Policy Process and Policy Analysis (Part I)

The course is designed to introduce students to the comparative analysis of public policy. It provides foundational knowledge on different schools of thoughts on why public policies are adopted in the first place and how they change over time, and also introduces the nuts and bolts of policy analysis for the purpose of advising policymakers on how to respond to policy problems in various domains. Thus, the course integrates discussions on what practitioners expect from public policy experts with a critical social science perspective on policy processes.During seminars students will acquire the analytical tools to analyze actors and their strategic behavior during the political process, and they will gain some experience in analyzing policy processes from the inception of a new public policy issue to its implementation and review. Via op-eds and Policy Briefs, they will try out their analytical capacity for the purpose of providing policy advice. The course draws on classical texts in comparative politics and public policy, and proceeds to explore current academic and political issues in the public policy debates.