V185 Management of Public Problems and Solutions

Course Description

Ever wonder why some public programs seem to work so well in some cases but so poorly in others? One of the most important answers is management. This course will focus on introducing you to the major concepts of management in the public sector but will also touch on cases in the private and non-profit sectors. It will help you understand the ways in which organizations in these sectors are different, the ways in which they collaborate with one another to solve public problems, and the unique skills required by managers to oversee those collaborations. It will provide this content in a problems-focused approach, where students can see how management choices, both good and bad, affect real world outcomes for citizens. 

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
• Correctly apply basic concepts in public management to real-world problems and solutions in conversation and writing.
• Compare and contrast the key similarities and differences in management in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
• Describe the ways in which the public, private, and nonprofit sectors collaborate to solve problems.
• Conduct an introductory analysis of ethical issues that arise in the provision of public goods and services.
• Understand opportunities and barriers to equity, representation, and diversity in public programs and related implications for citizens.
• Distinguish between normative and empirical arguments and evaluate evidence presented to support claims made by policy proposals.
• Establish a mindset of openness and tolerance while learning different perspectives about the design and implementation of policy.
• Better evaluate the validity of sources/references of information as applied to research on management problems and solution.
• Briefly summarize key findings from government or think tank reports.
• Make recommendations on a major real-world management problem, after first identifying major actors, decisions, outcomes, and timelines.