Public Policies: Processes and Actors

Javne politike – procesi in akterji

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 60 (30 hours of lectures, 0 hours of exercises, 30 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

prof. dr. Damjan Lajh

Type:

Elective expert

Language:

Slovenian

Semester:

Full academic year

Study degree

1. level

Course execution:

• Undergraduate Programme of Communication studies - Marketing Communication and Public Relations
• Undergraduate Programme of Cultural studies - Studies of Culture and Creativity
• Undergraduate Programme of Defence Studies
• Undergraduate Programme of International Relations
• Undergraduate Programme of Journalism
• Undergraduate Programme of Media and Communication Studies
• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Public Policies and Sdministration
• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Studies of Politics and the State
• Undergraduate Programme of Social Informatics
• Undergraduate Programme of Sociology
• Undergraduate Programme of Sociology - Human Resources Management

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure.

Objectives and competences

The goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the decision-making processes about public policies and inclusiveness of different (state and non-state) policy actors in these processes. Key course-specific competences are knowledge, understanding and applicability of policy analysis models in the decision-making processes about public policies; understanding the role of different types of policy actors in the decision-making processes about public policies; knowledge and understanding of different policy styles of decision-making about public policies; understanding the variations between public policymaking processes with respect to sector, topic and (territorial) political dimensions; application of theoretical knowledge at the analysis of concrete cases of public policies; knowledge of relevant professional terminology; application of core research as well as oral and written communication skills to report the results of its own analytical work.

Content (Syllabus outline)

The content of the course covers decision-making processes about public policies (structure/phases of policy process/cycle, relationships between phases), with emphasis on the role and functioning of policy actors involved in the public policy processes. We expose the peculiarities of state actors (the role of policy instruments, different policy styles) and inclusiveness of non-state actors (policy arenas, policy networks) in the processes of decision-making about public policies.

Intended learning outcomes:

The key learning outcomes are: knowledge and understanding of the role and functioning of policy actors involved in the processes of policymaking and implementation of public policies; knowledge and understanding of different policy styles of decision-making about public policies; understanding variations between the processes of decision-making about public policies with regard to sector, topic and (territorial) political dimensions; analysis of the decision-making processes on concrete cases of selected public policies. Those learning objectives are verified according to their difficulty. Knowledge and understanding are evaluated by written examination of knowledge, with tasks requiring recount, description, enumeration, identification or interpreting phenomena with the basic concepts. The learning objectives of the analysis are verified in the form of seminar papers with distinguishing, examining, critical reflection and illustration of conceptual knowledge on self-identified specific cases.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures, seminars, consultations, individual and group work with professor, oral presentation.

Assessment

Written examination Seminar work A precondition for accession to the written examination is positively evaluated seminar work.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature