| Unit name | Understanding Public Policy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL20026 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Wilson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The aim of this unit is to introduce students to the study of the public policy process, reform and outcomes. The unit will provide students with an overview of the policy making process, of how policy is made and implemented, and how public services are delivered and financed. The unit considers different theoretical models of and approaches to understanding public service reform and the underlying policy process, and the significance of key debates including the nature of power and governance. The unit examines key elements of recent public service reform, including choice, competition, targets and league tables, and explores how economics has influenced thinking in this area. The unit puts these issues in the context of current government policies for public service reform.
Unit aims:
By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
• Recognise different approaches to understanding the policy process;
• Articulate contemporary debates pertaining to the nature of policy making;
• Give an account of the way in which the organisation, delivery and finance of public services have been changing during the last three decades and explain the thinking behind these changes
Interactive lectures and seminars.
Formative assessment: (max) 2500 word essay to assess and support the students' preparations for the summative assessment.
Summative (100%): a 3000 word essay which will enable the students to meet the intended learning outcomes for the unit.
All assessment is marked against the published marking criteria for that level (I/5), as stated in the Social Policy Programme handbook.
Barr, Nicholas (2012) The economics of the welfare state, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cairney, P. (2012) Understanding Public Policy, Hampshire, Palgrave MacMillan.
Glennerster, H (2009) Understanding the finance of welfare: what welfare costs and how to pay for it, 2nd edition, Bristol: Policy Press
Hill M. (2012) The Policy Public Policy Process: 6th Edition, London, Routledge
John, P. (2012) Analyzing Public Policy, London, Routledge.
Le Grand, J, Propper, C and Smith, S (2008) The economics of social problems, 4th edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan
Le Grand, J (2007) The other invisible hand: delivering public services through choice and competition, Woodstock: Princeton University Press
Stiglitz, J (2015) Economics of the public sector, 4th edition, New York: WW Norton
