Public Policy & Governance

First Year:

1. One of the following four options (1.0 credit):
   – POL101Y1, or 1.0 credit from POL101H1, POL106H1, POL107H1 or POL109H1, with a grade of 67% in each course
   – 1.0 credit from Munk One courses (MUN105Y1, MUN101H1, MUN102H1), with a grade of 75% in each course
   – 1.0 credit from Trinity One Public Policy courses (TRN160Y1 or TRN161Y1) with a grade of 75%
   – 1.0 credit from Vic One Pearson policy stream courses (VIC181H1, VIC183H1, VIC184H1 or VIC185H1) with a grade of 75% in each course
2. ECO100Y1 or ECO101H1 & ECO102H1 (with a combined average of at least 67%) or ECO105Y1 (with a final mark of at least 80%).
3. Students expecting to choose ECO courses in their second year or higher must complete MAT133Y1 or the combination of MAT135H1 and MAT136H1 in their first year, to meet required prerequisites for ECO courses. If MAT133Y1 or (MAT135H1, MAT136H1) is not taken, students will not be eligible to enrol in 200+-level ECO courses, and must take PPG200H1 to fulfil program requirements in lieu of ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ ECO206Y1.

Second Year:

1. ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ECO206Y1/PPG200H1
2. Students expecting to choose ECO courses in their second year or higher must complete MAT133Y1 or the combination of MAT135H1 and MAT136H1 in their first year, to meet required prerequisites for ECO courses. If MAT133Y1 or (MAT135H1, MAT136H1) is not taken, students will not be eligible to enrol in 200+-level ECO courses, and must take PPG200H1 to fulfil program requirements in lieu of ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ECO206Y1.
3. 1.0 credit from ECO220Y1, (POL222H1+POL232H1), SOC202H1, STA220H1, STA221H1, STA248H1, STA255H1, STA261H1
4. One of the following three options (1.0 credit):
   – POL214Y1
   – 1.0 credit from MUN200H1, POL201H1, JPI201H1, POL214H1, POL223H1, POL224H1, of which at least 0.5 credit must be POL214H1 or POL224H1.
   – POL218H1 and POL219H1

1. 1.0 FCE Core PPG Courses: PPG301H and PPG401H1
2. Remaining courses to reach the 7.5 FCE will be drawn from 300+-level PPG-coded courses (PPG310H1 and PPG410H1), MUN-coded courses, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, or related disciplines. A non-exhaustive list of eligible courses includes: 

Public Policy:

• PPG310H1 F: Special Topics in Public Policy — Economic Lives of the Poor
• PPG310H1 S: Special Topics in Public Policy — Surveillance and Society
• PPG410H1 F: Advanced Topics in Public Policy — Inequality and Growth
• PPG410H1 S: Advanced Topics in Public Policy — Causes and Consequences of Civil Conflicts and Violence

Munk School:

• MUN200H1: Understanding Global Controversies
• CAS202H1 S: Asia and the World in the 21st Century
• CAS320H1 S: Comparative Modernities in Asia
• CAS370H1 S: Asian Cities
• CAS390H1 F: Technology and Development in Asia
• CAS413H1: Asia and Canada
• CAS460H1 F: Global China and Its Growing Footprints in Asia and Around the World
• CAS490H1 S: Digital Futures in Asia
• EUR300H1 F: Elections in Europe
• AMS402H1 F: Asian-American Tech Dynamics - Interfacing Cultures

Economics: ECO313H1/​ ECO314H1/​ ECO317H1/ECO320H1/​ ECO324Y1/​ ECO331H1/​ ECO333H1/​ ECO334H1/​ ECO336Y1/​ ECO338Y1/​ECO340H1/ ECO342H1/ ECO435H1/ ECO438H1/ ECO349H1/ ECO364H1/ ECO365H1/ ECO369H1/ ECO403H1/ ECO404H1/ ECO407H1/ ECO410H1/ ECO414H1/ ECO416H1/ ECO418H1/ ECO421H1/ ECO422H1/ ECO439H1/ ECO446H1/ ECO481H1/ ECO483H1

Political Science: POL301H1/ POL302H1/ POL305H1/ POL306H1/ POL307H1/ POL308H1/ POL309H1/ POL312Y1/ POL312H1/ POL313H1/ POL314Y1/ POL315H1/ POL316Y1/ POL316H1/ POL317YH1/ POL318H1/ POL319H1/ POL321H1/ POL324H1/ POL325H1/ POL326H1/ POL327H1/ POL328H1/ JPA331H1/ POL332YH1/ POL334H1/ POL336H1/ POL337Y1/ POL337H1/ POL340H1/ POL341H1/ POL344H1/ POL347H1/ POL350H1/ POL351Y1/ POL353H1/ POL354H1/POL356Y1/ POL357H1/ POL358H1/ POL359H1/ POL360H1/ POL361H1/ JPR364H1/ POL370H1/ POL371H1/ POL377H1/ POL378H1/ POL379H1/ POL380H1/ POL384H1/ POL386H1/ POL387H1/ POL388H1/ POL405H1/ POL408H1/ POL409H1/ POL411H1/ POL413H1/ POL416H1/ POL417H1/ POL418H1/ POL422H1/ POL423H1/ POL425Y1/ POL427H1/ POL428H1/ POL431H1/ POL435H1/ POL439H1/ POL445H1/ POL447Y1/ POL448H1/ POL450H1/ JPA453H1/ POL452H1/ JPA453H1/ JPF455Y1/ JPF455H1/ JPF456H1/ POL456H1/ JPR457H1/ POL457Y1/ POL458H1/ POL459H1/ POL463H1/ POL474H1/ POL475H1/ POL476H1/ POL477H1/ POL480Y1/ POL481Y1/ POL482H1 

With the approval of the program director, students can take public policy oriented courses outside this list.

The objectives are: (1) To provide students with a foundation in microeconomic analysis and; (2) To demonstrate how this foundation can be applied to design, predict the effects of and evaluate public policies. Students will be equipped to understand the main issues on a range of policy topics such as taxation, social insurance, welfare and income support programs.

*Note: Either PPG200H1 or ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ECO206Y1 can fulfill completion requirements for the Public Policy Major program.

The course introduces students to the study of public policy, the policy process and our policy institutions in Canada. The course examines how issues emerge, how important ideas are framed, priorities are established, and agendas are set and managed. It explores how institutions – formal and informal rules which enable and constrain actors – shape policy-making in Canada.

*Note: This course is required for Public Policy Major program completion.

This course examines a selected topic in public policy, based on the research interests of an individual instructor. Both the topics and the instructor may change each time the course is offered.

Economic Lives of the Poor: This course will explore and understand the daily lives, struggles, and resilience of people living in poverty. By delving into the tough decisions and trade-offs the poor face—often matters of life and death—we aim to shed light on how better policies and approaches can be designed to address global poverty effectively. While external solutions to poverty often dominate the conversation, we will uncover the remarkable, innovative strategies that people in poverty develop to navigate their circumstances. Surviving on meager resources requires extraordinary decision-making and adaptability. Understanding these decisions and trade-offs is a crucial starting point in the fight against poverty. Throughout the course, we will explore questions such as: How do the poor organize their social and economic lives? Why are larger families more common among the poor? How do they prepare for emergencies and old age with limited resources? By the end of the course, students will gain deep insights into the lives of the poor, understanding how seemingly irrational choices often make perfect sense in their context. While our analysis will entail an economic perspective, we will embrace a broad, interdisciplinary approach to foster rich discussions. No prior knowledge of economics is required.

*Note: This is an elective course which can count towards Public Policy Major program completion.

This course examines a selected advanced topic in public policy, based on the research interests of an individual instructor. Both the topics and the instructor may change each time the course is offered.

Surveillance, Technology, and Society: This course considers how surveillance has shaped modern society. Tracing changes in surveillance over time, the course surveys how different actors, from scientists to social theorists, policymakers, and activists, have differentially conceptualized surveillance and its consequences. The course pays special attention to the social, political, and economic contexts central to emergence of data-intensive surveillance. The course assesses how new surveillance practices, including the use of artificial intelligence, are reconfiguring the relationship between industry and the state, as well as introducing human rights concerns.

*Note: This is an elective course which can count towards Public Policy Major program completion.

This course explores the government’s role in promoting efficiency and equity in both the financing and delivery of public policy goals. It explores the conditions when government involvement is important, the policy levers available to government in promoting social policy, market failures, and conditions for efficiency. It examines the role of government in many of the major areas of social policy such as health care, education, redistribution, the environment, financial regulations and other important issues.

*Note: This course is required for Public Policy Major program completion.

This course examines a selected advanced topic in public policy, based on the research interests of an individual instructor. Both the topics and the instructor may change each time the course is offered.

Inequality and Growth: Neoliberal thinking has dominated economic policy advice for decades. Such thinking is premised on the notion that policy makers should “go for growth” because "a rising tide lifts all boats". Politicians increasingly reject such advice as being at best politically naïve and at worst responsible for outcomes that have not been inclusive; populist and nationalist leaders are getting elected on the promise that they will do right by those left behind by globalization (allowing the "low-lying boats" to catch up). Policy makers need to make choices about both the level of economic growth and the inclusiveness of such growth, taking account of interactions between the two variables, including the extent to which high inequality undercuts the sustainability of healthy economic growth. This course will familiarize students with a range of empirical evidence on the growth experience of both advanced and developing countries; about the nexus between economic reforms and growth; and about the drivers of rising inequality, including policy drivers. It will discuss how the failure to manage globalization in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including the role of the IMF, led to the populist outcomes we are seeing today. The course will also cover the political economy of reform, including how to design pro-growth policies that do not contribute to an electoral backlash. The course will equip students with an understanding of the evidentiary basis of policy advice on economic growth and inequality, including as proffered by multilateral financial and development institutions (e.g., the IMF and World Bank). Students wishing to position themselves for careers in such institutions, or in economic advisory roles in national administrations, will benefit from the course.

*Note: This is an elective course which can count towards Public Policy Major program completion.

This course examines a selected advanced topic in public policy, based on the research interests of an individual instructor. Both the topics and the instructor may change each time the course is offered.

Causes and Consequences of Civil Conflicts and Violence: The course examines the complex links between violent conflict and socio-economic development. Students will explore the macro- and micro-level processes that lead to conflict and how political violence impacts individuals and communities, particularly in terms of education, health, and labor outcomes. The course will also delve into how these micro-level effects relate to broader political, social, and economic issues, including governance and institutional development. To investigate these topics, the course will integrate theoretical frameworks and empirical data, utilizing both country-specific and cross-country evidence to critically analyze the origins of conflict and its far-reaching consequences.

*Note: This is an elective course which can count towards Public Policy Major program completion.

NEW for 2025-2026: This class will explore the way that language is used to wield power and to obscure reality by reinforcing ideologies that problematically distort reality. We will grapple with the way human communication is enmeshed in the project of reinforcing hierarchies of value between groups. How does everyday speech contribute to the constructure and maintenance of in-groups and out-groups? Throughout, we will be guided by concrete examples, both historical and contemporary, in the Middle East, Asia and America. This course will have priority enrolment to students in the Munk School Programs but is open to other students after the priority period. 

This interdisciplinary course explores a variety of sites and topics in South, Southeast, and East Asia. It explores themes including contemporary and historical articulations of socio-economic development, (post)colonial political formations, urbanization processes, climate change, labour struggles, gender studies, migration, citizenship, and social justice. The course examines the diversity of Asian modernities, cross-regional linkages, and changing approaches to area studies over time. It provides a foundation for the Contemporary Asian Studies major and minor, preparing students for taking more advanced courses on Asia in the global context.

Since at least the late 1700s, the effects of capitalism across the globe have profoundly transformed the landscapes of human livelihood, consumption, production and governance in Asia. While colonial empires have declined, new empires have emerged, and a growing number of countries have witnessed the rise of nationalism and independent states, social, political and technological revolutions, and most recently neoliberal globalization. This course theorizes and explores these dramatic changes in a comparative framework. It is aimed at students wishing to better understand the great transformations of modern Asia in a global context.

This course offers a multidisciplinary perspective of urban life in Asia. The thematic focus will be on how the urban intersects with modernities and postcolonial formations. Drawing on recent scholarship in the social sciences and the humanities, we will examine the realignment of cultural, political, and economic forces associated with Asia’s diverse processes of urbanization.

As late as the 1980s, large parts of India and China were impoverished as the world was just beginning to look toward the “Asian Tigers” like Singapore or Taiwan for glimpses of possible transformations in global capitalism.  By the turn of the 21st century, geo-economic balance seemed to have shifted definitively toward Asia as a whole as some kind of equilibrium of the earth that had been disrupted by European empires from the 16th to the 19th centuries. In 2025, the discourse on technology, economy, and politics almost completely presumes that 21st century is an Asian century.  How did the world get here? What is the role of colonialism, technology, and the cultures of Asian communities in all of this? And where do debates on international trade, whether framed as the “Washington” or “Beijing” consensus leave us in an age of populist nationalisms and artificial intelligence? And most importantly, even if it is an “Asian Century,” will it save the planet from an almost certain destruction from humans’ carbon overload?  In addressing these questions, this interdisciplinary course welcomes undergraduate students to a reading and writing intensive exploration of the technology, politics, and culture of Asian development in 20th century and the 21st. 

This service-learning course partners teams of students with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work for the betterment of people and places in Asia. Students cultivate professional skills in project management, consulting, communications, and team-building. Projects for NGOs include components such as: research, video production, social media enhancement, website development, compiling reports, or youth outreach campaigns.

This course traces the domestic roots of China’s global expansion. The end of “bide your time, hide your strength” era signals a more confident China and an expansionist stance. Intense domestic competition and excess supply have pushed state-owned and private enterprises alike to seek cheaper manufacturing base and consumer markets overseas. However, increased presence of Chinese capital and people have been met with open arms, but also cynicism, and even resistance. This course will examine the rise of Global China, traces the domestic roots of its rise, the implications for its relations with host countries as well as state-society relations in host countries from Asia to elsewhere.

This course is designed for students who wish to enhance their knowledge of Asia’s adoption of the Internet and digital tools, and how these tools and systems are reshaping Asian societies, including their politics, culture, and social movements. We will study how governments in the region regulate information flows online and experiment on new technologies that have the potential to either curtail or encourage public participation. This course will also examine the private sector’s outsized role in our digital economy and its consequences for human rights and good governance. Finally, we will shed light on the role of the Internet as a site of contestation, where representation, dissent, and resistance are developed and negotiated. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify and distinguish the range of actors, institutions, and policies that constitute our global network society, and understand Asia’s impact on the future of technology. There are no exams in this course. Coursework includes a quiz, a presentation, discussion board posts, essays, and class participation. Assignments in the course are designed to help students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, and learn how to write to different audiences.

This course focuses on electoral systems and voting behavior in Europe. During the first part of the course, we will examine the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the study of electoral systems and voting behavior. In particular, we will examine the relationship between the two. Building on this, we will look at specific countries, including UK general elections (most recently in 2024), French parliamentary and presidential elections (most recently in 2024, with presidential elections expected in 2027), and elections to the German Bundestag (most recently in February 2025). We will also examine a European peculiarity: elections to the European Parliament. The most recent European elections took place in June 2024.

This upper-year seminar explores how artificial intelligence, mobile technologies, and algorithmic platforms are reshaping culture, governance, and geopolitics across the United States and Asia. Through case studies involving platforms such as Google and WeChat, and emerging large language models such as ChatGPT and Deepseek, we examine how digital systems mediate identity, power, and cultural exchange across the Pacific. Topics include cross-border AI rivalry, mobile infrastructures, platform governance, digital identity politics, and the sociopolitical consequences of interface and algorithm design. Students will engage core themes such as the geopolitics of AI, data governance, the future of democracy, and how digital innovation generates new forms of inequality and bias. Drawing from American Studies, Science and Technology Studies (STS), and digital anthropology, students will develop analytical tools to evaluate how digital infrastructures shape political participation, social life, selfhood, and global imaginaries in an interconnected world.