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Management in the Public Sector

Objectives

The course offers blended approach to the complex public policy-making and the particularities of management in public sector, providing practical managerial experiences and theoretical frameworks to understand the institutions, processes and practices of contemporary government and policy. The course provides the tools for future decision makers to analyze, assess, decide and evaluate policies. 


General characterization

Code

2749

Credits

3.5

Responsible teacher

Adolfo Mesquita Nunes

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

n/a 


Bibliography

Baumgartner, F. R., Jones, B.D.,& Wilkerson, J. (2002). Studying Policy Dynamics . In Baumgartner, F. R., Jones, B. D., (eds.), Policy Dynamics. University of Chicago Press. 

Buchanan, James M., & Tollison. Robert D. (2009). The Theory of Public Choice ? II , The University of Michigan Press 

Brenton, S., Baekkeskov, E., & Hannah, A. (2022). Policy capacity: Evolving theory and missing links. Policy Studies 

Ferlie, E., Lynn, L., & Pollitt, C. (Eds.) (2007). The Oxford handbook of public management . Oxford: Oxford University Press 

Howlett, M. (2015). Policy analytical capacity: The supply and demand for policy analysis in government. Policy and Society , 34 (3-4), 173-182. 

Klüser, K. (2022). From bureaucratic capacity to legislation: How ministerial resources shape governments? policy-making capabilities. West European Politics , latest articles. 

Kumar K., Praveen, and Nagendra Ambedkar Sole. "Governance Debate: Importance of Networks in Public Policy, Blending Public Sector and Private Resources to Promote Good Governance." International Journal of Political Science 2, no. 2 (2016): 89?95. 

 

Teaching method

Classes will be interactive with frequent use of cases and examples. Guest speakers representing the different dimensions of society will be invited to share concrete examples in connection with the topics of each class. In each class, students are required in small groups to develop a simple case around the topic of that class, to add discussion (and previous research to class) to the session. 

 

Evaluation method

Class participation (15%) 

Policy Paper (40%) 

Exam (45%)   

Subject matter

This session introduces students to the policy process with a governance perspective in a globalized world. 

Globalization, and the increased exposure to international competition and transplanetary interlinkages, raised numerous issues for public policy: climate change, financial crises, infectious diseases, digital economy, cybersecurity, transborder production chains, to name a few. 

How are those global challenges, seen as critical challenges by national electorates, best addressed? Which rules and regulatory processes have emerged to deal with global affairs? How to govern a more global world? Are the Nations-States enough? 

A debate will take place about two paradigmatic cases, where students will take contact with the dilemmas of national leaders and managers trying to bring order, stability, predictability, and control to such global challenges. Who is in charge, after all? 

After the debate, this session will present students with i) the institutional frameworks that are currently developing ii) the value perspectives that are guiding those policy processes, iii) the way agenda-setting is taking place at the global level and national administrations and iv) who have been the relevant state and non-state actors in this process?. 

By the end of the session, students will be able to better understand the governance of the contemporary global world and how building effective and legitimate polycentric governance has become an urgent task. Students will build their own views on how a more global world can be governed: how should a governance operate and which values should guide a global public policy?