Course #
30300
Section Number
1
Day(s)
M
-
W
Time(s)
3:00pm-4:20pm
Term
Winter 2025
Specialization
Gender and Policy
Course Instructor
Syllabus

“Evidence-based policy making” sounds like a slogan everyone can get behind. But its central components, cost-benefit analysis and program evaluation, have each been subject to severe philosophical questioning. Does cost-benefit analysis ignore important ethical concerns? Does program evaluation ignore valuable kinds of knowledge? We will introduce each of these debates, and then take up the question of how evidence-based policy might be reconciled with democratic theory. Class discussion and assignments will consider these topics in the context of specific policy areas, including climate change, discrimination, and education.