Syllabus
Course Title: THEORY OF PUBLIC POLICY
Course number: JSM699, Fall Term 2022/2023
Course leader: Prof. Dr. Martin Potůček
Office hours: https://konzultace.fsv.cuni.cz
The volume of instruction: 2
Number of credits: 4
Lectures will be delivered in the room P 105 of the Pekařská 16, Prague 5, and/or mediated via Zoom Meeting https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/94992581490?pwd=SUdVaGIvaXBwNXZkWThWUkk2Qlhjdz09
Meeting ID: 949 9258 1490
Passcode: 356779
Course materials are available on Moodle https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=7794.
To apply, use your username and password for the Central Authentication Service of Charles University. If you do not have this information, please contact the university's IT department.
Consultations to be booked beforehand at https://konzultace.fsv.cuni.cz
Goals of instruction:
The course aims to introduce students to the study of public policy as a discipline, within a broader context of the development of contemporary societies; to exemplify public policy’s practical application and the ways public policy as a scientific discipline attempts to apprehend social problems and devise solutions thereof; to do so by defining the key terms, theories, and approaches of public policy; and to engage students in critical thinking and studying, systematic work with scholarly literature.
Registration prerequisites:
Enrolment in any study program, apart from students of the Master´s programs of Veřejná a sociální politika, Public and Social Policy, and International Economic and Political Studies. International visiting students are welcome as well.
Conditions for passing:
Students will have to pass the written examination (in English, Czech, or Slovak).
Final grading:
Evaluation points
Grade 46 – 50
A
Excellent (výtečně) 41 – 45
B
Very Good (velmi dobře) 36 – 40
C
Good (dobře) 31 – 35
D
Satisfactorily (uspokojivě) 26 – 30
E
Sufficiently (dostatečně) 25 or less
F
Fail (nedostatečně)
Lectures: Mondays, 15:30-18:20.
Day
Content 3 Oct
Lecture #1
Introduction to the course.
A1 Public interests and public policy.
A2 Values in Public Policy. Historical Institutionalism. 17 Oct
Lecture #2
A3 Governance. Corporatist Intermediation. Policy Networks.
A4 Actors and Institutions. Actor-Centred Institutionalism. 31 Nov
Lecture #3
A5 Public policy instruments. Discursive institutionalism. Advocacy Coalition Framework.
A6 Public Policy Process. The Stage of Problem Delimitation and Problem Recognition. Agenda Setting. 14 Nov
Lecture #4
A7 Policy Formulation and Decisionmaking. Veto Players. Multiple Streams Framework.
A8 Policy Implementation. Theories of Bureaucracy. Principal-Agent Model. 28 Nov
Lecture #5
A9 Policy Evaluation. Rational (Public) Choice Theory.
A10 How to Understand Public Policy 12 Dec
Final recapitulation, getting ready for the examination.
Basic sources in English
Potůček, M. et al. 2017. Public Policy. A comprehensive Introduction. Prague, Karolinum Press. This is the key textbook for this course. It is available free of charge for students of Charles University on the E-resources Portal of the Student Information System (SIS).
Howlet, M., Ramesh, M., Perl, A. 2009. 3rd edition. Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Peters, Guy B.: 2015. Advanced Introduction to Public Policy. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Potůček, M., LeLoup, L., Jenei, G. and Váradi, L. 2003. Public Policy in Central and Eastern Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices. Bratislava: NISPAcee.
Routledge Handbook of Public Policy. 2013. London and New York: Routledge.
Základní literatura v češtině
Potůček, M. a kol. 2016. Veřejná politika. Praha: C. H. BECK. Jde o základní učebnici pro tento kurs dostupnou v českém jazyce.
Potůček, M. a kol. 2005 (2. vyd. 2010). Veřejná politika. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství.
Veselý, A., Nekola. M. (eds.) 2008. Analýza a tvorba veřejných politik: Přístupy, metody a praxe. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství.
Notes on reading
· Further reading will be submitted during individual lecture presentations.
· Students are expected to follow the media covering policy problems on an ongoing basis.
Journals
Public Policy
Central European Journal of Public Policy (CEJPP): http://cejpp.eu/
Journal of European Public Policy: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjpp20/current
Journal of European Social Policy: http://esp.sagepub.com/
Journal of Public Policy: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=PUP
Policy and Society: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/policy-and-society
Public Policy and Administration: http://ppa.sagepub.com/
Global Policy: https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/
Policy Analysis
European Policy Analysis: http://www.ipsonet.org/publications/open-access/epa
Evaluation: http://evi.sagepub.com/
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fcpa20/current Journal of Policy Analysis and Management: http://www.appam.org/publications/jpam/
Review of Policy Research: http://www.ipsonet.org/publications/journals/review-of-policy-research/
Governance, Public Administration
Gouvernement et action publique: http://www.cairn-int.info/about_this_journal.php?ID_REVUE=E_GAP
Governance: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-0491 International Review of Administrative Sciences: http://ras.sagepub.com/
Lex localis - Journal of local self-government: http://journal.lex-localis.press
NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy: http://www.nispa.org/journal.php
Public Administration: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)14
Annotation
THEORY OF PUBLIC POLICY
Course number: JSM699, Fall Semester 2022/2023
Course leader: Prof. Dr. Martin Potůček
Volume of instruction: 2
Number of credits: 4
Lectures will be delivered in the room P105 of the Pekařská 16, Prague 5, and/or mediated via Zoom Meeting https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/94992581490?pwd=SUdVaGIvaXBwNXZkWThWUkk2Qlhjdz09
Meeting ID: 949 9258 1490
Passcode: 356779
Course materials are available on Moodle https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=7794
• The key textbook for this course: Potůček, M. et al. 2017. Public Policy. A comprehensive Introduction. Prague, Karolinum Press. It is available in bookstores in the printed version. It is also available free of charge for students of Charles University on the E-resources Portal of the Student Information System (SIS).
• Čeští studenti mohou pracovat s obsahově identickou českou verzí této učebnice, která je též dostupná na knižním trhu: Potůček, M. a kol. 2016. Veřejná politika. Praha: C. H. BECK.
Goals of instruction:
The course aims to introduce students to the study of public policy as a discipline, within a broader context of the development of contemporary societies; to exemplify public policy’s practical application and the ways public policy as a scientific discipline attempts to apprehend social problems and devise solutions thereof; to do so by defining the key terms, theories, and approaches of public policy; and to engage students in critical thinking and studying, systematic work with scholarly literature.
Registration prerequisites:
Enrolment in any study program, apart from students of the Master's programs of Veřejná a sociální politika, Public and Social Policy, and International Economic and Political Studies. International visiting students are welcome as well.