Dark Masters? Political Advisers in Modern Democracies
| Module title | Dark Masters? Political Advisers in Modern Democracies |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3273 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Athanassios Gouglas (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
This module will take you on a journey behind the scenes of government by introducing you to the study of political advisers, known in the UK as special advisers (SpAds). Are political advisers in the offices of ministers, prime ministers and presidents unelected and unaccountable dark masters, or are they elements of politically responsive government? The module has scientific and practical value. After university you may work as adviser in the core executive and legislative branch, as a civil servant, or an external consultant cooperating with government SpAds and MP assistants. The module offers you the opportunity to learn about the work of political advisers in an internationally comparative perspective, using evidence from frontier research, as well as live accounts from practitioners, both advisers and civil servants. You will also get some basic training in applied political writing. Knowledge of the different political and administrative traditions is useful, but not required.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The main aim of this module is to teach you how to think as a political adviser, but also how to think of political advisers. You will thus be provided with the full conceptual skills to critically engage with what you observe in real political the research scholarship on the policy roles of political advisers across countries, as well as across political and administrative traditions: a) Westminster (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK); b) Napoleonic (Belgium, France, Italy, Greece), c) European continental and Nordic (Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands); d) the USA; e) Supranational institutions (European Commission and European Parliament). In so doing the module also aims to provide you with the skills to critically reflect upon stereotypes and images of political advisers, created by the media and advisers’ own accounts. Although political advisers enjoy a share as central players in the policy making process, their advent in the central political stage has come along with important challenges. Concerns are being raised due to advisers’ growing numbers, their lack of accountability, the way they operate (spin-doctoring), their policy influence, as well as the opacity of their status. The fundamental question the module will address is whether political advisers are pillars of responsive and good governance, or incompetent and non-accountable dark princes. Moreover, is there convergence, or divergence in the use and roles of political advisers across systems and why? In addressing such issues, a complementary aim of the module is to make you aware of the professional and ethical values pertaining to the job of political adviser.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the concepts and theories on political advisers and their policy making roles;
- 2. apply the appropriate concepts and theories to a very high level in order to explain and critically appraise the role of political advisers in policy making across countries over time.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. ffind, use and critically analyse a range of material to a very high level, including empirical and theoretical studies published in scientific journals, books and conference papers; policy reports and guidelines published by governments, administrations and international organisations; news and internet items;
- 4. critically analyse to a very high level both empirical and theoretical material by applying theoretical arguments to empirical case studies.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. communicate ideas effectively both formally during presentations and informally during class discussions;
- 6. communicate ideas in a highly effective fashion in a given number of words in written form;
- 7. work independently and in groups to a very high level.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
PART I: Advisers and their institutional habitat
- Who is a political adviser? Delimiting the subject of study. The concept of political adviser
- Where do political advisers work? The institutional habitat of advisers - Administrative traditions in comparison
- What is the profile of political advisers? Educational and socio-demographic background of the adviser elite.
- Why are advisers employed? Politicization and policy capacity
PART II: Advisers and policy making
- What do political advisers do? A classification of advisers’ substantive policy roles
- What is the dimension of advisers’ work? Working with civil servants, other advisers and stakeholders.
- What is the content of political advisers work? Content of policy advice, policy analytical tools and use of knowledge by advisers
PART III: Advisers and their relationship with civil servants and politicians
- How do political advisers interfere with the civil servants? From the traditional binary political-administrative relationship to a “menage a trois”.
- How do advisers interact with politicians and how much influence do they have? Advisers and the circles of trust surrounding politicians.
PART IV: Advisers and accountability
- From the shadows into the light, are political advisers accountable and to whom?
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 activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Reading set texts and extra reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 2 | Preparing for guest speakers |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Conducting research |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Preparing the assessments |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 1 A4 | 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 (political writing opinion piece, policy memo, or press statement) | 20 | 500 words | 1-7 | Written feedback |
| Essay 2 (comparative research) | 60 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Written feedback |
| Group presentation in class | 20 | 10 minutes | 1-7 | Written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Essay (500 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Group presentation | Group presentation (10 minutes) , or individual where the group presentation is not possible | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Blick, A. (2004). People who Live in the Dark: The History of the Special Adviser in British Politics. London: Politico’s/Methuen.
- Shaw, R. & Eichbaum, C. (Eds) (2018). Minders and Mandarins: An International Study of Relationships at the Executive Summit of Parliamentary Democracies. London: Edward Elgar.
- Yong, B. & Hazell, R. (2016). Special Advisers: Who they are, what they do and why they matter. Oxford and Portland, Oregon: Hart Publishing.
Further fundamental texts
- Craft, J. (2016). Backrooms and Beyond: Partisan Advisers and the Politics of Policy Work in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Eichbaum, C., & Shaw, R. (Eds.) (2010). Partisan appointees and public servants: An international analysis of the role of the political adviser. London: Edward Elgar.
- Eymeri-Douzans, Bioy, X., & Mouton, S. (2015a). Le règne des entourages. Cabinets et conseillers de l’exécutif. Paris: Presses de Sciences Po
- OECD (2011). Ministerial advisors: Role, influence and management. Paris: OECD Publishing.
- Yee-Fui Ng (2018). The Rise of Political Advisors in the Westminster System. Routledge.
- Tiernan, A. (2007) Power Without Responsibility? Ministerial staffers in Australian governments from Whitlam to Howard. Sydney: UNSW Press.
- Special issue: ‘Political Staff in Executive Government: Where the Shadows Run from Themselves’, International Journal of Public Administration https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/lpad20/38/1
- Special issue: ‘Ministerial advisers in executive government’, in Public Administration ‘https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679299/95/2
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 30/04/2021 |
| Last revision date | 09/05/2022 |
