DPI-562

Public Problems: Advice, Strategy and Analysis

A joint HLS/HKS seminar examining how to analyze, advise, and strategize the resolution of difficult real-world public problems at the intersection of law and policy. Students engage with perspectives from government officials and nonprofit advocates. Required for third and fourth-year students in the joint degree program.

DPI-312

Sparking Social Change

Explores strategies for contemporary social change across diverse contexts — the US, developed and developing nations, and transnational settings. Considers change-making from government organization, social movements in civil society, and the private sector. A three-part framework examines individual change catalysts, value propositions and strategic considerations, and scaling mechanisms through philanthropy, regulation, markets, and cross-sector collaboration.

DPI-201

Responsibilities of Public Action

Addresses the moral dimensions of public policymaking through two core questions: what governments should do and what public actors should do. Uses analytical philosophical methods to develop moral reasoning skills for navigating competing values in governance.

PAL-218

Putting the Public Back Into Public Policy

Examines innovations in public engagement across multiple policy domains and geographic scales, including village governance, urban budgeting, education, and environmental management.

Teaching Resources

Teaching Democracy: Cases & Resources

Developing teaching materials including case studies on civic participation, covering topics like the Planned Parenthood controversy, post-Hurricane Katrina recovery, and electoral system reform.