Public policy analysis
Etablissement : ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences
Langue : Anglais
Formation(s) dans laquelle/lesquelles le cours apparait :
Période : S1
No strong prerequisites needed. Completion of introductory courses to political science during previous studies is an advantage.
The study of politics and society requires an understanding of what governments and public institutions do, why they do it, how they do it, and what consequences their policies have.
This seminar introduces students to the different ways in which public policy can be analyzed. Following the predominant approaches in social and political science, public policy is theorized as a cycle including several stages, which usually are the following: agenda-setting, policy formulation, decision-making and legitimation, implementation and evaluation. Although in the real world these stages overlap with each other, the cycle framework fulfils the vital role of integrating the diverse literature, structuring theoretical concepts and analytical tools, and providing a basis for communication between the diverse approaches in the field. During this seminar, students will learn the different types of public policy analysis, and how the analysis of different stages of the policy cycle requires different theoretical and analytical approaches.
There is a list of readings for each session. Students are expected to read the mandatory readings ahead of the session. Optional readings are only references for those that wish to expand on some concepts.
The examination for this seminar and grade weights are as follows: 70% accounts for a 3000-word essay; 20% for a short presentation of that essay in Session 9; and 10% for participation throughout the whole seminar.
Session 1 – What is public policy?
In this session we will make our first steps into the field of public policy analysis, in particular to understand what it is and why it matters.
We will also explain the goals of the seminar, our methodology, and evaluation method.
Mandatory readings:
Ø Hassel, A. & Wegrich, K. (2022). How to do public policy. Oxford University Press. Chapter 1 “Public Policy”
Ø Cairney, P. (2019). Understanding public policy: theories and issues (Vol. 2). Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 2 “what is policy and policymaking?”
Optional readings:
Ø 2023 Better Regulation Toolbox, Tool #4 on Evidence-informed policymaking (only pp 20 – 29) in Chapter 1 “General principles of ‘better regulation’”, available at: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0d46029a-aaa8-4c21-bc51-cf9fdbef1f51_en?filename=BRT-2023-Chapter%201-General%20principles%20of%20better%
20regulation.pdf
Session 2 – The policy cycle in theory and in practice
Here we will explore some of the models that explain the policy cycle, their usefulness, and their limitations. To do so, we will take a look at some examples to see how the policy cycle translates into practice, with a particular focus on the EU policy cycle.
We will see some tips for choosing an essay topic at the end of the session.
Mandatory readings:
Ø Jann, W. and K. Wegrich (2007) ‘Theories on the policy cycle’. In: Fischer, F. et al (eds) Handbook of public policy analysis: Theory, politics, and methods, CRC Press. Chapter 2
Ø Heidbreder, Eva G., and Gijs Jan Brandsma. “The EU Policy Process.” In The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe, edited by Edoardo Ongaro and Sandra Van Thiel, 805–21. London: Palgrave Macmillian, 2018.
Optional readings:
Ø 2016 Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making
Ø 2021 Commission’s Staff Working Document on Better Regulation Guidelines (SWD(2021) 305 final)
Session 3 – The importance of agenda setting
How do policy issues get in the agenda of policymakers? Who sets the agenda? And how does the process of agenda-setting affect the policy process itself? This session will explore these questions and others related to the logic of agenda-setting.
We will use some time at the end to see tips for writing a good essay.
Mandatory readings:
Ø Hassel, A. & Wegrich, K. (2022). How to do public policy. Oxford University Press. Chapter 3 “How to set the agenda”
Ø Deters, Henning, and Gerda Falkner. “Remapping the European Agenda-Setting Landscape.” Public Administration 99, no. 2 (2021): 290–303.
Optional readings:
Ø Cairney, P. (2019) Understanding Public Policy. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 9 “Punctuated Equilibrium Theory”
Ø Cairney, P. (2019) Understanding Public Policy. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chapter 11 “Ideas and Multiple Streams Analysis”
Ø Goyal, Nihit, Michael Howlett, and Araz Taeihagh. “Why and How Does the Regulation of Emerging Technologies Occur? Explaining the Adoption of the EU General Data Protection Regulation Using the Multiple Streams Framework.” Regulation & Governance 15, no. 4 (2021): 1020–34.
