Unit information: Policy Analysis in 2021/22

Unit name	Policy Analysis
Unit code	SPOLM0058
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	Power, Politics and the Policy Process [SPOLM1060]; Evaluating and Informing Policy [SPOLM1061] (MPP) Or Philosophy and Research Design in Social Science [SPOLM0013] (MPolRes)
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School for Policy Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit starts from the premise that public policy is more likely to be effective when it rests upon high quality policy analysis. Policy analysis can be broken down into a number of elements. It runs from careful problem framing to effective communication of the nature of proposed policy responses to diverse audiences. Using the elements of the policy analysis process to provide its broad structure, this unit seeks to develop students’ appreciation of a range of key topics including: problem framing; project work, including stakeholder management; the ethical dimensions to policy; policy design and instrument choice; impact assessment, including equalities issues; thinking seriously about implementation; and, getting the message across. While there are tools and techniques that can enhance the policy analysis process it is essential to recognise that it is rarely an entirely technocratic exercise: the unit therefore seeks to embed an understanding of the role played by power and politics.

The aims of this unit are:

• To give students a solid understanding of the elements of the policy analysis process
• To introduce students to a selection of the key analytical techniques that can support the process of policy analysis
• To develop students’ appreciation of the nature of policy work
• To develop students’ appreciation of the range of policy instruments available to address public policy problems and the effectiveness of those tools
• To develop students’ understanding of the importance of policy communication
• To sensitize students to the ethical dimension of policy work and to the context in which policy work occurs, with particular emphasis upon politics and power.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit the student should be able to:

1. Identify the key elements/stages of the policy analysis process and give a critical account of the factors shaping their successful execution
2. Explain how a selection of specific analytical techniques could be used to support the process of policy analysis and give an account of the strengths and weaknesses of those techniques
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a range of policy instruments and the circumstances in which it would be appropriate to use them
4. Put effective communication strategies into practice
5. Identify ethical issues relevant to policy work and approaches to their management/resolution
6. Understand the purposes and processes of effective stakeholder management.

Teaching Information

This unit will be delivered using a mixture of interactive lectures (10 hours) and seminars (10 hours). The seminars will be structured around small group exercises, guided by readings. The exercises will run across multiple weeks. This will be supplemented by the use of an online discussion forum, and online quizzes to allow students to check their understanding of core ideas.

Assessment Information

1) Problem definition/policy brief exercise (1000 word written assignment, 30%) (ILO 1, 2, 4 and 6)

2) Policy analysis exercise (3000 word written assignment, 70%) (ILO 1-6)

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM0058).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.