When you notice a cat in profound meditation
The reason, I say, is always the same,
His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation,
Of the thought, of the thought,
Of the thought, of his name.
        T.S. Eliot (Old Possum’s Book for Practical Cats)

The course naturally focuses on methods for analysis. But more than that, we will talk about our role as agents of change, our voice in the evolving discourse of our times. Analysis is both positive and normative, empirical and discursive. We will structure our discussions along three dimensions: efficiency, justice, and sustainability. Our aim is to evaluate each of their underlying theories and claims as underpinnings of policy. We would also like to study how these are operationalized. For example, we will go through exercises on evaluating alternatives along efficiency grounds. The first third of the course will be on applied cost-benefit analysis. Similarly, we will look at methods for incorporating equity and sustainability criteria into analysis. The objective is to let students begin to actually use these methodologies and gain skills that can help make us better planners and advocates.

There are a number of useful approaches that we want to discuss. These involve ways of opening up our analysis to creating new alternatives, taking on new perspectives and modes of argument. Our time in the classroom should be a real opportunity to discuss concepts and applications. On the other hand, I would like to use the HW as a way of helping you get quantitative and comfortable with methods drawn from the economic and operations research disciplines. Exercises will involve some mathematical programming (no prerequisites assumed or required). We will take up tools like land suitability analysis, life-cycle assessment, and others.

Using these concepts, we will spend some time evaluating one important mode of policy formulation: Environmental Impact Analysis (NEPA/CEQA). To what degree is the regulatory program successful in embodying the various normative criteria? How might we go about reforming this regulatory regime?

Lastly, we want to begin doing analysis. The final exam will involve walking through a suitable policy issue in real-time, sizing up the situation, making recommendations.

Grading: Final (40%), 2 Homework sets (40%), Class participation/attendance/etc. (20%)

Textbooks: 1. Weimer, D. and A. Vining (1999), Policy Analysis, Concepts and Practice (3rd edition), Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, ISBN 0-13-109083-6 (paperback)

2. Gillroy, J.M. and M. Wade (1992), The Moral Dimensions of Public Policy Choice, U. Pittsburgh, ISBN 0-8229-5463-X (paperback)

Course Reader

available at Course Reader Material (1141 Westwood Blvd., (310) 443-3303)

The analyst in search of a philosophy first needs to develop an understanding of the nature of the polity and the analyst's role in it. In these first few meetings, we will take a broad perspective of the planning milieu and consider the changing nature of the profession.

Readings:

Chapter 2 in WV
Harvey (1992)
Stone (1994)

It is necessary to think along these broad lines of reasoning: efficiency, justice, and sustainability. We begin by defining these concepts and then move on to how to apply them. For example, under efficiency, we will learn how to think in terms of opportunity costs and present value and see how these are used for policy evaluation. We illustrate this with an example in the area of water resource development.

1.     Efficiency

a.     Pareto efficiency and the Kaldor-Hicks criterion

        Readings: Chapters 4 and 5 in WV
        Chapter 4 and 16 in Gillroy

b.     Cost-benefit analysis

        Readings: Chapter 12 in WV
        Chapter 18 in Gillroy

        Homework 1: Exercises in project evaluation

2.     Justice

a.     Rights

        Readings: Chapter 3 in Gillroy

b.     Equity

        Readings:
        Chapter 7 in WV
        Rose and Stevens (1993)
        Lejano and Davos (1999)

3.     Sustainability

        Readings:
        Turner (1993), Rees (1996),
        Hueting (1991), Haughton (1999)

4.     Putting it all together

Armed with the concepts previously discussed, we critically examine two important modes of environmental decision-making. You should take the time to ponder these and assess their effectiveness and theoretical validity.

Reading: Chapter 10 in WV

1.     Environmental Impact Analysis (CEQA/NEPA)

        Reading: Bass et al. (1996)

2.     Risk Policy

        Reading: Rosenbaum (1998)

Analysis is a problem-solving mode, but it is also participation in a dialogue. We will talk about various ways of making our analysis more meaningful and reflective of the diverse perspectives of the polity.

1.     Identifying Options

a.     Reforming institutions

        Readings: Chapters 6 and 8 in WV

b.     Formulating mixed strategies

        Reading: Chapter 1 in WV

        HW#2: Formulation and screening of alternatives

2.     Shifting frames of reference

        Readings: Healey (1998)
        Friedmann (1987)

Stone, D. (1997), Policy Paradox, The Art of Political Decision Making, W.W. Norton, New York, pp. 1-34.

Harvey, D. (1992), Social justice, postmodernism and the city, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 16(4):588-601.

Rose, A. and B. Stevens (1993), The efficiency and equity of marketable permits for CO2 emissions, Resource and Energy Economics 15:117-146.

Lejano, R. and C. Davos (1999), Cooperative solutions for sustainable resource management, Environmental Management 24(2):167-175.

Turner, R.K. (1993), Sustainability: principles and practice, in (R.K. Turner, ed.),  Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management, Belhaven, NY, 3-36.

Rees, W. (1996), Revisiting carrying capacity: area-based indicators of sustainability, Population and Environment 17(3):195-215.

Hueting, R. (1991), Correcting national income for environmental losses: a practical solution for a theoretical dilemma, in (R. Constanza, ed.), Ecological Economics: The Science and Management of Sustainability, 194-213.

Haughton, G. (1999), Environmental justice and the sustainable city, Journal of Planning Education and Research 18:233-243.

Bass, R. et al. (1996), CEQA Deskbook, Chapters 2 and 5, Solano Press, Point Arena, pp. 17-46, 81-106.

Rosenbaum, W. (1998), Chapter 4: To govern is to choose, risk assessment and environmental justice, in Environmental Politics and Policy (4th edition), CQ Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 122-156.

Healey, P. (1998), Building institutional capacity through collaborative approaches to urban planning, Environment and Planning A 30:1531-1546.

Friedmann, J. (1987), The recovery of political community, in (J. Friedmann), Planning in the Public Domain, Princeton, NJ, 343-388.