Choices, Models and Morals: Foundations of Public Policy

Good public policy should be fair, effective, and rational. But all of these attributes are conceptually contentious. In this capstone course for the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, we will take an interdisciplinary approach to these fundamental ideas in policy design and evaluation. The course will include at least the following topics: understanding theoretical explanations of social phenomena and the nature of economic models; the role of rationality in economic models (rational choice theory and game theory); causal models and causal inference in social science, and their role in policy interventions; the idea and reality of evidence-based policy; the nature of welfare, well-being, and welfare economics; markets and morals, including market failures; inequality, fairness, and distributive justice. The emphasis is on conceptual issues accessible to all PPE students. As a capstone, the course also provides a key opportunity for the PPE cohort to engage with one another.