Policy Analysis for the Real World
| Module title | Policy Analysis for the Real World |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3161 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Claire Dunlop (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
This module gives you a taste of what it is like to be a policymaker. The first half of the module explores what policy is actually for in an era of internationalization and austerity. Should it be efficient? Should it make us happy? Should it provide minimum standards? Should it provide choice? These questions are addressed using various conceptual lenses that have common currency amongst policy elites in western democracies as well as in public administration scholarship. The second half of the module examines what makes policy successful and explores the potential hazards and trade-offs faced by policymakers taking on complex policy challenges. While this module is located in the public policy sub-field of political science, its successful completion does not assume that students have completed any policy modules.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to equip students with the analytical and presentation skills required to operate effectively in the real world of policy and speak truth to power. Notably, at the end of the module, students are required to produce a policy options paper which identifies a real world policy problem, assessing the pros and cons of different policy responses and makes a final recommendation as to the course of action. Such options papers are presented to decision-makers in government everyday by pressure groups, international organizations, civil servants and experts.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. understand the nature and evolution of core concepts regarding the politics of the public sector;
- 2. analyze policy problems and critically assess policy design;
- 3. research a policy problem and propose and analyze different policy options to address it;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. critically assess the utility of different theories and methods;
- 5. assimilate and analyse a wide range of disparate data;
- 6. place descriptive material within a conceptual and theoretical context and move from the abstract to the concrete;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. communicate ideas succinctly in speech and writing;
- 8. work independently and in groups to achieve the module aims;
- 9. demonstrate advanced presentation and learning skills through the use of IT and other computer-based learning resources with minimum guidance;
Syllabus plan
This plan is indicative of the topics to be covered by the module. More details will be given and the plan finalized in the module outline. Please also note that the schedule may alter from year-to-year to accommodate visiting policy speakers.
- Introduction: Policy Tools and Cultural Theory
- The Real World of Policy Analysis: What Can Policymakers Do?
- Policy Effectiveness through Hierarchy: Regulation, Biotools, Taxes and Nudging
- Policy Efficiency through Individualist Governance – The Role Of The Private Sector and the Market in Policy Delivery
- Delivering Policy with Egalitarian Tools: Public Value Through Partnership and Participation
- Fatalism in Policy Design – Embracing Randomness, Chaos and the Garbage Can
- Policy Options Paper Workshop: Communicating with Policymakers
- Policy Design and Citizens as Constructed Targets
- (How) Can We Future Proof Policy?
- What Makes A Policy Fail? What Makes A Policy Succeed?
- Can Policymakers Learn to Do Better?
- Module Review and Feedback
Teaching will be delivered via a mix of formal lectures led by the co-ordinator and student discussion. The emphasis is on active seminar participation and the development of ideas with regard to assessed work.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars. |
| Guided Independent study | 48 | Reading and preparation for seminars. |
| Guided Independent study | 80 | Research and writing of policy options paper and essay. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy paper outline | 500 words | 1-8 | Verbal one-to-one |
| Essay plan | 250 words | 1-8 | Verbal one-to-one |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 10 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy options paper | 55 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| Essay | 35 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| Seminar attendance and preparation | 10 | Assessed across the 12 seminars | 1-6, 8 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy options paper (55%) | Policy options paper (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September assessment period |
| Essay (35%) | Written presentation (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September assessment period |
| Seminar attendance and preparation (10%) | Written vignettes of 100 words each on 5 of the seminar topics | 1-7 | August/September assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Three assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred for the seminar attendance and preparation component, you will complete written vignettes of 100 words each on 5 of the seminar topics. This will constitute 10% of the module (1.5 credits).
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Alemanno, A. and Sibony, A-L. (2015) Nudge and the Law Hart Publishing.
Bardach, E. (2008) A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, 3rd edn CQ Press. Barzelay, M. (2019) Public Management as a Design-Oriented Professional Discipline Edward Elgar.
Benington, J. and Moore, M. (2010) Public Value: Theory and Practice, Palgrave.
Blond, P. (2010) Red Tory: How Left and Right have Broken Britain and How we can Fix It, Faber and Faber. Boaz, A., Davies, H., Fraser, A. and Nutley, S. (2019) What Works Now? Polity Press.
Capano, G., Howlett, M., Ramesh, M. and Virani, A. (eds) (2019) Making Policies Work Edward Elgar.
Camacho, A. and Glicksman, R. (2019) Reorganizing Government New York University Press.
Dunsire, A. and Hood, C. (2010) Cutback Management in Public Bureaucracies: Popular Theories and Observed Outcomes in Whitehall, Cambridge University Press.
Graham, J.D., Wiener, J.B. (1995). Risk vs. Risk. Tradeoffs in Protecting Health and the Environment. Cambridge MA., Harvard University Press.
Hogwood, B.W. and Gunn, L. (1984) Policy Analysis for the Real World, Oxford University Press.
Hood, C. (1998) The Art of the State, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Howlett, M. (2011) Designing Public Policies Routledge. Howlett, M., Wu, X. and Ramesh, M. (eds) (2017) Policy Capacity and Governance: Assessing Governmental Competences and Capabilities in Theory and Practice Basingstoke: Palgrave.
John, P. (2011) Making Policy Work, Routledge
Le Grand, J. (2007) The Other Invisible Hand: Delivering Public Services through Choice and Competition, Princeton University Press.
Moore, M. (1997) Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government, Cambridge MA., Harvard University Press.
Newman, J.E. and Clarke, J. (2009) Publics, Politics and Power: Remaking the Public in Public Services, Sage.
Osborne, S.P. (ed) (2009) The New Public Governance, Routledge
Pal, L. and Weaver, K. (2003) The Government Taketh Away: The Politics of Pain in the United States and Canada, Georgetown University Press. Radin, B. (2019) Policy Analysis in the Twenty-First Century London: Routledge.
Quirk, B. (2011) Reimagining Government, Palgrave.
Seddon, J. (2008) Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: The Failure of the Reform Regime.... and a Manifesto for a Better Way, Triarchy Press.
Smith, C.F. (2009) Writing Public Policy: A Practical Guide to Communicating in the Policy-Making Process, Oxford University Press.
Weimer, D. and Vining, A.R. (2004) Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice, LongmanWildavsky, A. (1980, 2018) The Art and Craft of Policy Analysis Palgrave
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/2011 |
| Last revision date | 09/12/2019 |
