210083 SE BAK13: State Activity, Policy and Governance Analyses (2020S)

The study of public policy is concerned with how governments attempt to solve political, societal and economic problems. Thomas Dye famously defined public policy as “whatever governments choose to do or not to do”. This seminar offers an introduction to the theories and actors of the public policy process in liberal democracies. It covers a range of questions: What is public policy, and what are the problems it intends to solve? Who are the actors in the policy process? Why, and how, are certain policies chosen over others?

Policy phenomena such as responses to fears of global pandemics from influenza (flu) and other viruses, as well as the current traction of climate change activism are on the list of varied examples that will be used to explain theories of public policy. The course uses real world examples of policymaking to illustrate the explanatory power, but also the limitations, of existing theories. We will look at the question of what matters in the making of policy, for example the role of scientific evidence, financial resources, timing or bargaining power. We will also look at the question of who matters, that is the question of the relative influence of politicians, bureaucrats, the media, lobbyists, and the public over how policy decisions are made. The course begins by examining the epistemological lenses through which public policy can be viewed, such as rational choice theory and interpretivism. Within these streams, we look at a number of theories to explain real world policy puzzles.

This course is a seminar. Individual course units will begin with a presentation by the teacher. This is followed by interactive exchanges between the students and the teacher, which will include policymaking simulations, group work, and literature discussions. At the end of the semester a number of sessions are reserved for group presentations, which form a part of the formal assessment for this course.