Comparative Public Policy

I have always believed that our role as Professors is not just to teach in the classroom but to encourage our students to actively participate in social action and advocacy to bring out social change in their communities. This course will thus allow me to incorporate social action campaign in my comparative public policy course next semester

This course introduces students to the cross-national study of public policies, using public policy as its primary unit of analysis for comparing different political systems and institutions. It examines how and why public policies addressing issues such as education, health, and economics differ across nations, and discusses the factors and actors—political ideas, ideologies, institutions, and organized interests—that shape the process and substance of public policy. Students also engage with key theoretical frameworks and concepts for understanding, analyzing, and comparing public policies and their development across nations. Infused throughout the course is a geospatial data strand: "Where Policy Meets Place"—that introduces geographic information systems (GIS) as a practical tool for evidence-based and equitable public policymaking. By linking comparative policy questions to spatial data, students learn how maps, spatial analysis, and visualization can reveal where public problems are concentrated, who is most affected, and where interventions are most likely to have the greatest impact. Through lectures, discussions, and hands-on laboratory work with ArcGIS Pro, students develop core geospatial skills in data collection, mapping, spatial analysis, and visual communication, and learn to translate complex comparative findings into actionable, place-based policy insights. [1]

Bonfas Owinga

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Political Science

Clark Atlanta University