360°: Pathways to Policy
This cluster focuses on how policies in particular domains -- environment, economy, health, and education -- are developed and implemented in different national contexts.
This cluster focuses on how policies in particular domains -- environment, economy, health, and education -- are developed and implemented in different national contexts.
This cluster focuses on how policies in particular domains -- environment, economy, health, and education -- are developed and implemented in different national contexts. The primary areas of focus are the US (capitalist), Cuba (socialist), and China (post-socialist). As part of the cluster, students participate in a week-long field study in Cuba, visiting schools, health clinics, and sports facilities. In addition, participants meet with national and/or local policy leaders/advisers in our four domains of interest: environment, health, education, economy.
Courses
From 1974 to the late 1990’s the number of democracies grew from 39 to 117. This “third wave,” the collapse of communism and developmental successes in East Asia have led some to argue the triumph of democracy and markets. Since the late 1990’s, democracy’s third wave has stalled, and some fear a reverse wave and democratic breakdowns. We question this phenomenon through the disciplines of economics, history, political science and sociology drawing from theoretical, case study and classical literature. Taught by Michael Rock, Economics.
This course will examine different countries' policy choices to address different societal challenges. Four societal types - socialist (Cuba), post-socialist (China), capitalist (US), and social-democratic (Scandinavia) - will be studied to help us understand how these different kinds of societies conceive of social problems and propose and implement attempted solutions. We will examine particular problems/solutions in four domains: health/sports; education; environment; technological development. As we explore these domains, we will attend to methodological issues involved in making historical and institutional comparisons. Taught by David Karen, Sociology.