NO EXISTEN CAMBIOS
La guía de la asignatura ha sido actualizada con los cambios que aquí se mencionan.
NOMBRE DE LA ASIGNATURA |
NOMBRE DE LA ASIGNATURA |
COMPARATIVE PUBLIC POLICIES IN EUROPE |
CÓDIGO |
CÓDIGO |
6901404- |
CURSO ACADÉMICO |
CURSO ACADÉMICO |
2023/2024 |
DEPARTAMENTO |
DEPARTAMENTO |
CIENCIA POLÍTICA Y DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN
|
TÍTULO EN QUE SE IMPARTE |
TÍTULO EN QUE SE IMPARTE |
|
|
|
GRADO EN CIENCIA POLÍTICA Y DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN
|
CURSO |
CURSO - PERIODO - TIPO |
- GRADUADO EN CIENCIA POLÍTICA Y DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN (PLAN 2019)
-
CUARTO
CURSO
-
SEMESTRE 1
- OPTATIVAS
- GRADUADO EN CIENCIA POLÍTICA Y DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN (PLAN 2022)
-
CUARTO
CURSO
-
SEMESTRE 1
- OPTATIVAS
|
Nº ECTS |
Nº ECTS |
6 |
HORAS |
HORAS |
150 |
IDIOMAS EN QUE SE IMPARTE |
IDIOMAS EN QUE SE IMPARTE |
INGLÉS |
The course 'Comparative Public Policies in Europe "[optional, 6 ECTS, first semester, fourth year, offered in the English language] is designed to introduce students in the advanced study of public policy from a conceptual and empirical perspective and it aims to provide conceptual and practical knowledge about European public policies, its determinants and contents. By both learning the main concepts and theories employed in comparative public policy research and getting acquainted with the problems and contents of different policies and countries, the knowledge provided in this course will be useful for students both as future public managers or professionals and as ordinary citizens. The course focuses on the reality of several public policies in several European countries, offering information about the current discussion in the literature on public policy analysis at different levels of government (European, national, regional and local) and its mutual relationships and interactions. It looks at their types, dynamics, external and internal determinants, change and reform, outcomes and its changing contents in issues like economic, social or environmental policies across several countries.
In the context of the Degree in Political Science and Public Administration, this course provides advanced knowledge and analytical resources that will enable students to understand the processes, content and consequences of different policies across countries, their similarities and differences and the impact of European policies in society.
The course also provides a set of basic and general skills useful for academic study and professional activity alike, including the English language, as well as the capacity for analysis and synthesis, application of knowledge to practice, critical reasoning and the search for relevant information. They will help students to achieve their academic goals and develop their professional profile in the context of the UNED’s Degree in Political Science and Public Administration.This applied aspect of the course is reflected in the use of multiple examples and case studies in the readings as well as in the different continuous assessment tests (PREC) through which students can apply their general or conceptual knowledge about public policies to specific issues. In many cases, many of our graduates will become managers or professionals working for governmental or non-governmental organizations.
PREVIOUS REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
Located in the first semester of the fourth year, this course requires some prior knowledge of policy analysis and comparative politics and institutions acquired through the compulsory courses of “Análisis de Políticas Públicas”, “Sistemas administrativos comparados”, “Política Comparada”, among others, all taken in previous years.
TUTORING
As a general rule, students can address their queries to the teaching team throughout the course both by phone (during the respective tutoring office hours) or through the virtual platform or preferably by email. When emailing the teacher, please identify yourself, the name of the course, and make sure your question is formulated clearly and concisely, using appropriate and respectful language. The teaching team has the responsibility to resolve any doubts arising for students in the study of the course.
IMPORTANT! NB: Given that the language of this course is English, communications with the teaching team must be made in this language. Answers to queries will be given in English.
TUTORING SCHEDULE
Wednesday: 11:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 - 17:00 (only by appointment)
-Mario Kölling [Coordinator] Profesor Contratado de Ciencia Política y de la Administración, tel. 91398 8030, email: mkoelling@poli.uned.es
-César Colino Cámara (Profesor Titular de Ciencia Política y de la Administración), telf. 91 398 70 09 (Office 5.08). email: ccolino@poli.uned.es
General competences:
2.2.1. Improving communication and expression skills.
2.2.2. Learning how to collect, organize, analyze and communicate information relevant to research in Political Science.
Specific competences:
CE01. Learning and using of concepts and fundamental reasoning of Political Science and Administration.
CE02. Establishing relationships between concepts, theories and political phenomena.
CE04. Learning and being able to explain the structure, evolution and functioning of institutions and political systems.
CE13. Comparatively analysing public policies.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course seeks to achieve several learning outcomes derived from both its content and the development of intellectual abilities and skills it fosters. The idea behind the course is that before students can be trained to understand the techniques and tools used by public managers in their daily activities, they need to understand the conceptual underpinnings and institutional, political and social constraints and the logic behind those public policies. The problems and controversies that often affect public policy issues will be better understood by students and future public managers if they are able to understand and apply major theories and concepts related to public policy formation and understand and apply major methods of policy analysis
The course aims to meet the following objectives:
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Students' ability to analyze public policy and understand policy problems and make policy proposals to address them.
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Refine the students’ understanding of the world, their social and political reality, with the introduction of a new institutional and societal perspective to understand governmental activity and policy problems.
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Improving their citizenship, by increasing their knowledge relevant to the critical policy issues of contemporary life.
To these skills and abilities, the course adds the learning goal of improving the students "communication and expression in a foreign language (English)", by forcing them to read all the course required or recommended assignments in English and write their tests and continuous assessments in English. This will give them tools to achieve an improved comprehension, expression and communication in English and open for them possibilities of an international career or a job in an internationalized environment. It will offer students the ability improve their capacities to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist.
FIRST PART. THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS DETERMINANTS
SECOND PART. THE ANALYSIS OF POLICY CHANGE AND REFORM IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
THIRD PART. DEGREE OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE AND THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC POLICIES IN EUROPE
FOURTH PART. SOME SECTORAL ANALYSES OF POLICY CONVERGENCE OR EUROPEANIZATION ACROSS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
METHODOLOGY AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Teaching of this course is organized through several learning activities of students, which can be classified into three categories: individual learning of students, interaction with teachers and tutors and interaction with other students.
• (A.1.) Reading and study of syllabus lessons or units (making use of the required readings and eventually the recommended readings). This learning will be assessed through the final written test but there will also be some continuous assessment tests. The precise method will be determined by the number of students enrolled in the course.
• (A.2.) Doing an on-site in-person written test in our UNED associated centers.
In total, it is calculated that the student must devote 150 hours to these learning activities.
Although previous experience as a student at other levels of education or other university degrees is logically the main source of particular study skills or learning strategies that each student may consider more adequate and efficient, some recommendations can improve the intellectual work of our distance-learning students:
- Plan the study from the beginning of the course, so that you can solve your doubts and relating queries and can advance building on the concepts from previous units. This will make it easier to have time to review and prepare for the assessment and final tests.
- Ensure that you develop your own self-study methods, which must necessarily include reflective reading. To that end, a first exploratory reading is advised and then a subsequent more detailed reading from which you can do your own diagrams and charts that will help your learning and thinking.
- Approach required readings first in an exploratory way seeking to discover possible puzzles, identify the arguments raised and the methodology used, so that you can reproduce such arguments.
- Ask yourself about what you have read, trying to see it within the context of the course and other previous courses. Look for connections with the political and administrative reality of the country or other countries.
- Formulate questions whose answers reflect the fundamental contents of the required readings of the course;
- Review the definitions of the fundamental concepts in each unit or section and check that you understand them before proceeding to the next unit and readings.
GUIDELINES FOR STUDY
Of course, it is very useful to count on the support of your teaching staff, in case something is not understood well. The instructors of the course have their weekly office hours for tutoring and answering student queries, where you can use the phone, email or even consulting or using the virtual forums eventually opened in the course. They serve to resolve doubts, raise questions or request additional literature.
This is, in sum, the way to assimilate the contents and understand the form and substance of the phenomena discussed in each unit, i.e. its defining characteristics, under which they can be identified, and their operating logics.
Finally, in the on-site personal tests, students are expected to know how to present and reproduce the acquired knowledge in an orderly and systematic fashion. If that is the case, the learning outcomes of the course (stated in the first part of the study guide for this subject). can be regarded as having been achieved.
TIPO DE PRUEBA PRESENCIAL
|
Tipo de examen |
Tipo de examen |
Examen de desarrollo |
Preguntas desarrollo |
Preguntas desarrollo |
3 |
Duración |
Duración |
120 (minutos) |
Material permitido en el examen |
Material permitido en el examen |
None. |
Criterios de evaluación |
Criterios de evaluación |
- The main written test will require answering three questions to be chosen from four proposed questions.
- Each correct question will receive up to 3.33 point.
- For each of the three questions, the response should not exceed one side of a page.
|
% del examen sobre la nota final |
% del examen sobre la nota final |
90 |
Nota mínima del examen para aprobar sin PEC |
Nota mínima del examen para aprobar sin PEC |
5 |
Nota máxima que aporta el examen a la calificación final sin PEC |
Nota máxima que aporta el examen a la calificación final sin PEC |
10 |
Nota mínima en el examen para sumar la PEC |
Nota mínima en el examen para sumar la PEC |
5 |
Comentarios y observaciones |
Comentarios y observaciones |
|
PRUEBAS DE EVALUACIÓN CONTINUA (PEC)
|
¿Hay PEC? |
¿Hay PEC? |
Si |
Descripción |
Descripción |
The optional activity proposed as continuous assessment exercises (PEC) in the course "Comparative Policies in Europe" aims to improve the skills of the students and their autonomous search for information and first-hand knowledge of the public policy activity nearest to them through the development of original and individual analysis with which the assimilation of some of the concepts and descriptions in the readings of the learning units can be assessed. The continuous assessment exercises (PEC) may be organized through different methods such as response memos or short papers responding to the readings or to practical issues given by the course teaching team. The memos shall briefly explain the key points from the selected readings and apply it to the one policy problem that the student is working on or identifies an important debate related to that policy problem or issue. The students may also be asked to discuss the change, reform or the implementation of a public policy cross-nationally. The activity must be handed in by using the virtual platform, once the student should have studied the main topics of the course. The exercise consists in writing a policy analysis memorandum or “policy memo” addressed to an imaginary boss (a public decision maker belonging to the national, regional or local level of government, for example a Minister, director general, mayor, regional minister, etc.) wherein you should: • clearly and concisely identify a problem that has been recognized by the authorities as a problem of public concern; • define three alternative solutions to the problem at hand, including potential variants (keep in mind that one option could, technically, be to do nothing); • establish criteria to weigh solutions (e.g., equity; political feasibility; technical feasibility; efficiency; effectiveness, etc.) • weigh the alternative solutions using the criteria you established. • recommend a preferred course of action, supporting your recommendation with estimation of expected outcomes and a commentary on the political and economic feasibility of your recommendation. The policy issues discussed may revolve around either the topics or policy sectors dealt with in the course or consist in other current and controversial policy issues where there is public and media discussion such as e. g. the prohibition or regulation of prostitution and fining of its users, the legalization of soft drugs, the limitation of executives’ salaries, the prohibition of smoking in public places, the high rate of secondary education dropout, the introduction of civic education in schools, the liberalization of commercial opening hours, etc. The body of your memo should be limited to four-five pages. Please read and study the advice about writing policy memos by Weimer we have uploaded, alongside the sample of a memo by a fellow student in other university and the other links provided at the following page. In general, we expect from your policy memo to contain at least: • A brief introduction that clearly and straightforwardly defines the problem (or, more rarely, the need to stay with the status quo) and then outlines the major points while providing a snapshot of the conclusion. • A section that is effectively an extended problem definition. • Clearly identify alternatives AND the criteria you are using to weigh the alternatives (e.g., efficiency, effectiveness, equity, political feasibility, etc.); • Overtly weight the alternatives in terms of the criteria you identify. • Unequivocally advocate one of the alternatives and your reasons why you are advocating this. • write an executive summary that summarizes the whole document. (sources and citations are not necessary, but when identifying information (e.g., a statistic), you should mention in the body of the memo from where the statistic comes and/or the name of the report). • The format should be single space for the whole document, adding an extra space in between paragraphs while using Times New Roman 12 point font throughout. • Feel free to be creative in terms of crafting an aesthetic look to the memo. Other resources in the web may be helpful for writing the memo: 1) https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/hks-communications-program/files/lb_how_to_write_pol_mem_9_08_17.pdf 2) http://slc.berkeley.edu/writing/PublicPolicy.htm 3) http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/36824/11-479Spring-2004/NR/rdonlyres/Urban-Studies-and-Planning/11-479Spring-2004/9CE4ACA2-EC3D-4C1D-91CC-27971E27DCF5/0/pmwriting.pdf |
Criterios de evaluación |
Criterios de evaluación |
|
Ponderación de la PEC en la nota final |
Ponderación de la PEC en la nota final |
10% |
Fecha aproximada de entrega |
Fecha aproximada de entrega |
10/01/2023 |
Comentarios y observaciones |
Comentarios y observaciones |
|
OTRAS ACTIVIDADES EVALUABLES
|
¿Hay otra/s actividad/es evaluable/s? |
¿Hay otra/s actividad/es evaluable/s? |
No |
Descripción |
Descripción |
|
Criterios de evaluación |
Criterios de evaluación |
|
Ponderación en la nota final |
Ponderación en la nota final |
0 |
Fecha aproximada de entrega |
Fecha aproximada de entrega |
|
Comentarios y observaciones |
Comentarios y observaciones |
|
¿Cómo se obtiene la nota final?
|
In the course 'Comparative Public Policies in Europe', the on-site personal written test will represent at least 90% of the final grade. Students can earn the remaining 10% through continuous assessment, which will be added to the marks obtained in the in-person test, provided that the test has been marked with a grade of at least 5 points out of 10. |
TEXTBOOKS AND ASSIGNED READINGS
The course is based on 13 required readings that will be provided to the students via the virtual platform:
Unit 1:
- Dodds, Anneliese 2018. “Why compare Public Policies”, in Comparative Public Policy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 1-14.
Unit 2:
- Knill, Christoph and Jale Tosun 2020, “Policy Making”. in Daniele Caramani (ed.), Comparative Politics. 5.ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 361-375.
Unit 3:
- Compston, H. 2006. “Introduction: Policy Networks and Advocacy Coalitions in Action“, and “The Shape of Things to Come”, in H. Compston King Trends and the Future of Public Policy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Adolino, J. R. and C. H. Blake, 2011. Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Six Industrialized Countries, Washington: CQ Press. 2nd ed. (chapter 3).
Unit 4:
- Hay, C. and D. Wincott 2012. The Political Economy of European Welfare Capitalism, New York: Palgrave MacMillan. (chapter 3).
Unit 5:
- Studlar, D. 2009. “Tobacco control policy in Western Europe. A case of protracted paradigm change”, in G. Capano and M. Howlett eds. European and North American Policy Change. Drivers and Dynamics, Oxford: Routledge.
Unit 6:
- Tompson, W. 2010. “Reform beyond the crisis”, in Making reform happen. Lessons from OECD countries, OECD, 12-38.
Unit 7:
- Bovens, M.; P. ‘t Hart and B. Guy Peters 2001. “Analyzing governance success and failure in six European states”, in Success and Failure in Public Governance. A Comparative Analysis, Edward Elgar Cheltenham, UK, 12-33.
Unit 8:
- Goul Andersen, J. 2020. “The Impact of Public Policies”, in Daniele Caramani (ed.), Comparative Politics. 5 ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 395-415.
Unit 9:
-
Schelkle, W. 2018. “Economic and monetary unión”, in Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge pp. 94-103
Unit 10:
-
Cipriani, G. 2018. "The EU budget", in Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge pp. 142-153
Unit 11:
- Dupuy, C.; Jacquot, S. 2018. "Social policy", in Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge. pp. 94-103.
Unit 12:
- Tosun, J. 2018. "EU policy on the environment", in Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge pp 265-274.
- Alons, A.:Zwaan P. 2018. "The Common Agricultural Policy: common dynamics of policy change in an uncommon policy domain", in Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge pp 245-255.
The following general textbooks can serve as support, introduction or deepening of knowledge of the syllabus topics:
- Dodds, Anneliese 2018. Comparative Public Policy, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Adolino, Jessica R. and Charles H. Blake 2011. Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Six Industrialized Countries, Washington: CQ Press. 2nd ed.
- Compston, Hugh ed. 2004. Handbook of Public Policy in Europe. Britain, France and Germany Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hubert Heinelt and Sybille Münch eds. 2018. Handbook of European Policies: Interpretive approaches to the EU, Cheltenham and Northampton: Edward Elgar.
- Zahariadis, N.; Buonanno, L. eds. 2018. The Routledge Handbook of European Public Policy. London, Routledge
Two general databases with comparative information on policy content and performance of most European countries can be found at:
Students can supplement some contents of the required readings and the basic textbooks with the following recommended readings:
Unit 1:
- Engeli, Isabelle and Christine Rothmayr, C. (eds), 2014. Comparative Policy Studies: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
- Feick, J. 1992. "Comparing Comparative Policy Studies, A Path towards Integration?", Journal of Public Policy, 12, 3: 257 285.
- Hantrais, L. 2007. “Contextualization in cross-national comparative research”, In Hantrais, L and Mangen, S (ed) Cross-National Research Methodology and Practice, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 3-18.
- Hantrais, Linda 2008. “Defining and mapping international comparative research”, in Linda Hantrais ed. International Comparative Research. Theory, Methods and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Schmitt, Sophie 2013. “Comparative approaches to the Study of Policy-making”, in Eduardo Araral,Scott Fritzen,Michael Howlett eds. Routledge Handbook of Public Policy, Oxford: Routledge, 29-43.
Unit 2:
- Amat, Francesc and Albert Falcó-Gimeno 2013. “The arithmetics of partisanship and policy outcomes in parliamentary democracies”, Cuadernos Económicos del ICE, N.º 85, 81-104.
- Prasad, Monica 2006. “Introduction”, in The Politics of Free Markets: The Rise of Neoliberal Economic Policies in Britain, France, Germany, and the United States; University of Chicago Press, 1-42.
- Scharpf, Fritz W. 2000. "Institutions in Comparative Policy Research," Comparative Political Studies, 33: 6: 7.
- Turner, Ed. 2011. Political Parties and Public Policy in the German Länder. When Parties Matter, Palgrave Macmillan, Chapter 1.
Unit 3:
- Menz, G. 2003. “Re-Regulating the Single-Market: National Varieties of Capitalism and Their Responses to Europeanization”. Journal of European Public Policy 10(4), 532-555.
- Schmidt, V. A. 2002, “Europeanization and the mechanics of economic policy adjustment”,Journal of European Public Policy, 9:6 December 2002: 894–912.
Unit 4:
- Schmitt, Sophie / Euchner, Eva-Maria / Preidel, Caroline, 2013: “Regulating prostitution and same-sex marriage in Italy and Spain. The interplay of political and societal veto players in two Catholic societies”. Journal of European Public Policy (Special Issue), 20(3), 425–441.
Unit 5:
- Bauer, Michael. W. and Christopgh Knill (2012) “Understanding Policy dismantling. An analytical Framework”, Bauer, M., A.J. Jordan, C. Green-Pedersen and A. Héritier (eds.) Dismantling Public Policy: Preferences, Strategies and Effects. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Unit 6:
- Gray, P. 1998. “Policy disasters in Europe. An introduction”, in Pat Gray and Paul’t Hart eds. Public policy disasters in Western Europe, Routledge.
- McConnell, Allan 2010. “Policy Success, Policy Failure and Grey Areas In-Between”, Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 30, 3, 345-362.
Unit 7:
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Bertelsmann Foundation, European Bureau for Policy Consulting and Social Research Vienna, Economic Policy Center (WPZ) at the University of St. Gallen 2016. Social Policy in the EU —Reform Barometer 2016. Social Inclusion Monitor Europe.
-
Jonker, Jedid-Jah (ed.) 2012. Countries compared on public performance. A study of public sector performance in 28 countries, The Netherlands Institute for Social Research SCP, The Hague.Schraad-Tischler, Daniel (et. al) (2017) Social Justice in the EU –Index Report 201t Social Inclusion Monitor Europe, Gutersloh: Bertelsmann Foundation.
- Vadlamannati, K.C., Cooray, A. and de Soysa, I. 2020. “Healthcare equity and COVID-19”. UNU-WIDER Working Paper, No. 89.
Unit 8:
- Genschel, P., Kemmerling, A., Seils E., 2011. “Accelerating Downhill: How the EU Shapes Corporate Tax Competition in the Single Market”, Journal 0f Common Market Studies, 49(3), 585-606.
- Thompson, Grahame F. “Economic Management in the Eurozone”, in Hay, Colin and Anand Menon European politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 273-291.
Unit 9:
- Hantrais, Linda 2007. “Welfare Policy”, in Hay, Colin and Anand Menon European politics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 292-309.
- “Part V Social Policy”, in H. Compston ed. Handbook of Public Policy in Europe. Britain, France and Germany, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 277-364.
Unit 10:
- Hayes, G. H. Aden and A. Flynn 2004. “Environmental Policy”, in Compston, Hugh ed. Handbook of Public Policy in Europe. Britain, France and Germany, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 265-276.
- Holzinger K., Sommerer T., 2011. “‘Race to the Bottom’ or ‘Race to Brussels’? Environmental Competition in Europe”, Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(2), 315-339.
Students are also advised for their own good and to make the eventual practical assignments to consult the following webpages with information on European public policies in several countries and the European Union.
• European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/policies/index_en.htm
•Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/home
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): http://www.oecd.org/
• Cross-National Research Papers: www.xnat.org.uk
• Bertelsmann Foundation. Sustainable Governance Indicators 2021: https://www.sgi-network.org/2021/