Lectures, Agenda-Setting in Public Policy

Why do some issues receive political attention, and some do not? Replying to this question is the purpose of agenda-setting. This is central not only to understanding policy-making but also political struggles. Research has progressed building on early discussions of the power of keeping items on the agenda, path dependency and bounded rationality. Recent studies explore how the agenda changes after long periods of stability.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the agenda-setting classics and recent literature. After completing the course, students will be able to analyze the “birth” and the “death” of political issues. Students will use the knowledge gained in the class to analyze policies that interest them through a final essay. The course makes use of demonstrations and data from the Comparative Agendas Project including 18 European and 2 North American countries, Australia, and the European Union.