Presidential Transitions in an Era of Polarization and the Covid-19 Pandemic

Presidential Transitions in an Era of Polarization and the Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges to Governing, Policy-Making and Ethical Decision-Making. This seminar will explore the intertwining of several key challenges inherit in all transitions, while analyzing the effects of our current polarized politics and the Covid-19 pandemic on policy making. Drawing upon an array of disciplines and approaches, our weekly meetings will include a series of discussions of readings from the social science literature; studies of health policy from medical ethicists and policy experts; articles from think tanks and government, and conversations with individuals from the worlds of policy, politics, and public health. Collectively, we will seek to understand connections, systemic constraints and to formulate potential policy and political responses. Students will engage in small group exercises on building a team in the Biden administration, along with developing health policy strategies that meet COVID-19 goals and ethical standards. In addition, students will have the option to pursue a capstone project, based upon research conducted with the guidance of one of the instructors, another faculty member or policy maker.