Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to identify the following elements of policy-making:

  1. The reasons for developing a policy;
  2. The components of a policy;
  3. The actors involved;
  4. The issues at stakes;
  5. The processes of policy-making;
  6. The reasonof success/failure of a policy.

Goals

This course aims at providing students with the fundamental analytical tools in order to analysis a public policy. The first part of the course introduces students to the concepts and theories of policy-making. In the second part of the course, students apply these concepts and theories to real case-studies of public policies designed and implemented at local, regional, national or European levels. At the end of the course, students present a final report of public policy analysis.

Content

Part I: Concepts and theories of public policy analysis

Sequential and cycle models; Problem emergence & Agenda setting; Policy programming & Decision; Policy implementation & Evaluation; Actors in multilevel systems of actions, actors' resources, representations and interest; Theories explaining changes.

Part II: Field Work: Case studies of public policies

Documentary & thematic analysis; Triangle of actors; Interviews with stake-holders and decision-makers; Conceptual developments; Final analysis of the public policies.

Assessment method

-Final report of the public policy analysis (60%)

-Collective written and oral presentations (40%)

Sources, references and any support material

-Peter Knoepfel, Corinne Larrue, Frederic Varone, Michael Hill, Public Policy Analysis, Bristol: Policy Press, 2007.

-Patrick Hassenteufel. Sociologie de l’action publique, Paris: Armand Colin, 2ndEdition, 2011.

 + Articles and book chapters available on the reading list uploaded on WebCampus.

Language of instruction

Français
Training Study programme Block Credits Mandatory
Standard 0 5
Standard 0 5
Standard 2 5
Standard 2 5
Standard 3 5