Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Analyze the political environment of public policy making including formulating effective strategies for policy analysis, programme evaluation, policy design and policy advocacy.
- Demonstrate how political, economic and social factors may work to shape incentives and facilitate or impede collective action.
- Apply theory to significant real problems confronting government and society.
- Conduct independent public policy and political economy analysis as well as develop clear and effective communication skills as an integral part of the course.
Introduction
- Meaning and scope of Public Policy and Political Economy Analysis
- Key terms in Public Policy and Political Economy Analysis
- Rationale for Public Policy and Political Economy Analysis
- Policy processes
- Context for policy making
- Stages in policy making
- Models of policy making
- The politics of policy processes
- Traditional and contemporary perspectives of policy making
- Theories of state and policy making
- The policy process as the complex system
- Policy formulation
- Key aspects of policy formulation
- Civil servants and policy formulation
- Interface between policy formulation and implantation
- Key issues and challenges in policy formulation
- Policy implementation
- Models of policy implementation
- Top down model
- Bottom up model
- Role of administrative systems
- Influences of policy implementation
- Emerging issues in policy processes
- Role of ideas in policy processes
- Policy processes in the age of governance
- Dynamics of policy transfer
- Policy process at the street level
- Power and public policy: towards Political Economy Analysis
- Political economy analysis in perspective
- Key features of political economy analysis
- Uniqueness and distinctiveness of political economy analysis
- An institutional approach to political economy analysis
- Conducting political economy analysis
- Descriptive versus inferential political economy analysis
- Levels of political economy analysis
- Frameworks of political economy analysis
- Strategies for political economy analysis
- Communicating political economy analysis results
- Relationship between public policy and political economy analysis
- Political economy analysis as an approach to public policy analysis
- Relevance of game theory and rents in public policy and political economy analysis
- Role of bureaucracy in formulation and implementation of public policy
- Factors influencing successful implementation of policy
- Factors influencing formulation of successful public policy
- Practical cases in policy processes and political economy analysis
Assessment:
- Continuous assessment: 50 %
- Examinations: 50 %
Teaching and Learning Methods:
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Staff-Students seminars
Prescribed Texts:
Kraft, M., and Furlong, S., (2008) Public Policy: Politics, Analysis and Alternatives (2nd Edition): CQ Press, Washington DC
Munger, M., (2000) Analyzing Policy: Choices, Conflicts and Practice: W.W Norton Company, New York
Howlet, M., Ramesh, M., and Perl, A., (2003) Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Sub-Systems (3rd Edition): Oxford University Press, Canada
Kingdon, J., (2003) Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies (2nd Edition): Longman, New York
Huci, C., Hamilton, A., and Ferrer, I., (2013) Understanding Policy Change: How to Apply Political Economy Concepts in Practice: The World Bank, Washington
Weingast, B.R, and Wittman, D.A., (2006) (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy: Oxford University Place, Oxford.'
Hill, M., (2013) The Public Policy Process (6th Edition): Pearson Education Limited, England
Cairney, P., (2012) Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues: Palgrave MacMillan
Recommended Texts
Sowell, T., (2007) A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles: Basic Books
White, L., (2012) The Clash of Economic Ideas: The Great Policy Debates and Experiments of the Last Hundred Years: Cambridge University Press
Leighton, W., and Lopez, E., (2013) Madmen, Intellectuals, and Academic Scribblers: The Economic Engine of Political Change: Cambridge University Press, New York
Acemoglu, D., and Robinson, J., (2012) Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty: Crown Press