• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Global Sustainability Governance and Policy

Module description

Multiple transnational challenges face policy-makers in the 21^st Century, raising questions over how they should be governed in practice. In this respect, the United Nations has set out a normative agenda for future global policy up to the year 2030 via its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by national governments in 2012. These goals encompass the critical issues of our times, including reducing poverty, ensuring access to clean water, promoting clean energy, preserving oceans, reducing inequality and maintaining global security. Achieving them will require innovative critical thinking and novel, interdisciplinary policy solutions.

This foundation module seeks to identify, discuss and evaluate emerging policy responses to these challenges at multiple institutional levels as basis for lesson-drawing. Drawing on theories of governance as an analytical lens it will: examine the context relating to the SDGs; provide an overview of the UN targets; introduce a range of governance theories (for example, multi-level governance, network governance, regulatory governance, collaborative governance, urban governance, polycentric governance, mixed governance, global governance); and provide an empirical and theoretical analysis of critical policy challenges to attaining the SDGs.

The module will be of interest to students from many disciplines, initially and principally in political science and international relations, but also in other social science subjects and interdisciplinary pathways.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims:

• To introduce you to the critical sustainable development challenges facing policy makers on a global scale.
• To familiarise you with the key rationale and argument for why delivering on the promise of sustainable development is reliant upon governance and policy.
• To orientate you towards the key theoretical underpinnings of governance theory as they relate to global sustainable development challenges; including multi-level governance, network governance, regulatory governance, collaborative governance and urban governance.
• To equip you with the skills of critical case analysis.
• To introduce to a range of writing styles for highlighting the governance solutions to global sustainable development challenges.
• To equip you with the skills and experiences of presenting your analysis and ideas in group settings.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate knowledge of sustainable development, governance, and policy – key concepts, theoretical arguments and major academic texts;
• 2. assimilate taught materials and utilise them to analyse critical policy issues related to sustainable development.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. evidence understanding of contested ideas and concepts;
• 4. formulate critical arguments.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. research, write and present analytical assignments effectively;
• 6. develop and present policy relevant recommendations based in analysis.
• 7. communicate arguments effectively through coursework submissions;

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:

•  global policy challenges
• Governance theoretical frameworks
• Sustainable development - conceptual and policy responses
• A historical institutionalist account of the MDGs, SDGs and critical targets
• Eradicating poverty and hunger
• Improving health
• Ensuring access to clean water
• Promoting clean energy
• Creating sustainable cities
• Preserving the oceans
• Climate action
• Lesson-drawing on policy responses

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Baker, S. (2015) Sustainable Development. London: Routledge.
• Bevir, M. (2009) Key concepts in Governance. London: Sage.
• Lafferty, M.W. (2004). Governance for Sustainable Development: the challenge of adapting form to function. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Russel, D. & Kirsop-Taylor, N. (eds.). (2022). The Edward Elgar Handbook of Governance for Sustainable Development. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Key words search

Governance, global, policy, sustainable development goals; public policy