Spring 2008 Course Description
Policy Research Project
| Section Title: |
Why Some Good Ideas Fail (and some succeed): Mastering the Execution Challenge |
| Instructor(s): |
Kevin Bacon |
| Course: |
P A 682B - Policy Research Project |
| Unique Number: |
64185 |
| Day & Time: |
Tuesdays, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Room: |
SRH 3.108 |
| Waitlist Information: | For LBJ Students: UT Waitlist Information |
This course fulfills requirements for the following specialization(s):
- Public Management and Leadership
Description: The policy world is littered with big ideas badly executed. This PRP, sponsored by Deloitte Research, is focused on the following questions:
- What are the key elements of policy design that affect the success or failure of implementation?
- What are the common mistakes governments make in moving from policy making to execution?
- What lessons can we learn from successful and unsuccessful implementations?
- How are execution challenges different in the public sector than in the private sector?
- What are the leadership qualities most important to execution success in government?
- What characteristics distinguish successful from unsuccessful implementations?
Students will develop case studies on implementation for a number of important government initiatives in Texas to help answer these questions. The project will consist of primary and secondary research and interviews with agency leaders, state employees, and outside experts. There will be extensive collaboration with Deloitte Research during all phases of the project.
The results of the project will be a series of case studies that discuss key factors in policy design and implementation that led to success or failure. Specific lessons learned as well as broader principles for implementation will be discussed. The research project will also contribute to a book Deloitte will publish on this subject.Return to Spring 2008 Course Schedule