Harnessing the Power of the States

Co-Instructors: Ambassador Suzi LeVine & Associate Professor Stephen Kosack
Odegaard 141, Wednesdays 2:30-5:20 PM

This class is jointly offered by Honors, Political Science, and Public Service and Policy. You may enroll in any of the sections: Honors 230E, Pol S 334A, or PubPol 499. All will be taught together as one class.

Do you read the news and wonder how all the policies that affect your life, from the mundane to the enormous, came to fruition? Do you think about who has the superpower to make and change these policies — and how you can attain that superpower? The reality is that the people who make these policies are people like you, trying to tackle challenges and pursue opportunities to make life better in our communities. The other key reality is that much of the most important policy that touches your life is not Federal – it’s local.

States are where the action is – especially right now. From reproductive rights to legalization of cannabis to transgender rights to voting rights, States are a hotbed of contentious and highly consequential policymaking. They are also where the rubber meets the road for transportation, health, safety, education, and more. No matter your concentration, this class will inspire you and equip you with the skills to have an impact on your communities.

During our time together, you will learn about policy and policymaking in American States – exploring these questions: What are the different types of policy? Who are the people creating and implementing policy? (You will get to meet them. The list of guests from fall of 2025 is at the bottom) And what are the patterns and common lessons from various policy making and implementation cases you might apply to new policy efforts?

This will be a practical, collaborative, and dynamic course with an array of special guests including elected officials, lobbyists, lawyers, experts, and community leaders. You will design and plan policy, research and debate different state political structures, interview elected officials, and, ultimately, write and articulate how to implement policy. Fundamentally, this course is about WHO catalyzes policies and HOW policies and programs are implemented. It is not about cataloging WHAT policies exist or debating WHY they were developed.

Government makes a difference in our lives and our communities. And yet, far too many issues feel impossible to resolve. The Federal government suffers polarization paralysis, and the overall bureaucracy can feel archaic. Having previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Acting Assistant Secretary in the Department of Labor, and Commissioner of the WA Employment Security Department where she successfully built Paid Family and Medical Leave and addressed the Unemployment Insuance crisis during the pandemic, Ambassador LeVine has seen both the glamorous and ugly sides of policy making and implementation. Through this, she has been able to have an impact at multiple levels of government.

Similarly, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the UW’s Evans School, Stephen Kosack, led cross-national research projects on community involvement in improving access to health care services and mass movements in policy and institutional change, served as a fellow at the Brookings Institution and worked in policymaking as a labor policy advisor to the late Senator Edward Kennedy when he was ranking member of the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He currently teaches courses on public policy analysis, political institutions, and global development, focusing on how governments here and around the world become more responsive and effective for people without unusual wealth, privilege, or other advantages.

Together, we look forward to helping you gain the skills, insights, and connections to also have impact at all levels of government.

Our course will start with an introduction to how the states work; dive into case studies on relevant state-led policies; feature stories from legislators, journalists, and others instrumental in this work – from the magnificent to the mundane; and then unpack, reverse-engineer and pattern match key state efforts. You will then apply what you learned to consider a policy you propose. 

By the end of the class, you should be able to:

• Articulate the history and source of the power of the states
• Unpack and reverse-engineer the source(s) of state-level policies.
• Engage with the individuals responsible for and impacted by those policies.
• Enumerate various methods to advance policy within and across States.
• Craft plans for the advancement of state-level policy.

We also hope you are able to:

• Identify the power you have to make a difference, especially as you hear from different leaders working at the state level about some of their key success factors: the partnerships they have built, the patience they’ve embraced, and the persistence they’ve asserted.
• See yourself in some of the roles and people you’ll meet.
• Gain a sense of the differences between how States work regarding policymaking.
• Enumerate the relationship and tensions between the State and Federal governments.

Over the course of the quarter, you will have weekly submissions, one paper, one podcast, and one final project – all of which will have very practical applications.

• Former Washington State Governor Jay Inslee
• Washington State Speaker of the House, Laurie Jinkins
• Federal Court Judge, Jamal Whitehead
• Former State Supreme Court Justice, Mary Yu
• Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Will Lukela
• New York House Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes
• Oregon State Senator, James Manning
• Editor-in-Chief of Pluribus News, Reid Wilson
• Former Wyoming Speaker of the House, Albert Sommers
• Judge and former Deputy Mayor, Anne Levinson
• Washington State Representative, Beth Doglio
• Washington State Representative, Liz Berry
• Founder and CEO of Sundial Advocacy, Nick Streuli
• Government Affairs Director for Starbucks, Dan Zeitlin
• Executive Director of the Grower’s League, Mike Gempler
• Former New York State Senator, author, and founder of The States Project, Daniel Squadron
• Technologist and head of Paid Family and Medical Leave implementation at New America, Nikki Lee
• And more to be confirmed…