Session 1: Public Policy and the Public Policy Making Process
- Birkland (2016). Chapters 1 & 2.
- Kingdon (2013). Chapter 1.
Session 2: Case Study Method in Public Policy (Case Discussion Session)
- Nike versus New Balance: Trade Policy in a World of Global Value Chains, HBS Case.
- Learning by the Case Method, HKS Case Program.
- Birkland (2016). Chapters 4 & 5. (not required)
- Kingdon (2013). Chapters 2 & 3. (not required)
Session 3: Market and Market Failures
- Stiglitz & Rosengard (2015). Chapter 3 (3.1: The Invisible Hand of Competitive Markets, 3.2: Welfare Economics and Pareto Efficiency).
- Jonathan Pincus (2012). Public Policy in a Market Economy, FETP Teaching Note.
- Stiglitz & Rosengard (2015). Chapter 4.
Session 4: Regulation (Case Discussion Session)
- Uber in Vietnam, FETP Case
- Jonathan Pincus & Đinh Vũ Trang Ngân (2013). Public Policy and Critical Thinking, FETP Teaching Note.
- Harvey S. Rosen (2005). Public Finance, 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill, Chapters 2 & 3. (not required)
Session 5: Monopoly and Regulation (Case Discussion Session)
- Retail Electricity Price Regulation, FSPPM Case.
- Peter Debaere (2011). Imperfect Competition and Monopolies, Darden Business Publishing, University of Virginia.
Session 6: Public Goods and Externalities
- Stiglitz & Rosengard (2015). Chapters 5 & 6. (Students may skip sections on diagrams and analytical models.)
Session 7: Asymmetric Information (Case Discussion Session)
- The Cycle of Interest Rate Control and Liberalization, FSPPM Case.
- HBS (1997). Asymmetric Information: Market Failures, Market Distortions, and Market Solutions.
Session 8: Distribution and Equity
- Thomas Piketty (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Harvard University Press. Introduction.
Session 9: Institutional Fragmentation (Case Discussion Session)
- Ho Chi Minh City Port Relocation, FETP Case.
Session 10: Public Policy and Institutions
- Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (2012). Why nations fail: the origins of power, prosperity and poverty, New York: Random House. Chapter 15: "Understanding prosperity and poverty."
- Dinh Vu Trang Ngan (2013). Institutions, FETP Teaching Note.
The course will cover the following key topics: (i) The public policy process; (ii) Market and the role of government; (iii) Market failures (monopoly, public goods, externalities, asymmetric information) and public policy responses; (iv) Distribution and the efficiency/equity tradeoff; and (v) Institutions.
Students are required to study the materials, in particular the flipped-classroom materials, posted in Microsoft Team.
During the one-week in-class study at the Fulbright campus, classes include traditional lectures and case study sessions.
