PUAD 824 is an introduction to policy making in the United States with the aim of providing students with the skills and knowledge necessary to make and communicate good decisions about public policy. Competing theoretical approaches will be used to understand the policy making process. The class will highlight interactions between residents, organized interest groups, governments, the economy, and the environment. It introduces basic approaches for stakeholder analysis and methods for developing evidence-based policies or programs. Students will discuss common obstacles to good policy-making and the tensions of making public policy in a political environment.