books  R. Daniel Kelemen, ed., Lessons From Europe? What Americans Can Learn from European Public Policies

        Anneliese Dodds, Comparative Public Policy

Rules of the Game

1.  You may consider the questions as long as you like with the following two exception: (1) you must limit your writing time to no more than 2 hours; and (2) you must also limit your entire exam to no more than 6 double-spaced, typed pages, or 3 typed single-space pagers with a font no smaller than 12.  You are not, however, obliged to write that much if you can answer the questions in less space to your satisfaction.

2.   All exams must be sent to the instructor by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13th.  You may attach the exam to the email or send it in the body of the email, but if you have any reason to suspect that the attachment will not open, then please submit it as a part of the text of the email.

3.  You may consult the book and your notes, including emails sent by the instructor.  You may not consult one another nor use other sources to respond.

4.  Answer both Parts I, II, & II as indicated.
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PART I.  Please answer each of the following questions in your own words.  You do not need to repeat the question.  Be brief but thorough in your responses, being as specific as possible and being sure that you are answering all parts of the question. Value: 25%

1.   What is the value in studying comparative public policy, and what is the reasoning behind this point of view?

2.  What are the principal tools currently used by western countries to manage their economies?    AND what are the strengths and limitations of these tools for economic management in today’s world?

3.  What groups have been the focal point and the beneficiaries of social welfare policy in the developed industrial-democratic world over the last 80 years?  And who are the most influential actors affecting social policy making in the United States and two other countries discussed in the readings?

4. Identify the principal characteristics of a post-industrial society and describe briefly the general form of the government which is typically found in the contemporary, post-industrial democratic world. Finally, to what extent is this form of government compatible with post industrial values and goals?  Make your reasoning clear.

5.  Please identify the various stages of the policy cycle, identify the actors who are most likely to be involved in each of these stages when the issue is health care, and more generally indicate which of these stages in policy making is/are most likely to present the greatest challenge in formulating rational choice responses to policy problems. Please make your reasoning clear.

PART II.   Please answer the following essay questions, drawing on both class discussion and the reading materials.   Value: 25%

Both books discuss at length the Bismark and the Beveridge models for social welfare states.  How do they differ and to what extent are they similar? To what extent has the United States’ approach to welfare followed either of these models and how has it differed from them? Alternately, Is it possible to say which approach is the better one for the United States to follow, and – if so – why?

PART III.   Please answer one (1) and only one of the following essay questions, drawing on both class discussion and the reading materials.   Value: 50%

1.  Discuss broadly the changing views of the causes of poverty in the United States and abroad during the 20th and early 21st centuries and the major causes of social needs in the contemporary developed world.  Next, identify the principal groups in need of assistance today, and the current status of those welfare policies which have been attempting to eliminate poverty in the developed world for the last 40 years.  Be specific throughout, noting policy-making and policy differences as well as similarities in the various countries of developed democratic world in this central policy area.

2.  First, please indicate the various reasons that justify government involvement in areas like economic policy and welfare, which were formerly left to the market and/or private actors.   Secondly, to what extent has government policy in these areas become “intrusive,” and what explains the different degrees of government intrusiveness to be found among the countries discussed in the Adolino text.  Does the issue of United States “Exceptionalism” apply here and if so to what extent? Finally, to what extent does greater government intrusiveness in managing the economy and social welfare result in greater or lesser efficiency and effectiveness in problem solving than leaving  at least some areas being covered to the private sector?  Be specific throughout, noting policy-making and policy differences as well as similarities in the various countries of developed democratic world.

3 .  According to Richard Rose, one of the leading observers of public policy in the United States and Europe, “doing nothing is always a strategy that policy makers can follow.”  Why is this strategy attractive and to what extend have advanced democratic countries seemingly followed this strategy in responding to economic and/or welfare problems in the western world?  Finally, when is the strategy likely to be least often selected?