Institutions of Public Participation in American Policymaking

Undergraduate

This seminar examines the institutions through which members of the public and organized actors influence American policymaking beyond elections. We investigate the specific legal and administrative frameworks of participation, moving from collective action and direct democracy to administrative rulemaking, courtroom litigation, and local governance. A recurring focus is the relationship between institutional design and political inequality: how rules determine who participates, why elite actors often manage these processes, and how these structures entrench organized interests at the expense of the disadvantaged. T 1:30pm-3:25pm