This course explores the issues facing society and when and how policy can effect change. Social policy focuses on addressing the inefficiencies, inequalities, and opportunities that exist across society. In our class, discussions will be motivated by the issue of social mobility and economic opportunity. Throughout the course, we will examine how social issues shape social mobility through topics such as labor markets, education, housing, health care, and family policy. In doing so, we will examine theoretical, practical, empirical, and political explanations of social issues and the implications of policy choices.

Importantly, we will place considerable weight on critically evaluating social policy arguments, relying on empirical evidence when available, to suggest how policy scholarship can drive change. When appropriate, we will explore frontier methods of policy analysis to guide our thinking about what "works" in social policy. Our focus is on social policy within the context of the U.S., although we may compare contexts across countries.