will examine the similarities and differences between these two student projects, and use this discussion as a starting point for brainstorming the structure for your PAE projects.

Study/ Discussion Questions As you read the Subotic PAE and Ding/Tosun SYPA, think about the following questions:

o What are the strengths of the policy analysis in each project?  The weaknesses?  o What are the similarities between the two projects? What are the differences?o Which of the steps of the policy analysis process described by Patton et al (Page 44) does

each of the projects utilize? What is the sequence in which the author(s) go through the steps of the policy analysis process?

For your planned topic, think about the following questions:o Has your client already completed some steps of the Policy Analysis Process?

If Yes, which ones? What are the results to date? o What steps of your client’s policy analysis process do you think your PAE will contribute to?

For Further Reading: “The Eightfold Path” in Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis. CQ Press College:

October 2011. (Course Pack) Robert D. Behn, “Policy analysts, clients, and social scientists,” Journal of Policy Analysis and

Management, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Spring 1985), pp 428-432. (Course Pack) “Types of Policy Analysis” and “The Role of the Analyst,” in Patton, et al. Basic Methods of Policy

Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp. 21-27.

Assigned Student Policy Analyses (Read Sections Listed on Course Website; Skim Rest) Simonida Subotic. “Engaging community-based structures for child protection in Sierra Leone” Policy

Analysis Exercise, 2010.

Shannon Ding and Elise Tosun. “"Little Pushes" for Agricultural Development in Greater Equatoria, Republic of South Sudan”, Harvard Kennedy School Honorable Mention SYPA Award Winner, 2012

Assigned Academic Reading: “The Analytic Process,” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic Methods of Policy

Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp. 43-57 (skim pp 40-43). (Course Pack)

TOPIC SELECTION: DUE BY THURSDAY, SEPT. 20 AT 10:00 AMFILL OUT THE ONLINE FORM

September 20-Class 3: Identifying Development Policy Problems And Policy Alternatives

In this session, we will focus on understanding what is unique about conducting development policy analysis. In particular, we will use the PAE and SYPA assigned for today to drill down on two of the core arguments of the Pritchett et al paper: 1) Why awareness of the theory of change underlying policies is essential to successful development policy analysis/implementation, and 2) Why understanding the relationships between economics, politics, administration, and society are essential to successful development policy analysis/implementation.Study/ Discussion Questions As you read the Vasan PAE and Mendoza/Prydz SYPA, think about the following questions:

o What is the theory of change underlying each of the projects? o Which of these projects do you think has the larger potential impact on development? Why?

Which do you think is more likely to be implemented successfully? For your PAE Topic, think about the following questions:

o What is the theory of change that underpins your client’s programs/policies?o How do relationships between economics, politics, administration, and society create

constraints on the successful implementation of the program or policy that is the topic of your PAE?

o What are 3 or 4 alternative policies that may overcome these various constraints?For Further Reading: “Chapter 4: Verifying, Defining, and Detailing the Problem” and “Chapter 6: Identifying

Alternatives” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp 140-167 and pp 215-237.

“Things Governments Do” and “Understanding Public and Nonprofit Institutions” in Eugene Bardach, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis. CQ Press College: October 2011, pp 141-157. (Course Pack)

Huey-Tsyh Chen, Theory-Driven Evaluations, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 1990. Chapter 2: “The Theory-Driven Perspective: The New Alternative,” pp. 39-56. (Course Pack)

Brian Levy and Francis Fukuyama, "Development Strategies: Integrating Governance and Growth." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5196, January 2010. (Course Website)

TOPIC SELECTION: DUE BY THURSDAY, SEPT. 20 AT 10:00 AMFILL OUT THE ONLINE FORM

Assigned Student Policy Analyses (Read Sections Listed on Course Website; Skim Rest) Arjun Vasan. “Targeting the Poor in Kenya: An Expansion of GiveDirectly’s Unconditional Cash Transfer

Program” Harvard Kennedy School PAE 2012.

Maria Cardenas Mendoza and Espen Beer Prydz. “Including the Poor: Assessing the Effective Use of PMT and Community Methods in Targeting of Social Programs in Indonesia”, Harvard Kennedy School SYPA Award Winner 2011.

Assigned Academic Reading: Lant Pritchett, Matt Andrews, and Michael Woolcock, "Capability Traps: The Mechanisms of

Persistent Implementation Failure." Center for Global Development Working Paper No. 234: December 2010, pp.1-9, 20-26, and 37-45.. (Course Website)

September 27- Class 4: Policy Alternatives And Evaluation Criteria In

this session, we will build on last week’s discussion, in which we worked on identifying development policy problems and brainstorming policy alternatives for your PAE projects. In particular, we will dig deeper into the challenge of finding viable alternative policies to your client’s policy problem as opposed to “fake alternatives” that can easily be dismissed in favor of the policy preferred by you or your client. The key to developing viable alternatives is to think through the policy implications of competing theories of change. In addition, we will discuss approaches to selecting evaluation criteria- the standards that you use to adjudicate between policy alternatives. In particular, we will use the Wyett SYPA to explore the standard MPA/ID evaluation criteria of “technicaly correct,” “politically supportable,” and “administratively feasible” in depth and will use the Black et al. PAE and Patton et al academic reading to brainstorm other combinations of criteria that may fit with the aims of your client.Study/ Discussion Questions As you read the Black et al. PAE and Wyett SYPA, think about the following questions:

o What are the policy alternatives in each project? How credible are the alternative policies? Can you think of any other alternative policies that could have been a viable competitor to

the recommended policies?o What are the evaluation criteria in each project?

Are there other economic, political, administrative, social, or moral criteria that you think should be included to evaluate the policy options in this project?

How convincing do you find each paper’s evaluation of the policy alternatives? For your PAE project, think about the following questions:

o How viable are the alternative policies that you currently are planning to compare? Is it possible to eliminate any fake alternatives and/or add any additional alternatives?

o What are the evaluation criteria that are most important to your client? o What are the criteria that are most important to you as an analyst?

For Further Reading: “Chapter 6: Identifying Alternatives,” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic Methods of

Policy Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp 215-237. Mark H. Moore. Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Harvard University Press:

1997, pp. 63-76 and Chapter 4. (Course Pack)

Assigned Student Policy Analyses (Read Sections Listed on Course Website; Skim Rest) Maribeth Black, Julia Groeblacher, and Arpana Pandey, “Assessing the Needs of Pastoral

Communities in the Sahel Region of West Africa.” Harvard Kennedy School PAE 2012.

Kelly Wyett. “Escaping a Rising Tide: Sea Level Rise and Migration in Kiribati.” Harvard Kennedy School SYPA 2012.

Assigned Academic Reading: Chapter 5: Establishing Evaluation Criteria,” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark.

Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp 176-204. (Course Pack)

October 4- Class 5: Designing Development Policy Research And Writing Your Prospectus

Today’s session will focus on how to develop a research design that allows you to effectively and persuasively assess your policy alternatives according to the evaluative criteria you have selected. Our discussion of research design will be anchored to the task of communicating your research design in your PAE Prospectus, which is due on October 30th. The prospectus is the crucial entrée to selling your policy and consulting work to a potential client. As such, it requires a nuanced understanding of the policy problem at hand, and the types of evidence and analysis that will be most convincing to your client. Building on Dani Rodrik’s article, we will discuss how best to identify the types of evidence that will move your client’s “priors”, and then how to design research that allows you to collect and analyze such evidence within the constraints imposed by your skill set, budget, and timeframe. We will also discuss how to your proposal/prospectus and how to negotiate with your client to secure the necessary buy-in for your research design. Study/ Discussion Questions For your PAE project and your classmates’ projects, think about the following questions:

o What are the main arguments and evidence do you think need to be presented to the client in order to “move their priors”?

o What combination of methods do you think will allow you to evaluate your policy alternatives in a way that is convincing to your client and fits within the logistical constraints of the PAE?

o What policy alternatives, arguments, or methods should you leave open or negotiable to influence by the client?

For Further Reading: Robert Hoppe. "Policy Analysis, Science, and Politics: From ‘Speaking Truth To Power’ to ‘Making Sense

Together.’" Beech Tree Publishing: 1999. (Course Website) Gary King, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in

Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press, 1994. (Course Pack)

Assigned Writing/Peer Review 500-1000 word summary of your client/topic, policy problem and alternatives, evaluative criteria,

and research design o Post on the class website no later than 5:00 pm, Tuesday, October 9, 2012.

Read the written submisions for 2-3 other PAE projects in discussion groups assigned by Prof. Sheely

o Discussion group lists will be posted on course website Additional Assigned Reading

PAE prospectus and Memorandum of Understanding examples posted on the course website.o See also the guidelines for writing professional proposals posted online. o Please review the sample prospectuses before class and compare them to the examples of

professional consulting proposals.

Assigned Academic Reading: Dani Rodrik. "We Shall Experiment, but How Shall We Learn" in Jessica Cohen and William

Easterly (Eds.) What Works in Development, Thinking Big and Thinking Small. Brookings Institution Press: 2009, pp. 24-54. (Course Website)

October 11- Class 6: Ethical Dimensions Of Development Policy And Research

Today, we discuss the ethical dimensions of research with human subjects and the particular ethical challenges associated with development policy analysis and research. Research with human subjects requires tremendous care in the choice of subjects and the formulation of questions. One of the greatest obligations researchers have is to consider and protect the rights and wellbeing of the individuals they interview. As a researcher, you must think carefully about the rights of the individuals you interview and their ability to give informed voluntary consent to participate in the research. Moreover, conducting development policy research and analysis raises additional ethical issues that extend beyond the issues monitored by human subjects committees, due to the potential impact of policies on social and political inequality and the possible lack of meaningful participation by average citizens in the design of policies and the conduct of policy analysis. Study/ Discussion Questions As you read the Gleason PAE and Kaboli/Liu SYPA, think about the following questions:

o What are the ethical challenges and risks associated with each of these projects? Which of these ethical challenges are addressed in their IRB Protocol and/or policy

analysis? Which ethical challenges are unresolved? How would you revise the analysis, policy

recommendation, or research protocol address these challenges? For your PAE Project, think about the following questions:

o What are the ethical questions your client’s policy and your PAE research raises? o How will your research address and/or mitigate these ethical issues?

For Further Reading: “Ethical Considerations” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic Methods of Policy

Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp 27-39. Faranak Miraftab. “Making neo-liberal governance: the disempowering work of empowerment.”

International Planning Studies. 2004. (Course Website) Mary van der Riet. “Participatory Research and the Philosophy of Social Science: Beyond the Moral

Imperative.” Qualitative Inquiry. 2008. (Course Website)

Assigned Student Policy Analyses (Read Sections Listed on Course Website; Skim Rest) Katie Gleason, “Strengthening the Production Capacity of Handicraft Artisans,” Harvard Kennedy

School PAE 2012. Daria Kaboli and Zhen Liu. “Rural Poor Communities and High Value Crops in Morocco:

Developing an Effective Industrial Policy for Argan,” Harvard Kennedy School Honorable Mention SYPA Award Winner 2012.

IRB Protocols for Gleason PAE and Kaboli/Liu SYPA.

Additional Required Assignments: Complete the Harvard Human Subjects training before class. This takes 2-4 hours, but can be

completed in several shorter sessions. https://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp

Review the long-form application and suggestions for consent forms/scripts: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~research/hum_sub/index.html#forms

October 18- No Class: Work On Prospectus, Human Subjects Application, and Lit Review Assignment for October 25

October 25- Class 7: Literature Reviews, Desk Research, And Case Studies

This point in the PED PAE process is where many students get stuck. You are nearly done writing your prospectus, but it is difficult to start the field research activities in your research design, given that your research site is most likely outside of the US. However, given the amount of primary and secondary sources that are either available in the Harvard Library system or online, there are a number of desk research activities that you can start now. In this session, we will focus on how to do two different kinds of desk research: 1) a literature review that informs your assessment of the policy problem and choice of policy alternatives and 2) qualitative case studies that you use to evaluate your policy alternatives, based on primary or secondary sources. Getting started on the research and writing of these sections now allows you to get a fair amount accomplished over the next month as you develop the research plan for your other data collection activities. In addition, the Tripathi PAE and Scheinberg SYPA provide models for how a strong policy analysis can be completed using almost only desk research, which is a viable option if you are not able to travel to your field site during winter break.

Study/ Discussion Questions As you read the Scheinberg SYPA, think about the following questions:

o What are the types of qualitative data and secondary sources used in this project? o How convincing are the analyses? What would make the analyses more convincing, given

the constraints? For your PAE Project and your classmates’ projects, think about the following questions:

o What kinds of desk research will be useful for the analysis in this PAE?o How comprehensive are the primary/secondary sources that you/your classmate(s) have

collected? o What other types of Google Scholar or Library searches might yield new bodies of literature?

For Further Reading: “Identifying and Gathering Data” in Carl Patton, David Sawicki and Jennifer Clark. Basic

Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning. Pearson: March 2012, pp. 69-89. John Gerring. "What is a Case Study and What is it Good for?" The American Political Science

Review. Vol. 98, No.2 (May 2004), pp. 341-354. (Course Website)

Assigned Writing/Peer Review 500-1000 write-up of desk research completed to date (with citations), following one of two models:

o Annotated bibliography or literature review (following the Patton et al reading)o The start of a case study or using secondary sources (following the Gerring reading)

Post on the class website no later than 5:00 pm, Tuesday, October 22, 2012. Read the desk research write-ups for 2-3 other PAE projects in discussion groups assigned by Prof.

SheelyAssigned Student Policy Analyses (Read Sections Listed on Course Website; Skim Rest)

Aaron Scheinberg, “Fighting Corruption Along Tanzania's Supply Chains: Recommendations for Small and Medium Enterprises.” Harvard Kennedy School SYPA 2011.

November 1- No Class: Work On Literature Review and Desk Research; Start planning for Field Research/Data Collection

PART II: Research Methods

This year we will provide introductions to various research methods in a cafeteria-style manner. During the next two weeks, you will be able to choose which of the research methods sessions you want to attend, using your research design as a guide for selecting sessions.Below is a list of the research methods for which we will provide in-depth instruction, the name of the expert who will be providing the instruction, and information on the time and location of each session. We have tried to provide two sections for each method so that you can attend as many of these sessions as you need to attend. We will be recording these sessions and will make the recordings available to you on the course website and/or another website to be determined.

NOTE: Days/Times are not yet final and are subject to change…

DATE TIME TOPIC FACULTY MEMBER ROOM TOPIC FACULTY  

MEMBER ROOMTOPIC FACULTY  

MEMBER ROOM

Nov. 1 4:00 Elite Interviewing TBA Survey Research Wilson

5:00 Focus Groups Wilson

Nov. 6 4:00 In-depth interviewing TBA Rapid

Ethnography R. Sheely Library Resources Wilczek et.al

5:00 OCA Event OCA Event OCA Event

Nov. 8 4:00 Operations Research M. Fagan Working with a

client J. Haigh Focus Groups Wilson

5:00 Survey Research J. Wilson Performance

Measurement B. Behn Rapid Ethnography R. Sheely

Nov. 13 4:00 Library Resources Wilczek et.al Elite

Interviewing TBA In-Depth Interviewing TBA

5:00

Nov. 15 4:00 Operations Research M. Fagen Working with a

Client J. Haigh

5:00 Performance Measurement B. Behn

PROSPECTUS DUE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012, BY 5:00 PMTO PROF. SHEELY AND YOUR ADVISOR

PART III: Writing the PAE November 22- Thanksgiving – No Class

November 29- Class 8: First semester wrap-up: Planning for Research and Writing

We will use this class session as one last check-in as a group before heading off for research and writing during the December and January break. Each student/team will be assigned to a group of 2 or 3 other PAEs, in which you will read each others’ draft status update memos, and provide feedback on progress to date and plans for the break, and will collectively brainstorm solutions to problems that you’re facing. We’ll then discuss some of the common themes and challenges with the whole group and will discuss strategies for time management during the break.

February 16- Class 9: PresentationsWe will do the final scheduling of presentations once we know how many students and projects we have. The scheduling will be done electronically. You should consider inviting your advisor and your client to your presentation.February 23-Class 10: PresentationsMarch 1- Class 11: PresentationsMarch 8- Class 12: Presentations

SHORT STATUS UPDATE MEMO ON PROGRESS TO DATE AND PLANS FOR DEC/JANDUE TO PROF. SHEELY AND YOUR ADVISOR BY 5:00 PM

FRIDAY DECEMBER 7, 2012

FIRST DRAFT DUE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013 BY 5:00 PMTO PROF. SHEELY AND YOUR ADVISOR

FINAL PAE DUE TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013 BY 5:00 PMCOPIES TO: PROF. SHEELY, YOUR ADVISORS, AND LAURA HOMOKAY

Assigned Writing/Peer Review Post Draft Status Update Memo on Course Website by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, November 27,

including: o 1) Your progress to date o 2) Your plans for December/January Research and Writingo 3) 1 or 2 parts of the research/writing/thinking where you are stuck or confused

Read the Draft Memos for 2-3 other PAE projects in discussion groups assigned by Prof. Sheelyo Discussion group lists will be posted on course website