| Unit name | The Economics of Public Policy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM1062 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Alex Marsh |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit examines key ideas from mainstream economics, their relevance to policy and their application to policy analysis. It provides a contrasting economic approach in the form of institutional economics and the alternative perspective it offer on policy questions. It then illustrates how the preoccupations of mainstream and institutional economics differ through a consideration of selected applied topics such as the economics of the environment, the economic critique of government, the marketisation of public services and corruption in the conduct of government officials. The unit seeks to set the economic approach to policy alongside other criteria that could be used to inform thinking about policy.
This unit will be delivered in sessions on 2 hours. Each session will consist of an introductory lecture followed by discussion, or student presentation.
Students will complete one 4,000 word written assignment through which they will demonstrate an understanding of (i) concepts that are key to an economic approach to policy (ii) how an economic approach can be applied in practical public policy contexts and (iii) what sort of evaluative criteria the economic approach to policy uses and how that compares with other criteria that could inform policy thinking.
