ATTENTION: THE COURSE CONTENT MAY BE SUBJECT TO SOME CHANGE.
After this course the student:
- has an understanding of the main concepts in policy sciences and public economics
- has an understanding of the variety of governance arrangements to address collective issues
- has an understanding of the different activities in the policy cycle
- knows different policy instruments used to steer the public interest
- can use and apply the course concepts to map and evaluate a governance arrangement and the challenges therein
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As solutions to many societal challenges require government intervention, an understanding of those challenges require understanding of how government policy works, what principles underpin it and how it is evaluated. A course specifically developed for Faculty of Science students with a broader interest, the course runs – at great speed – through the main principles, concepts, methods and challenges of government policy.
This course hence serves as an introduction to the policy process and public policy in general. During the course, we draw upon the theories developed in public economics and policy sciences. As the challenges of governance vastly differ - from climate governance to public health and from nature conservation to competition regulation.
We will discuss various types of governance arrangements developed to cope with these challenges. Due to different trends such as globalization, deregulation or marketization these governance arrangements are in a constant state of renewal.
The main objective of this course is to introduce SMI and other students with the main concepts in public economics and policy. Furthermore, a second main objective of this course is to equip students with the means to analyze the governance practices formed around the topics they are interested in, to get a feeling of their possibilities and dynamics, and to develop an understanding of the challenges in those practices.
In this course we will start with developing an understanding why there is a role for collective organization to govern the public interest. We then discuss different forms of government between the state, the market and the community, as well as hybrid forms. We then discuss the various activities and options in the process of policy development and implementation - such as agenda-setting, the use of knowledge and the vast range of policy instruments. We will critically evaluate and discuss both intended and unexpected outcome of policy, and why policy practices succeed and fail.
Instructional Modes
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Written exam 70% and assignments 30%.
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