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School of Public Policy and Administration
Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies
AP/PPAS/ADMS 3524 3.00 PUBLIC SECTOR BUDGET PROCESS
WINTER 2013, MONDAY, 2:30-5:30, ACE 005
THADDEUS HWONG
“Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world.
We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity.
We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly.
We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children.
We can do our part to save the world’s environment.
We can restore our good name in the world …. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”
JACK LAYTON
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Course Overview
Welcome! The course offers an overview of the importance of fiscal policy in our pursuit of
a more equal society from the perspectives of Canada in the world through the lens of
your research.
In Winter 2013, the course explores the role of government in our civil society in light of
government revenues and expenditures through an examination of federal budget of
2012. The course is a fast-paced research-intensive course that requires students to engage
in fiscal policy discussions in every class, and thus it requires students to attend all classes
and make a serious commitment in tackling the weekly research assignments. Each class
we will explore one major fiscal policy challenge based on your research.
The course will likely be more demanding than most courses you have taken. But if you are
willing to work hard, you will reap the rewards of achieving the learning outcomes, and
you will be very proud of your achievements at the end of the term. As the course requires
your active participation in each class, if you come to class on time, attend all classes in
entirety, engage in the in-class dialogues and submit the writing assignments on time, the
course will enable you to achieve the learning outcomes of the course. If you cannot
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attend classes or you double-book yourself for another course at the same time, you
should take the course when it is more convenient for you.
I am an associate professor at Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies at York
University. In my research I model interactions between tax law and social policy that
affect the financing of a more equal society. My empirical research informs my teaching in
income tax, public finance, social policy, and law and politics as well as Social Policy Ideas
Lab, an experiential education initiative to engage undergraduate students academically
outside the classroom through immersion in their own research projects. Aspiring to build
bridges among social sciences, professional studies and humanities in Faculty of Liberal
Arts and Professional Studies at York University, I serve as Associate Director of its School
of Administrative Studies and Research Coordinator of its School of Public Policy and
Administration. My academic profile is at http://bit.ly/qbC6Ir. I look forward to working
with you to pursue the learning outcomes of the course.
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Learning Outcomes
The course anchors on the idea that governments can play an active and positive role in
shaping our civil society. As in other university courses, the purpose of the course is to
enable students to think critically, make good use of information and communicate ideas
effectively in order to become informed and responsible citizens. In particular, this course
introduces students to the basics of fiscal policy analysis. Public policy analytical concepts
are introduced. Upon the completion of the course students are expected to be able to
examine government revenues and expenditures in an intelligent manner and understand
their societal outcomes. If the learning outcomes are achieved, students will understand
we all can make a difference to make our society better and realize that we should think
about not only their own self-interests but also others.
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Course Materials
I will discuss instructions on how to obtain research materials in class. Please bring your
notebook computer or tablet to class as you will need them for in-class work. Optional
textbooks will be introduced in class. You could start preparing for the course by reading
public policy news stories on the U.S. fiscal cliff.
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Teaching Approach
The weekly workload for this course will be heavier than most if not all of your other
courses. Students are expected to participate actively in policy discussions in the
classroom. We will learn from each other through discussions in class. A lot of our work
will be done in class, and feedbacks will be given to you in class so everyone can learn from
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each other. The in-class discussions will take the form of modified Socratic dialogue – I will
ask you tough questions and you will provide informed answers based on your research so
all students can learn from our exchange. Please check your yorku.ca email account for
course emails daily.
To accommodate students’ hectic schedules, there are no fixed office hours but I am
available to discuss academic matters over email almost all the time. If you need to email
me, please use “3524: your specific question/concern/comment” as the subject. Emails
don’t have such a subject or emails without names may be deleted inadvertently. If you
don’t use yorku.ca email account to send course-related emails or you don’t follow the
required email protocol, your emails may be deleted due to security concerns. Replies to
email questions about the course may be circulated among all students in the course.
Before you send your questions in emails, please note that one of the many joys in
studying fiscal policy is that the subject matter provides you with ample opportunities to
develop your skills in looking for answers in documents. So please try looking for answers
first.
For
Academic
Accommodation
for
Students
with
Disabilities,
see
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=68
and
http://www.yorku.ca/altexams/. Please note that retroactive accommodations typically are
not permitted.
For students with special needs, see http://www.yorku.ca/cds/. For mature students, see
http://www.yorku.ca/acmaps/.
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Evaluation
Category
Course
Grade (out
of 100%)
Details
In-class dialogues
30%
Based on your research notes of weekly research
projects
500-word essay
25%
Assigned topic on funding of a government program
Oral defense of essay
20%
Oral quiz of your essay and your classmates’ essays
100-word comment
15%
Assigned topic related to the U.S. fiscal cliff
Discretionary marks
10%
Mainly on your development in the course
Grading principles will be discussed in class. Academic honesty violations will be
prosecuted. See http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/. Late enrolment or
missing a class is not a valid reason for any academic accommodation. If you cannot
attend all classes please take the course in another term.
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Please note that it’s the students’ responsibility to ensure that their yorku.ca account is
working as all course emails will be sent to the yorku.ca email accounts of the students.
Failure to ensure that the students’ yorku.ca accounts are working may lead to missing
assignments and as a result the students may fail the course.
5.1
In-class Dialogues
The learning objectives of the dialogues are to encourage you to think about fiscal policy
critically based on scholarly and policy research and learn to present ideas in a precise and
concise way in front of the public. Each student will conduct research on an assigned
topic each week and answer relevant questions in class. Your weekly research notes will
be required to be submitted prior to in-class dialogues. The weekly research notes will
be shared with all students. Feedbacks will be given in class so everyone can learn from
your work. Missing any dialogue will likely lead to lower or even failing course grade.
5.2
Comment, Essay and Oral Defense
The learning objectives of the writing component are to encourage students to think
about an aspect of fiscal policy critically, conduct some research using York e-Resources
and learn to write precisely and concisely. The writing assignments’ instructions will be
discussed in class. No group work is allowed. Please consider this as a take-home exam.
You are expected to meet all requirements for the writing assignments, including the
word limit, the type of sources, the structure of the writing and the format for your
arguments. Failing to meet all requirements will very likely lead to a failing grade. For
example, if a student simply strings together direct quotes from sources the student will
not be considered to have written the writing assignments as the student does not
demonstrate whether she or he understands the cited sources and whether she or he
can make arguments in their own writing. Electronic submission protocol will be
discussed in class. No other mode and format of submission other than that specified will
be accepted. No late submission will be graded. Computer glitches and heavy workload
are not excuses to violate the late submission policy. Deadlines are set with the
assumption that students will be ready to tackle the writing assignments at that point of
the course.
All students will need to defend their writings in class in front of their classmates and
comment on your classmates’ work. The writing assignments will be shared with all
students. Feedbacks on the assignments will be given in class so everyone can learn
from each other.
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Discretionary Marks for Learning Progress
At university you learn to become not only a productive employee but also an informed
and responsible citizen. If you learn to think about fiscal policy in a way to appreciate its
important role in society, you will have achieved something. The discretionary marks
reflect your attitudes toward learning as well as your progress and development as a
learner throughout the duration in the course.
5.4
What Your Course Grade Means
You are the only one who really knows whether you make any progress in critical
thinking, information literacy and effective communication in your path to learn to
become an informed and responsible citizen. A grade is just a grade. In five years no one
will care what you get in the course. But people do care who you are as a human being –
whether you care not only about your own self-interests but also about others’ wellbeing. There are societal pressure on grades, but please don’t lose sight of why you are
going to university as indicated above. If students do the work required for the course,
students will likely earn the grades they want. Students are expected to take full
responsibilities for studying and keeping up with the fast pace of the course. No special
consideration will be given to students who do not get the grades they want due to
reasons that are not required to be considered by university rules. In short, please do not
try to negotiate for more marks than what you have earned. Students who do not
receive the grades they want do not need to be discouraged and give up easily. They can
attempt the course for a second time. Past experience confirms that working hard
according to course instructions will often get students the desired results.
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Schedule
Class
Date
Topic
1
Jan. 14
Introduction to fiscal policy
2
Jan. 21
Basic federal budget analysis
3
Jan. 28
Federal Budget 2012
4
Feb. 4
Discussion of students’ research on spending cuts I
5
Feb. 11
Discussion of students’ research on spending cuts II
6
Feb. 25
Discussion of students’ research on spending cuts III
7
March 4
Discussion of students’ research on revenue generation I
8
March 11
Discussion of students’ research on revenue generation II
9
March 18
Discussion of students’ research on revenue generation III
10
March 25
Students’ oral defense of essay
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April 1
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Students’ oral defense of essay
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