PPOL-716-10 COMPLYING WITH PUBLIC POLICY

Faculty:

Weaver, R

. Why do people in Chile pay their taxes more than those in Argentina? Why did some people obey the mandatory evacuation order to leave New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit while others did not? Why have single parents in the United States varied in the degree to which they have responded to increased work incentives and work requirements by obtaining and retaining employment? Why do parents in many developing countries often fail to send their children to school, even when there is no charge for school attendance? Why are smoking bans in bars and restaurants obeyed in Ireland more than in Greece? And why do people continue to begin to smoke, even in countries where there are well-organized anti-smoking programs, including ghastly pictures on cigarette packages prominently displaying the ill effects of smoking? What all of these questions have in common is that they concern why normally law-abiding citizens fail to comply with demands made by government for specific behaviors. This module will examine specific cases of compliance problems from a variety of policy sectors and countries. We will draw upon social psychology, behavioral economics and political science to understand reasons for compliance or non-compliance and investigate strategies that policy designers and implementers can use to increase compliance. Students will develop projects on topics of their own choosing to understand reasons for non-compliance and consider alternative strategies to address these problems. (1.5 credits, 1st module).

Credits: 1.5

Prerequisites: None

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2009-2010 Fall and Spring
• 2010-2011 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring

More information
Look for this course in the schedule of classes.

The academic department web site for this program may provide other details about this course.