[Columbia] Public Policy: Economic Change, Demographics and the Environment

Howard French | Public Policy, Economic Change & Global Challenges

• Professor of Journalism, Columbia University
• Former foreign correspondent and bureau chief, The New York Times
• Pulitzer Prize nominee (twice)
• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Course Keywords: Sociology, Political Economy, Global Inequality, International Relations, Journalism

Program Focus

This course introduces students to public policy through the analysis of major global challenges shaping societies today. Drawing on introductory public policy and international affairs coursework at Columbia University, the program focuses on three interconnected themes: economic transformation, demographic change, and environmental stress.

Students engage with scholarly research and high-level journalism to examine how policy decisions are shaped by incentives, unintended consequences, and competing interests. Through structured discussion and guided research projects, students learn how to frame policy questions, evaluate evidence, and design realistic policy responses.

A central component of the course is collaborative research. Students work in groups to identify a pressing policy challenge, conduct interviews and literature reviews, and develop evidence-based policy strategies. Each student completes an individual final paper, reflecting academic standards at leading U.S. universities.

Key themes include:

• Economic development and structural transformation
• Population dynamics and demographic change
• Climate change and environmental policy
• Policy design, risk, and unintended consequences
• Academic research, policy analysis, and writing