GPAD7521 Public Policy and Politics
2023/24
18:30-21:30, E21-2007
Instructor: T.W. Ngo (E21-4046)
Office Hours: Mon 15:00-16:00; Wed 11:00-12:00
Course Description
This course provides an overview of the study of public policy and explores the interactions between politics and the policymaking process. In particular, the course highlights the political and institutional context in which policy decisions are made, as well as the factors that shape policy implementation and policy outcomes. Students are expected to gain a solid conceptual and theoretical foundation in analyzing European policies.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students are expected to:
(1) acquire a solid foundation about the key concepts and theories of public policy;
(2) develop a critical understanding about the interactions between politics and the policymaking process;
(3) acquire a systematic knowledge about the various aspects of the policy process, including policy actors, policy contexts, policy institutions, policymaking, and policy implementation;
(4) undertake policy analysis on various European policies.
Assessment
Class participation (20%): This is a seminar course based on group discussion. Students will be asked to give assessments and comments on fellow students’ class assignments.
Class assignments and presentation (30%): Students are required to prepare short assignments and present them in class.
Final report (50%): Each student is required to write a policy report (max. 3,000 words). The report should be fully referenced and should be submitted to UMMoodle on or before 27 Nov 2022.
Recommended Text
Michael E. Kraft and Scott Furlong, Public Policy: Politics, Analysis and Alternatives, 6th ed. (London: SAGE Publications, 2017).
Class Schedule
3 Nov Concepts in public policy
Lowi, Theodore J. (1972), “Four systems of policy, politics, and choice”, Public Administration Review 32:4, 298-310.
7 Nov Policy actor and policy community
Schmitter, Philippe C. (1974), “Still the century of corporatism?”, Review of Politics 36:1, 85-131.
Rhodes, R.A.W and David Marsh (1992), “New directions in the study of policy networks”, European Journal of Political Research 21: 181-205.
10 Nov Institutions, values, and politics
Béland, Daniel (2009), ‘Ideas, institutions, and policy change”, Journal of European Public Policy 16:5, 701-718.
Jaime-Castillo, Antonio M. (2013), “Public opinion and the reform of the pension systems in Europe: the influence of solidarity principles”, Journal of European Social Policy 23:4, 390-405.
14 Nov Public policymaking
Lindblom, Charles E. (1959), “The Science of ‘muddling through’”, Public Administration Review 19:2, 79-88.
Cohen, Michael D., James G. March and Johan P. Olsen (1972), “A garbage can model of organizational choice”, Administrative Science Quarterly 17:1, 1-25.
17 Nov Policy implementation and outcome
Hupe, Peter L. (2010), “The thesis of incongruent implementation: revisiting Pressman and Wildavsky”, Public Policy and Administration 26:1, 63-80.
Hupe, Peter L. and Michael J. Hill (2016), “And the rest is implementation: Comparing approaches to what happens in policy processes beyond geat expectations”, Public Policy and Administration 31:2, 103-121.
- Teacher: twngo, Ngo Tak Wing