Political Analysis And Strategy For U

POLITICAL ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY FOR U.S. HEALTH POLICY
SUP 575 / HPM 247
Harvard University
Harvard Kennedy School/ Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Spring 2015
Course Syllabus
Faculty
Robert J. Blendon
[email protected]
Office: KSG: Taubman 410
HSPH: Kresge 402
Office Hours: By Appointment
Faculty Assistant
Justin Sayde
[email protected]
HSPH – Kresge 416
Phone: 617-432-4502
Please contact Justin to
coordinate office hours and
meetings with Prof. Blendon
Course Staff
Teaching Fellows
Loren Saulsberry
PhD Candidate in Health Policy (Political Analysis)
[email protected]
Office Hours: By Appointment--email (HSPH campus)
Jessica Altman
MPP Candidate, HKS
[email protected]
Office Hours: By Appointment--email (HKS campus)
The teaching fellows will use the following as the primary course
email: [email protected]
Course Assistant
Elizabeth Steffen
[email protected]
Taubman 471, Phone: 617-495-5066
Weekly Meeting Time and Location
o Mon. & Wed. 4:10 pm – 6:00 pm, L140 (HKS Campus)
o Shopping Day: Friday, January 23, 2015, 4:10-5:25pm, L140
o First Day of Class: Monday, January 26, 2015
o Last Day of Class (in-class final exam): Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Course Overview
Health policy making in the U.S. has a strong political dimension. This course offers analytical
insights into understanding U.S. health policymaking and developing political strategies that
influence health policy outcomes. The course provides strategic skills for those in future leadership
roles to influence the health policy process. Major topics to be covered include analyzing how health
policy is shaped by interest groups, media, public opinion, legislative lobbying, elections, coalition
building, policy legacies, institutions, and the politics of information. Student-led case studies focus
on the repeal of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act, state abortion laws, marijuana legalization,
as well as major movements toward comprehensive national health insurance in the U.S. including
the Clinton and Obama health plans and the debate over the implementation of the Affordable Care
Act. This course is not open to auditors.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
1
Course Objectives
This course is designed to meet the following objectives:
1. To understand why U.S. health policy involves political decision-making
2. To analyze the politics of major health policy developments in the United States;
3. To understand the ways political analysis can improve health policy and its implementation;
4. To develop the following skills in political strategy and case analysis:
a. Diagnosing the political environment for health issues
b. Identifying who makes the key health policy decisions
c. Understanding when an issue will be a “political issue”
d. Creating effective political strategies to influence U.S. health policy
Course Requirements
Students will be expected to complete assigned readings, participate in class discussions, prepare for
case discussions, and write two political strategy memos and corresponding Op-Ed pieces. Students
are also required to submit questions to the teaching fellows to be discussed in class.
The final exam will be given during the last day of class (Wednesday, April 29, 2015).
Case Assignments
All students are expected to submit a political strategy memo & op-ed on TWO (2) selected cases
for political analysis. Students who prepare memos are expected to join in a group discussion of
their case, representing their assigned actor. The memo is due in hard copy and via email on the day
of case discussion, prior to the presentation. Late materials will not be accepted without prior
discussion with a teaching fellow and permission from the instructor. Additional guidance regarding
the case assignments, including the format of the strategy memo, op-ed and discussion will be made
available to the students once the course begins.
Note on collaboration and academic integrity: please develop your own original work, always
cite your sources, and do not collaborate with classmates on any of the assignments.
Electronic Materials & Course Website
o Materials are posted on the HKS course website on KNet (https://knet.hks.harvard.edu).
Please note that although this course is cross-listed with HSPH, the HPM 247 course
website will not be activated or used throughout the course.
o An internal mailing list will also be developed during the first few weeks of the course. Please
ensure that you can receive emails from [email protected].
o If you are interested, additional articles, poll data, and other items related to Dr. Blendon’s
research can be found at www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/horp.
o To gain access to the HKS course website, please follow these steps:
o Step 1: For cross-registered students, you must first obtain HKS credentials. Go to
https://pubapps.hks.harvard.edu/xrap/public/log-in.aspx and log in with your Harvard
PIN. Provide the requested information, and you will receive your HKS username by email.
o Step 2: Send your HKS username to the Course Assistant, Liz Steffan
([email protected]), and she will grant you access to the course website.
o Step 3: Once Liz has added you to the course website, you will receive an email welcoming
you to the ‘Enrolled Students’ SharePoint group. We suggest bookmarking the direct link to
the course website provided in that email.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Course Grading
Final grades for the course will be determined as follows:
Class Participation (including case discussions,
submitting questions, and overall participation):*
30%
Political Strategy Op-Eds (2):
10%
Political Strategy Memos (2):
30%
Final Exam:
30%
*Class Participation
Class participation includes: 1) attendance, 2) active participation during class time, 3) the case
discussion (details in the Assignment Description document), and 4) submitting questions on
assigned readings, relevant political strategies, cases, or for guest speakers throughout the course.
To facilitate class participation, please bring your name plate to each class. Students should either
have a name plate made (the Staples on JFK Street makes them for ~$5, ask for the HKS name
plate template), or bring your own name plate with your name clearly displayed in large font.
Questions will be graded on both quality and quantity (we suggest submissions for at least 8 lectures
over the course of the semester). Please submit questions BY NOON on the day of the lecture
using the Google form emailed to you from the TFs in the first week of class. During each class, a
few students may be selected to share their questions with the class, therefore all students should
be prepared to restate and discuss their submitted question during class.
Class Protocol
Students are expected to attend all classes and attendance will be recorded. During class, please turn
off cell phones or switch them to vibrate mode. If you need to respond to a call or text message,
please step outside the room. Laptops are allowed, but please do not use the Internet for email or
other purposes during class, as they distract your classmates. While covered drinks are allowed,
please keep snacks to a minimum.
Course Participants
All students are welcome, no prerequisites are required. However, students will benefit most from
this course if their professional interests include improving their skills and insights into how to
influence the outcomes of future U.S. health policy debates. The principal focus of the course is
political strategy in this field, rather than the more theoretical aspects of the politics of health policy.
Enrollment is limited to those students taking the course for credit and is NOT open to auditors.
Undergraduate students are welcome to enroll but may NOT take the course pass/fail.
Special Evening Session
A special session will be held after class on Monday, February 9, 2015, for international students or
others who wish to gain a more basic understanding of the American political system. The teaching
fellows will email you with further information at the start of the semester.
Another special session as a primer to the Affordable Care Act will be held after class on
Wednesday, February 18, 2015, for any student who wishes to gain a more basic understanding of
the American health care system.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Required Books
Jacobs, Lawrence and Theda Skocpol. Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to
Know, Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN
9780199769124
Johnson, Haynes and Broder, David S. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point.
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.1996. ISBN 0316469696
Although we encourage students to read the entire book, we have assigned less than half of the chapters to
ensure a manageable workload. Chapters 1-3, 5-6, 10, 14-16 and Epilogue are required readings.
Kingdon, John W. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 2010.
ISBN 9780205000869.
Links to readings that are available online or through the Harvard Libraries are provided on the course website.
Books are available on reserve at the Kennedy School Library and the Countway Medical Library.
Recommended Further Reading
We suggest that students read the following texts for additional background and context.
Blendon, Robert et al., eds. American Public Opinion and Health Care. Washington, DC: CQ Press,
2010. ISBN 9780872893849
Blumenthal, David and James A. Morone. The Heart of Power. Berkeley, CA: University of California
Press. 2009. ISBN 9780520268098
McDonough, John. Inside National Health Reform. Berkeley, California: University of California
Press, 2011. ISBN 9780520274525
Washington Post Staff. Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health-Care Law and
What It Means for Us All. New York: Public Affairs. 2010. ISBN 9781586489342
Starr, Paul. Remedy and Reaction: The Peculiar American Struggle over Health Care Reform. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 2011. ISBN 9780300171099
Starr, Paul. The Social Transformation of American Medicine. New York: Basic Books. 1982.
ISBN 0465079350
DETAILED COURSE SCHEDULE & READINGS
Session 0:
Shopping Day (4:10-5:25 L140)
Fri. 1/23/2014
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned 1-Hour Background Video:
The Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health. November 7, 2014. “The 2014 U.S. Midterm
Elections: What’s at Stake for Health Reform?” Watch online at:
http://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-2014-u-s-midterm-elections/
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 1:
The Politics of Health Care
Mon. 1/26/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Thrush G. “Locked in the Cabinet: The worst job in Barack Obama’s Washington.” Politico Magazine,
November 2013.
Starr P. Remedy and Reaction: The Peculiar American Struggle Over Health Care Reform. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2011. Chapter 9: Reform’s Uncertain Fate.
Rozell M and C Wilcox. Interest Groups in American Campaigns. Washington, D.C.: Congressional
Quarterly Press. 1999, 16-28.
Session 2:
Data for Political Strategy
Wed. 1/28/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Downs A. “Up and Down with Ecology: The Issue-Attention Cycle.” The Public Interest. 1972, 28:3850.
Mebane F and R Blendon. "Political Strategy 101: How to Make Health Policy and Influence
Political People." Journal of Child Neurology. July 2001, 16: 513-519.
Blendon RJ, J Benson, and TS Hyams. “Bridging the Gap Between Expert and Public Views on
Health Care Reform.” JAMA. 1993, 269(19): 2573-2578
Blendon RJ et al. “Implications for the 2012 Election for Health Care – the Voters’ Perspective. N
Engl J Med 2012.
Session 3:*
Developing a Political Strategy for Health Politics Part I:
A Practical Guide to Political Analysis Research
Mon. 2/2/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Teaching Fellows
*This will be an interactive session on how to find data that helps you formulate a political strategy. If you have a
laptop, please bring it to this session to follow along on how to access political data.
Assigned Readings:
Assignment Description document [Handout]
Sample political strategy memo from a former student [Handout – not available on course site]
Harvard Kennedy School Communications Program. “How to Write an Op-Ed or Column.” OpEd guidelines [Handout]
Columbia University – The Earth Institute. Writing & Submitting an Opinion Piece: A Guide.
February 2010.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 4:
Developing a Political Strategy for Health Politics Part II:
Writing a Political Strategy Memo/Op-Ed and Case Examples
Wed. 2/4/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Teaching Fellows
Assigned Readings:
Florida Medicaid case from a previous final exam [Handout – not available on course site]
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Issue Brief: Analyzing the Impact of State
Medicaid Expansion Decisions. July 2013.
Mon. 2/9/15:
NO CLASS: Snow Day
Session 5:
Politics of Interest and Advocacy Groups
Wed. 2/11/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Cigler AJ and Loomis BA. “Stalemate Meets Uncertainty: Organized Interests in a Partisan Era,” in
Interest Group Politics, 8th edition, Cigler AJ and Loomis BA eds. 2012. CQ Press: Washington,
DC. Chapter 16.
Wilkerson, J and D Carrell. “Money, Politics and Medicine: The American Medical PAC’s Strategy
of Giving in U.S. House Races.” Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law. April 1999, 24(2):
335-355.
Campbell AL. “Policy Feedbacks and the Impact of Policy Designs on Public Opinion.” Journal of
Health Politics, Policy and Law 2011, 36(6): 961-973.
Steinbrook, R. “Lobbying, Campaign Contributions, and Health Care Reform.” The New England
Journal of Medicine. 2009, 361(23): e52(1)-e52(4).
Bai, M. “How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game?” New York Times Magazine.
July 2012.
Mon. 2/16/2015:
NO CLASS: President’s Day
Session 6:
The Media and Public Opinion
Wed. 2/18/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Baum M. “Media, Public Opinion, and Presidential Leadership,” in New Directions in Public Opinion,
ed. By Adam J. Berinsky, 2012.Chapter 12.
Baum, MW, 2002. “How Soft News Brings Policy Issues to the Inattentive Public.” in Media Power
in Politics, edited by Doris Graber. Washington, D.C. 2010: Congressional Quarterly,
Chapter 9.
The Pew Research Center for People & the Press. “Political Polarization & Media Habits.” October
21, 2014. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. Online at:
journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 7:
Health Politics in the States
Mon. 2/23/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Gray V. “The Socioeconomic and Political Context of States.” In Politics in the American States: A
Comparative Analysis, eds. Gray V, Hanson RL and Kousser T. CQ Press, 10th ed., 2013 Ch. 1.
Blendon RJ, JM Benson, GK SteelFisher, and JM Connolly. “Americans’ Conflicting Views about
the Public Health System, and How to Shore Up Support.” Health Affairs. November 2010,
29(11): 2033-2040.
Paul-Shaheen P. “The States and Health Care Reform: The Road Traveled and Lessons Learned
from Seven that Took the Lead.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. April 1998, 23(2):
319-361.
Session 8:
Case Discussion 1: Marijuana Legalization in Colorado
Wed. 2/25/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Students
Assigned Readings:
Johnson M. “Legalizing marijuana.” (2014, March 25). CQ Researcher. Retrieved from
library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/.
Ingold J. “The inside story of how marijuana became legal in Colorado,” December 28, 2012, The
Denver Post (Blog).
Associated Press. “Strategy, timing key to legalizing pot in Colorado, Washington,” December 2,
2012, Associated Press.
Optional Further Reading:
The Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health. 2014. “Legalizing Marijuana: The Public Health
Pros and Cons.” 2014. Available online at: theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/legalizingmarijuana/.
Hickenlooper GJ. Experimenting with pot: the state of Colorado’s legalization of marijuana. Milbank
Quarterly 2014; 92(2): 243-9.
Session 9:
History of Politics of the National Healthcare Reform Debate
Mon. 3/2/2015
Michael Botta, PhD
Assigned Readings:
Johnson H and DS Broder. 1996. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point.
Chapters 1-3 and 5-6. [REQUIRED BOOK]
Kaiser Family Foundation. 2009. National Health Insurance - a Brief History of reform efforts in
the U.S.
Morone J. “Presidents and Health Reform: From Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. Health
Affairs. June 2010, 29(6): 1096-1100.
Starr, Paul. The Social Transformation of American Medicine. New York: Basic Books. 1982. Book 2
“The Struggle for Medical Care,” Chapter 1: The Mirage of Reform, pp. 233-289.
Optional Further Reading:
Hacker J. “National Health Care Reform: An Idea Whose Time Came and Went.” Journal of Health
Politics Policy and Law. Winter 1996, 21(4): 647-696.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 10: The Massachusetts Health Care Plan: A Political Perspective
Wed. 3/4/2015
Guest: Nancy Turnbull Senior Lecturer on Health Policy/Associate Dean for
Educational Programs at Harvard School of Public Health
Assigned Readings:
Serafini MW. “The Mass.-ter Plan.” National Journal. June 10, 2006.
Oakman Sussman T, Blendon JR, Buhr T. “Chapter 6: The Massachusetts Health Reform Law: A
Case Study.” In: RJ Blendon et al., eds. American Public Opinion and Health Care. Washington:
CQ Press (2010), pp. 128-150.
Session 11:
Case Discussion 2: Medicare Catastrophic Coverage
Mon. 3/9/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Students
Assigned Readings:
Hulse C. “Lesson is Seen in Failure of Law on Medicare in 1989.” New York Times. November 17,
2013.
Campbell AL. “Participatory Reactions to Policy Threats: Senior Citizens and the Defense of Social
Security.” Political Behavior. March 2003, 25(1): 29-49.
Marmor, T. The Politics of Medicare. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2000. Chapter Seven: “Medicare's
Politics 1966 to 90,” Read pp. 110-119.
Scott, E. “Catastrophic Health Insurance for the Elderly” Kennedy School of Government Case Program.
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1995.
Optional Further Reading:
Wolpe BC and Levine BJ. “Case Studies in Lobbying: Catastrophic-Costs Coverage,” in Lobbying
Congress: How the System Works. Second Edition. Congressional Quarterly Inc., Washington DC:
1996, pp. 146-153.
Session 12: Review Session
Wed. 3/11/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Steimo S and J Watts. “It's the Institutions, Stupid! Why Comprehensive National Health Insurance
Always Fails in America.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 1995, 20(2): 329-372.
Mon. 3/16 – Wed. 3/18
No Class - SPRING BREAK
Session 13: Politics and Policy Research
Mon. 3/23/15
Guest: Diane Rowland, Executive Director, Kaiser Commission on
Medicaid and the Uninsured, Executive Vice President, Henry J. Kaiser Family
Foundation, and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, HHS
Assigned Readings:
Jewell CJ and LA Bero. “‘Developing Good Taste in Evidence’: Facilitators of and Hindrances to
Evidence-Informed Health Policymaking in State Government.” The Milbank Quarterly. 2008,
86(2): 177- 209.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 14: Case Discussion 3: Clinton Health Plan
Wed. 3/25/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Students
Assigned Readings:
Blendon RJ, M Brodie, and J Benson. “What Happened to Americans’ Support of the Clinton
Plan?” Health Affairs. 1995, 14(2): 7-23.
Skocpol T. “The Rise and Resounding Demise of the Clinton Plan.” Health Affairs. 1995, 14(1): 6685.
Starr P and WA Zelman. “A Bridge to Compromise: Competition under a Budget.” Health Affairs.
1993, 13: 7-23.
Johnson H, and DS Broder. 1996. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point.
Chapters 10, 14-16 and Epilogue. [REQUIRED BOOK]
Blendon RJ and JM Benson. “The American Public and the Next Phase of the Health Care Reform
Debate.” New England Journal of Medicine 2009, 361(21): e48-e48.
Optional Further Reading:
Wolpe BC and Levine BJ. “Case Studies in Lobbying: Health-Care Reform,” in Lobbying Congress:
How the System Works. Second Edition. Congressional Quarterly Inc., Washington DC: 1996,
pp. 104-115.
Hansen O, RJ Blendon, et al. “Lawmakers' Views on the Failure of Health Reform: A Survey of
Members of Congress and Staff.” Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law. 1996, 21(1): 137151.
Session 15: Campaigns, Elections, and Health Policy
Mon. 3/30/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Blendon RJ and Benson JM. “Voters and the Affordable Care Act in the 2014 Election.” The New
England Journal of Medicine. 2014, 371(20): e31.
Blendon RJ et al. “Understanding Health Care in the 2012 Election.” The New England Journal of
Medicine. October 25, 2012, 367:1658-1661.
Blumenthal D. “Health Policy on the High Wire: Thirteen Days with a Presidential Campaign.”
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 1992, 17(2): 353-373.
Walter A. “August Town Halls Tell Us Nothing.” The Cook Political Report, September 4, 2013.
Session 16: Case Discussion 4: South Dakota Referendum on Abortion
Wed. 4/1/15 Robert J. Blendon and Students
Assigned Readings:
Jelen, Ted. “Abortion.” In: Best, Samuel J and Benjamin Radcliff, eds. Polling America: An
Encyclopedia of Public Opinion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (2005).
Jost, Kenneth and Kathy Koch. “Abortion Showdowns.” CQ Researcher. September 22, 2006,
16(33): 1-19, 36-27.
Mercurio, John, “Abortion Rights, Dividing the Right?” National Journal, March 2, 2006.
Slevin, Peter. “S. Dakota Becomes Abortion Focal Point; Voters to Decide Fate of State Ban.” The
Washington Post, August 28, 2006: A10.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Optional Further Reading:
Rohlinger DA. “Friends and Foes: Media, Politics, and Tactics in the Abortion War.” Social Problems
2006 53, no. 4: 537-561.
Leonhardt, David. “Why Abortion is Not Like Other Issues.” The New York Times. July 13, 2013.
Roe v. Wade (1973). Landmark Cases. Public Broadcasting Service.
pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html
Pesca M. “South Dakota Voters Weigh Abortion Ban.” National Public Radio. Online at:
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6422708.
Session 17: Educating and Influencing the Broader Public
Mon. 4/6/2015
Guest: Mollyann Brodie, Senior Vice President, Director of Public Opinion and Media
Research, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Assigned Readings:
Brodie M, EC Hamel, DE Altman, RJ Blendon, and JM Benson. “Health News and the American
Public, 1996-2002.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. October 2003, 28(5): 927-950.
Pew Research Center. “Understanding the participatory news consumer: How internet and cell
phone users have turned news into a social experience.” March 1, 2010.
Mutz D and L Young, “Communication and Public Opinion: Plus CA Change?” Public
Opinion Quarterly 2011, 75(5): 1018-1044.
Pew Research Center. “State of the News Media 2014: Overview.” March 2014. Online at:
journalism.org/files/2014/03/Overview.pdf.
Session 18: Health Politics in the U.S. Senate
Wed. 4/8/2015
Guest: Sheila Burke, Former Chief of Staff, Senator Robert Dole, Kansas
Assigned Readings:
Hardin JW. “An In-Depth Look at Congressional Committee Jurisdictions Surrounding Health
Issues.” Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law. June 1998, 23(3): 517-550.
Jacobs, Lawrence and Theda Skocpol. Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to
Know, Revised and Updated Edition. Chapters 1-4. [REQUIRED BOOK]
Farrell, John. The Good Old Days? National Journal. January 5, 2012.
Session 19: Case Discussion 5: The Obama Health Plan
Mon. 4/13/2015
Robert J. Blendon and Students
Assigned Readings:
Vaida B. “Health Care Reform Faces Its ‘Super Bowl Moment.’” National Journal. 2009, 41(24): 2027.
Serafini MW and B Vaida. “Eight Key Hurdles for Health Care Overhaul.” National Journal. 2009,
41(47-48): 30-37.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Deane C et al. “Public Opinion on Health Care Reform through the Prism of Obama's 2009-2010
Reform Effort.” In: RJ Blendon et al., eds. American Public Opinion and Health Care.
Washington: CQ Press (2010). Read pp. 498-508 only.
Oberlander J. “Picking the Right Poison: Options for Funding Health Care Reform.” New England
Journal of Medicine. 2009, 360(20): 2045-2048.
Optional Further Reading:
McDonough, John. Inside National Health Reform. Berkeley, California: University of California
Press, 2011. Chapters 3-4.
Kersh R. “Health Reform: The Politics of Implementation.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.
Vol. 36, No. 3, June 2011, “The Politics of Repeal” section pp. 617-622.
Session 20: Health Politics in the U.S. House
Wed. 4/15/2015
Guest: Brian Biles, Former Health Staff Director, House Ways and Means
Committee
Assigned Readings:
Pew Research Center. “Political Polarization in the American Public.” June 2014. Overview, pp. 615. Online at: people-press.org/files/2014/06/6-12-2014-Political-Polarization-Release.pdf.
Abramowitz A. The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy. New
Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. Ch. 1 and 7.
Brownstein R. “The End of the Power of One.” The National Journal, February 7, 2014.
Kraushaar J. “The Most Divided Congress Ever, At Least until Next Year.” The National Journal,
February 7, 2014.
Optional Further Reading:
Barber M and McCarty N. “Causes and Consequences of Polarization,” in Negotiation Agreement in
Politics, eds. J Mansbridge and CJ Martin, American Political Science Association Task Force Report,
2013, pp. 19-53.
Farrell, John Aloysius. “Divided We Stand.” The National Journal. 2012.
Session 21: Designing Health Policies for Presidential Candidates
Mon. 4/20/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Blendon RJ et al. “Health Care in the 2008 Presidential Primaries.” The New England Journal of
Medicine. January 24, 2008, 358(4): 414-422.
Blendon RJ, DE Altman, JM Benson. “Health Care in the 2010 Congressional Election.” The New
England Journal of Medicine. November 11, 2010, 363(e30):e1-e5.
Blumenthal D and JA Morone. 2009. The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press. Introduction and Conclusion.
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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Session 22:
Public Trust in Health Policy: Lessons Learned from ACA Implementation
and the CDC Experience on Ebola
Wed. 4/22/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Blendon RJ, JM Benson, R Morin, D Altman, M Brodie, M Brossard and M James. “Changing
Attitudes in America.” Chapter 8 in Why People Don’t Trust Government, Edited by Joseph Nye,
Philip Zelikow, David King. Cambridge: Harvard University Press: 1997.
Blendon RJ. “Why Americans Don’t Trust the Government and Don’t Trust Healthcare.” Chapter 2
in The Trust Crisis in Healthcare Causes, Consequences and Cures, Edited by David A.
Shore. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 2007.
Blendon RJ, Abiola SE, Benson JM. 2012. “The politics of evidence-based policymaking.”
Unpublished Working Paper Draft, not for distribution.
Gauchat G. “Politicization of Science in the Public Sphere: A Study of Public Trust in the United
States, 1974-2010.” American Sociological Review 2012, 77(2): 167-187. READ ONLY the
Abstract, Introduction, and Conclusion.
Session 23: Connecting the Cases Together and Course Wrap-up
Mon. 4/27/2015
Robert J. Blendon
Assigned Readings:
Kingdon JW. Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies. Chapters 1-3 & 9. [REQUIRED BOOK]
Blendon RJ and Benson JM. “The Public and the Conflict over Future Medicare Spending.” The New
England Journal of Medicine. September 2013, 369(11): 1066-1073.
Purdum TS. “Obama’s Price of Victory,” Politico, October 2, 2013.
Burke S and Kamarck E. “The Affordable Care Act: A User’s Guide to Implementation.” October
2013, Center for Effective Public Management at Brookings.
Gonzalez RJ. “Pro-Life Democrats, Squeezed by a Partisan Issue.” Real Clear Politics, April 22, 2014.
Session 24: Final Exam (in class)
Wed. 4/29/2015
Spring 2015 syllabus revised February 12, 2015
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