| CODE | PPL3340 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Policy Development | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will cover policy development from a practitioner's point of view. It will cover the stages of policy development, in particular the identification of problems and the development of options, and how policy development is carried out in practice. It will consider how policies can be structured so as to maximise the chances of success at the implementation stage. It will also consider efforts to involve the public in policy developments and the issues this raises. It will draw on real life examples of policy development through the use of case studies. This inductive approach will be complimented by a sound theoretical framework encompassing the policy cycle, namely: agenda setting, formulation and impact assessment, adoption with the support and advice of regulatory bodies, implementation, evaluation of policy efficiency and effectiveness and finally support in cases involving crises response. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - Assist students with identifying and grasping the logical outcomes of policy decisions and learn how to structure policies for better implementation; - Contextualize the policy cycle across different empirical scenarios to evaluate and assess levels of efficiency and effectiveness; - Assist students with understanding the need for effective consultation processes in order to enhance the political legitimacy of policy regimes and mechanisms. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Outline the steps involved in policy development; - Anticipate problems of implementation and understand how to structure policies in such a way as to maximise the chances of success in the implementation of those policies; - Outline different forms of public involvement, including the private sector and NGOS, in policy-making and discuss the issues this raises; - Integrate evidence-based policy with ideology-driven policy; - Draw lessons relevant to practitioners from case studies of policy development. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Develop and present options for policy-makers; - Contribute to the policy development process in his or her public organisations; - Consolidate the essential learning points derived from the rest of the study units within the programme and apply them to policy success; - Use both the empirical and theoretical aspects of this study-unit when writing the Honours dissertation and, eventually, policy documents on his/her place of work. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Handbook on Development Policy and Management. C.H. Kirkpatrick, R. Clarke, C. Polidano, Wiley, 2002. - The Public Policy Process. M. Hill & F. Varone, UK: Pearson Longman, 2017. Supplementary readings : - Policy Development, E. Aho, K. Pitkanen, P. Sahlberg, ERIC, 2006. - Making Public Policy. M. Considine, Polity Press, 2005. - Public Life in Malta I, M.T. Vassallo (ed), Malta, 2012. - Public Life in Malta II, M.T. Vassallo & C. Tabone (ed), Malta, 2017. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Colin Borg Mario Thomas Vassallo |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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