PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS

The course is aimed at providing students with the knowledge and competences necessary to understand bureaucratic dynamics and public policies.

Why do some public problems are treated and others not? Who decides which solutions should be taken and how? Why policy outcomes are not satisfactory? What tools can be used to support the policy-making process?
The course aims to provide students with concepts and methodologies to understand how public policies are generated and developed. At the end of the course, Students are expected to critically analyze the various stages of policy-making, to identify actors, interests and relationships, to select and use the most appropriate policy tool for each stage of the policy process.

Basic knowledge of Political Science.

The course deals with the general theory of public policy. It is aimed to explain what a policy is, how it is created, which actors participate in the policy process, the type of relationship developed between them, and the impact of processes of Europeanisation, multi-level governance and internationalization on national policy contexts.
Particular attention will be devoted to the study of policy tools and their application in each stage of the policy-making process.

M. HOWLETT – M. RAMESH, Come studiare le politiche pubbliche, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2003
B. DENTE, Le decisioni di policy, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2011.

The final examination will be written and it is aimed at assessing students' knowledge of the programme. The evaluation of attending students will take into consideration their participation in lectures, seminars and workshops. The following criteria will be applied: the capacity to work in team, the ability to clearly present and to discuss issues.
Students not attending the class will be evaluated through a written exam on bibliography.

The course will be organized in lectures provided by the responsible of the course with students' active participation. Students attending classes will be asked to analyze a policy case study using a policy formulation tool and to present it in class.

Italian

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development