Phil Murphy

Introduction to Policy and Data Analysis

This course is a guided introduction to conceptualizing problems and making sense of quantitative information in the policy sphere. The course begins by introducing the theory and practice of policy analysis. The stages of the public policy process and methods for structuring policy inquiry are introduced to provide a means for deconstructing policy problems and asking relevant and practical questions in a policy context.

Next the class is introduced to how such questions are addressed using quantitative tools. Topics to be covered include sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and regression techniques. This will basically be a primer on applying inferential statistics to policy problems. The course will also include introductory training in the use of innovative statistical software, as well as Excel statistical functions.

Fall 2020 - MIIS, Fall 2021 - MIIS, Fall 2022 - MIIS, Fall 2023 - MIIS

The course is an introduction to inferential statistics with an emphasis on Policy Analysis applications. Topics to be covered include sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and simple and multiple regression analysis. The course will also include an introduction to the use of the computer as a tool for data analysis using leading statistical packages, as well as Excel statistical functions.

Spring 2021 - MIIS, Spring 2022 - MIIS

Introduction to Network Analysis

This course introduces students to the skills and concepts at the core of a dynamic and rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. Network analytic tools focus on the relationships between nodes (e.g., individuals, groups, organizations, countries, etc.). We analyze these relationships to uncover or predict a variety of important factors (e.g., the potential or importance of various actors, organizational vulnerabilities, potential subgroups, the need for redundancy, social and economic ties, growth within a network, …). Although the security field has received the greatest amount of recent attention (covert or terrorist networks), these tools can offer valuable insight into a variety of disciplines. The combination of – often stunning – visual analytic techniques with more quantitative measures accounts for much of the increasing worldwide popularity of this field.

Course Objectives

At the end of the semester, students will be able to:

Explain and apply a number of the concepts that underpin network analysis

Apply concepts such as centrality, brokerage, equivalence and diffusion to network data

Critically evaluate structures and substructures within a network

Perform a variety of approaches to clustering and cohesion to networks

Analyze networks using a variety of software packages

Fall 2020 - MIIS, Fall 2021 - MIIS, Fall 2022 - MIIS, Spring 2023 - MIIS, Fall 2023 - MIIS, Spring 2024 - MIIS

This course builds on previous immersive learning courses to the Balkans, initiated by Professor Jan Knippers Black. Professor Black’s goal at the time was to demystify the misconceptions around the region that gave rise to the term “balkanized” and debunk the myth of primordial hatreds that too many people still assume to be the cause of the many rifts in this region. Since that time, the course has undergone multiple iterations, each time focusing on a different aspect of this theme. This iteration will take place in the southernmost of the former Yugoslav republics: Kosovo and Northern Macedonia.

Kosovo and Northern Macedonia each have two majority populations: one slavic and one Albanian. Both countries gained their independence within the last four decades, and tensions between the two populations have figured heavily in how each of the countries has developed. The course will examine the complexities of what happens after conflict, including the complex work of building a new country. We take on topics such as shaping concepts of history and shared memory, “frozen conflicts” and addressing tensions that still remain just below the surface, the role of international partnerships to shape national trajectories, and the concept of national identity formation in new states. To be open to all MIIS degrees, we will be exploring the roles of policy, education, language, and culture to unpack some of the drivers of tensions within each country.

So often in the Balkans, the past is prioritized – and with good reason as it’s a region that has been occupied by so many different populations over time, with each leaving their mark and with many languages and cultures remaining within the peninsula (e.g. Roma, Turkish, Bulgarian, Vlach). However, this course is intentionally shaped to look forward with the same complexity and sense of curiosity. How are some of the youngest countries in Europe choosing to create peace, opportunity, and prosperity? What are the major barriers to move past the conflicts that define the region and imagine a future?

The course is customizable, to fit better with students’ individual concentration. Students will be asked to read materials that provide an overview of the conflict in the Balkans, including recent military activities of the U.S. in Kosovo and resulting spillover into North Macedonia, raising questions of whether either conflict is truly over. They will also be asked to read different visions
for the future of each country, questioning how conflict is being perceived, measured, and addressed – especially at different levels (local or national efforts vs. international programs and donors). We will also seek to explore interventions for peace that have not worked well (e.g., the UN’s presence in Kosovo, North Macedonia’s lengthy EU accession process) and discuss the drawbacks of existing measures, plus efforts that have failed to bring forth transformation. In each country, we will ask experts from diverse perspectives and backgrounds to talk about how they see their country moving forward after the conflict and their hopes for the future. The goal is to provide students with a rich understanding of the context and the complexity of building a new state, as well as raise questions about power, multiple perspectives, myths in society, and marginalized voices. Moreover, throughout the trip, we will take time to periodically discuss and unpack how what we have learned tracks with what we initially thought.

Spring 2024 - MIIS, MIIS Workshop

Students will choose a focal topic or challenge that is relevant to their degree. Under faculty member’s guidance, students will then implement a suitable plan of activities to shed significant light on this topic. Final products may take many forms including a traditional research paper, a guide or manual for practitioners, a video product, or alternative deliverable that would be of value to a well-defined audience of practitioners. Students must identify a faculty sponsor who has consented to supervise the project in order to enroll in this class. Work can be taken on-campus or in field settings. Credit is variable (4 or 6 units) and depends upon the scope, complexity and rigor of the project.

The B section is 3 credits and is only open to joint IEM/MPA students.

Spring 2023 - MIIS

This class builds on Data Analysis for Public Policy and covers advanced topics commonly used in very diverse areas of policy analysis, specifically data reduction techniques (factor analysis) and non-linear models (logistic regression). The course also includes minor sections on data manipulation, formatting of raw data (flat, text files); databases; and proprietary data formats.

Spring 2021 - MIIS, Spring 2022 - MIIS, Spring 2023 - MIIS, Spring 2024 - MIIS