Public Policy and Governance I

The subject has as main objectives: (i) To introduce the student to the theoretical bases and practice of public policy analysis. (ii) To prepare the student to be able to implement the approach and tools for the analysis of public policies to specific cases. (iii) To generate a critical spirit of analysis enabling the student to assess the importance of the knowledge on social and economic local, regional, national and international political contexts. (iv) To provide the students learning and research instruments to provide them with greater autonomy. It is a combination of training objectives, which enable students to develop skills of analysis, relationship, application and critical judgement; and professional objectives, involving the achievement of skills and specific behaviors for the future professional practice. On the other hand, the subject develops the following specific competences: (i) To develop capabilities to plan, implement, evaluate and analyze public policies. (ii) To know the phases of public policies and to identify the scope of decision making, as well as alternatives for the achievement of political objectives. (iii) To know the theoretical proposals about the analysis of public policies. (iv) To understand the processes of political decision-making and public targets. (v) To understand the strategies and programs of action for the implementation of public policies. (vi) To understand how and why an evaluaton of a public intervention is carried out. (vii) To understand the importance of the mobilization and coordination of resources, agents and networks for the implementation of policies. (viii) To know the main theoretical contributions on actors and networks of actors. (ix) To identify the main actors carrying out activities within the system. Understand the behavior and the interaction between the actors in the system and its environment.

1. Public policy and public policy analysis. Concept of public policy. Politics and public policy. Emergence and consolidation of policy studies. Classification of public policies. Comparing public policies as a method of analysis. Process and cycle of public policies. The relationship between the cycle of policy and its analysis. 2. The definition of the problems. Construction of problems. From issues to public problems. The importance of defining problems. Frame Analysis. 3. The construction of the agenda and decision-making. Public attention. The public agenda, the media agenda and the political agenda. The formation of the public agenda and the government agenda. The dynamics of the political agenda. Multiple streams Framework. Decisional models applied to public performances. 4. The implementation of public policies. Perspectives on the implementation of public policies: Up-down analysis and bottom-up analysis. The management of the commons. Institutional Rational Choice. 5. The evaluation of public policies and programmes. The emergence of evaluation of public policies and programmes and its current situation. Types of evaluation. Evaluation, feedback and reprogramming. Politics and policy evaluation. 6. Actors of public policies and institutions. The classical approaches to the actors. Public policy networks. Bureaucracy, political parties and other actors. Institutions and institutionalization process. Impact of institutions on public policies. 7. The importance of ideas in public action. Ideas in politics. Public policies and change. Logic and rationalization of public policies. The Advocacy Coalition Framework. 8. Termination and change of public policies. Types of change. Effects and causes of change. Punctuated-Equilibrium Framework. Dissemination of public policies.

In order to achieve the objectives of the course, it is divided into a part of classroom teaching hours work and another part of individual work outside the classroom. Classroom time is divided between theoretical classes and practices. In the theoretical classes will be presented the topics of the programme, developing their essential points. For better use of the theoretical classes the student must read, understand and study, at least, the compulsory readings of each topic. Will be another additional bibliography for the subject in general and for each particular topic. The practical part of the course is divided into two: A. First, not assessable exercises done in class, on the basis of consultation of web pages, readings texts and newspaper articles related to policies, programmes and services. These practical exercises allow students to determine whether they have understood and assimilated the theory, and ask new questions that had not come to him during the theoretical explanation. Also they help to connect the contents of the subject with the current reality. B. Complementarily, student will make, individually, 2 or 3 evaluable practices throughout the course. The questions raised in these individual exercises will be similar to those that have been addressed in non-assessable practical exercises done previously.