Mary Jo Bane

HLE-201: Poverty and Social Policy

Examines the causes and consequences of poverty and explores strategies for addressing it. Begins by exploring the various ways poverty is defined and measured and by trying to understand what it means to be poor in the United States, Mexico and China. The remainder of the course focuses primarily on the United States. We examine a number of explanations for poverty, including changes in family structure and population demographics, changes in the labor market, residential segregation, and culture. We also explore the consequences of poverty on health and well-being. Finally, we examine policy options and issues, including training and education, supports for the working poor, child support enforcement, health care, child care, and other supports for families and children, and welfare reform.

STM-110: Strategic Management in the Public Sector

This course focuses on strategic management in the public sectors of democratic societies. It critically examines and applies the assumptions, concepts, and tools of the new approaches to public management that are being applied around the world. Important strategic decisions that will be examined in the course include: formulating and articulating a mission and vision; formulating and internalizing in the organization a set of long-term objectives; translating objectives into measures of performance; designing production systems and organizational structures; and shaping organizational culture. Privatization and partnerships will be examined, along with public provision as ways of creating public value. Most class meetings are case discussions, supplemented by some presentation of conceptual materials. Cases and other readings are drawn from the United States, other industrialized countries, and developing countries.


 

© 2005Presidents and Fellows of Harvard
Maintained by Michael Blackmore
Updated: August 5, 2005