Department of Public Policy | USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

The world continues to face complex problems ranging from housing insecurity to climate change to structural racism. Students in the Department of Public Policy at USC Price will gain the tools and learn the processes they need to effect positive change on these and other critical issues facing society, here and abroad. In both the classroom and the community, our students engage in research, education and public service that have an impact.

As a student, you will also learn how to co-produce ideas with a broad set of stakeholders and diffuse these solutions into public policy and civil society. Our public policy curriculum contains a strong analytic core in political analysis, economics and data analytics. This core is complemented by the opportunities you will have to hone your leadership skills, specialize in substantive policy areas, and obtain a broad set of analytic expertise. Our alumni serve as leaders and change-makers in social impact organizations that span philanthropic, public and private sectors. The influence of public policy is all around us – explore how you can become a part of this dynamic discipline.

Gary Dean Painter
Professor & Chair
Department of Public Policy

Department Chairs

Gary Dean Painter

Professor
Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Director of the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, Director, Homelessness Policy Research Institute

T.J. McCarthy

Associate Professor (Teaching)
Vice Chair, Department of Public Policy

Academic Programs

Bachelor of Science in Public Policy

The USC Price School’s Bachelor of Science in Public Policy offers an education combining rigorous academic coursework in economics, political science, quantitative methods, and leadership with the practical experience needed to effectively engage communities and address solutions to large-scale local, regional, national, and international problems.

Master of Public Policy

The USC Price Master of Public Policy program offers a comprehensive degree that integrates public policy leadership, analysis, evaluation, and management. Through coursework, interaction with faculty, and practical experience, the Price MPP equips students with in-depth knowledge of the policy issues they care about most and the skills to be impactful agents of change.

Master of Science in Public Policy Data Science

Informatics and big data are increasingly essential to policy development throughout the public and private sectors. Knowledge of both can lead to ever-expanding career opportunities. Bolster your decision-making role in government agencies and the corporate realm with the USC Price School of Public Policy and USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Master of Science in Public Policy Data Science.

Master of International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM)

The International Public Policy and Management Program (IPPAM) offers a Master of International Public Policy and Management (MIPM) degree designed for international students and U.S. students working in international settings.

Department Faculty

Name	Position	Expertise
Ali E. Abbas	Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Public Policy	Decision analysis, risk analysis, multi-attribute utility theory, information theory, Bayesian analysis, and data-based decision making
Emma Aguila	Associate Professor	Economics of aging, health economics, and applied econometrics
Grace Bahng	Professor (Teaching)	Policy analysis, experiential learning, community development, international development
Christine M. Beckman	The Price Family Chair in Social Innovation and Professor of Public Policy	Social innovation and inequality, organizational learning and interorganizational networks, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, technology and work, organizational control
Antonio M. Bento	Professor	Environmental and energy economics, urban economics, public economics, transportation policy, climate policy, environmental regulation
Wändi Bruine de Bruin	Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science	Psychology of risk perception and communication Health behavior and patient decision making Public perceptions of climate change and sustainability Economic expectations and financial decision making Behavior change interventions Social science of science communication Age differences in decision making and well-being Additional affiliations across USC Behavioral Science and Well-Being Policy initiative Dornsife Department of Psychology Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics Center for Economic and Social Research Center for Sustainability Solutions National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE)
James M. Ferris	Professor Emery Evans Olson Chair in Non-Profit Entrepreneurship and Public Policy Director, Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy	Philanthropy, nonprofit economics, public finance, public policy, institutional analysis
Elizabeth Graddy	Professor Jeffrey J. Miller Chair in Government, Business, and the Economy Executive Vice Provost	Institutional economics, governance, nonprofit organizations,industry structure
Alexandra Graddy-Reed	Assistant Professor of Public Policy	Public economics, philanthropy and nonprofits, social innovation, science and innovation policy, research and development
Jeffery A. Jenkins	Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law Judith & John Bedrosian Chair of Governance and the Public Enterprise Director, Bedrosian Center Director, PIPE Collaborative	American political institutions and development, Congress, political parties, lawmaking, separation-of-powers, political economy
Pamela McCann	Associate Professor	American political institutions, bureaucratic delegation, intergovernmental politics, legislative behavior, public policy, and policy diffusion
T.J. McCarthy	Associate Professor (Teaching) Vice Chair, Department of Public Policy	Labor economics, health economics, economics of education, public economics, program evaluation
James Elliott Moore, II	Professor	Economic impact analysis, engineering economics, transportation engineering, urban transportation, infrastructure performance
Juliet Ann Musso	Associate Professor Vice Dean for Academic Affairs	State and local governance; federalism, urban political economy, fiscal policy, community governance, government performance.
Gary Dean Painter	Professor Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Director of the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, Director, Homelessness Policy Research Institute	Social Innovation, Housing economics, Urban economics, education policy, program evaluation
Mark Phillips	Associate Professor (Teaching)	Public finance, tax compliance, policy salience, applied microeconomics
Adam Rose	Research Professor Director of the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of terrorism Events (CREATE)	Energy and environmental economics, public policy, natural hazards and terrorism, regional science, applied general equilibrium modeling
Roberto Suro	Professor Associate Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation	Immigration, Hispanic immigration, immigration policy
Detlof von Winterfeldt	Professor Co-Director of the Center for Sustainability Solutions	Decision analysis, risk analysis, environmental policy, behavioral decision research, homeland security
Dan Wei	Research Associate Professor	Energy and Climate Policy, Energy and Environmental Economics, Economics of Natural and Man-made Disasters

Name

Position

Expertise

Ali E. Abbas

Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Public Policy

Decision analysis, risk analysis, multi-attribute utility theory, information theory, Bayesian analysis, and data-based decision making

Emma Aguila

Associate Professor

Economics of aging, health economics, and applied econometrics

Grace Bahng

Professor (Teaching)

Policy analysis, experiential learning, community development, international development

Christine M. Beckman

The Price Family Chair in Social Innovation and Professor of Public Policy

Social innovation and inequality, organizational learning and interorganizational networks, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, technology and work, organizational control

Antonio M. Bento

Professor

Environmental and energy economics, urban economics, public economics, transportation policy, climate policy, environmental regulation

Wändi Bruine de Bruin

Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science

Psychology of risk perception and communication
Health behavior and patient decision making
Public perceptions of climate change and sustainability
Economic expectations and financial decision making
Behavior change interventions
Social science of science communication
Age differences in decision making and well-being

Additional affiliations across USC

James M. Ferris

Professor
Emery Evans Olson Chair in Non-Profit Entrepreneurship and Public Policy
Director, Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy

Philanthropy, nonprofit economics, public finance, public policy, institutional analysis

Elizabeth Graddy

Professor
Jeffrey J. Miller Chair in Government, Business, and the Economy
Executive Vice Provost

Institutional economics, governance, nonprofit organizations,industry structure

Alexandra Graddy-Reed

Assistant Professor of Public Policy

Public economics, philanthropy and nonprofits, social innovation, science and innovation policy, research and development

Jeffery A. Jenkins

Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law
Judith & John Bedrosian Chair of Governance and the Public Enterprise
Director, Bedrosian Center
Director, PIPE Collaborative

American political institutions and development, Congress, political parties, lawmaking, separation-of-powers, political economy

Pamela McCann

Associate Professor

American political institutions, bureaucratic delegation, intergovernmental politics, legislative behavior, public policy, and policy diffusion

T.J. McCarthy

Associate Professor (Teaching)
Vice Chair, Department of Public Policy

Labor economics, health economics, economics of education, public economics, program evaluation

James Elliott Moore, II

Professor

Economic impact analysis, engineering economics, transportation engineering, urban transportation, infrastructure performance

Juliet Ann Musso

Associate Professor
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs

State and local governance; federalism, urban political economy, fiscal policy, community governance, government performance.

Gary Dean Painter

Professor
Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Director of the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation
Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, Director, Homelessness Policy Research Institute

Social Innovation, Housing economics, Urban economics, education policy, program evaluation

Mark Phillips

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Public finance, tax compliance, policy salience, applied microeconomics

Adam Rose

Research Professor
Director of the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of terrorism Events (CREATE)

Energy and environmental economics, public policy, natural hazards and terrorism, regional science, applied general equilibrium modeling

Roberto Suro

Professor
Associate Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation

Immigration, Hispanic immigration, immigration policy

Detlof von Winterfeldt

Professor
Co-Director of the Center for Sustainability Solutions

Decision analysis, risk analysis, environmental policy, behavioral decision research, homeland security

Dan Wei

Research Associate Professor

Energy and Climate Policy, Energy and Environmental Economics, Economics of Natural and Man-made Disasters