MGT522 Quiz

PUAD 5120, BUSI 5120, POLI 4240/5240 (Section 01)

Fall 2014-2015

Wednesday 17h35 – 20h25, Room 1011, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building

Instructor:

Jeff Friesen, Adjunct (FGS) - School of Public Administration Office 3034, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building 902.494.2530

Office Hours:

W 16h00 – 17h00, or by appointment Teaching Assistant: Alice McVittie-

Course Description

Over 40 years ago, Thomas Dye defined ‘public policy’ as “anything a government chooses to do or not to do.”1 Although Dye over simplified the term, his definition did capture the extensive scope of the subject matter. “Policy-making is the fundamental activity of governments. It is through the public policy-making process that governments establish the framework within which all citizens (human and corporate) must function; and it is the process via which governments decide both which societal goals to pursue and how to (best) pursue them.”2

Policymaking is the art of developing responses to public problems.3 As public problems appear to be increasing in quantity and complexity (e.g. the security shocks since September 11, 2001, the ongoing global financial crises, climate change), there is renewed interest in public policy, as evidenced by the Occupy Wall Street, Arab Spring and Idle No More movements.

David Easton4 noted that the actions of government are the authoritative allocation of values for a society.5 This observation suggests another rationale for the study of public policy, being that civil society must, when parsing government actions, consider underlying ideologies as well as policy determinants, contexts, structures and processes to truly appreciate the policy framework. These understandings bring coherence to government actions, permitting civil society to hold government accountable for its duty to advance public values.

1 Dye, Thomas R. (1972). Understanding Public Policy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall at 2. 2 Young, Shaun P. ed. (2013). Evidence-Based Policy-Making in Canada. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press at 1. 3 Pal, Leslie A. (2013). Beyond Policy Analysis – Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times (5th Ed.). Toronto: Nelson Education, at 414. 4 Easton, David (1953). The Political System: An Inquiry into the State of Political Science. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 5 Miller, Eugene F. (1971). David Easton’s Political Theory. Political Science Reviewer, Fall. 184 at 190.

Learning Objectives

There are three primary objectives for the course:

Q1. The main objective is for students to learn the public policy development process and to increase their capacity to undertake its key functions,6 which include:

1. theoretical research;
2. statistics, applied research and modeling;
3. environmental scanning, trend analysis, and forecasting;
4. policy analysis and advice;

e) consultation and managing relations; f) communications; and g) program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Students will develop and practice the necessary behavioural competencies required of professional policymakers including adaptability, analytical thinking, creativity and innovation, critical judgment, initiative, problem solving, relationship building and teamwork. Course readings, lectures, examinations and experiential learning assignments will expose students to these competencies as well as proffer opportunities to exercise technical policymaking competencies, such as information gathering and project management.

2. A second objective of the course is for students to increase their knowledge of public policy theories, ideologies and contexts, positioning public policy as an important sub- field of social science.
3. A third objective is for students to better understand current government policy in several different fields. Students will develop the necessary analytical skills to contribute to the future investigation, extension and study of policy fields.

Course Content:

Introduction to Public Policy is a general overview of three different aspects of public policy:

1. Public policy studies – This aspect of the course will examine the basic concepts of public policy, including underlying normative and positive theories, political ideologies, policy determinants, and contextual influences. The intention is to better understand why governments do what they do. This exploration provides not only a more complete knowledge of public policy as a social science, but also equips students to participate in policy management processes.
2. Public policy analysis – This aspect of the course will focus on the main policy fields that preoccupy Canadian policy makers at all levels of government. The intention is to better understand what governments do. It will provide an introduction and overview

6 Canada Deputy Minister Task Force. (December 1996). Strengthening our Policy Capacity, at 4. of the classical imperatives and approaches to policy making in key areas, such as macroeconomic, social, health, aboriginal, environmental and foreign policy.

Q3. Public policy development process – This aspect of the course will increase students’ capacity to develop public policy. The intention is to teach how governments do what they do:7

1. Problem identification and definition
2. Policy Formulation – research, information gathering, analysis, policy instruments, networks, options, policy design and recommendations.
3. Agenda Setting – goal setting, policy planning
4. Decision-making

e) Policy implementation f) Evaluation

Class Format:

Introduction to Public Policy is a lecture-discussion class. Typically, each class will begin with an open discussion on topical policy issues and the weekly readings. That discussion will be followed by a lecture on the assigned subject-matter for the week, interspersed with seminar style dialogue and case studies. The class will liberally employ conversations with guest policy practitioners in the federal, provincial and municipal governments. These guests will elucidate and amplify the content of the assigned readings, and will respond to questions from students on their practical experiences in the policy world.

Learning Materials:

There are two required texts for the course available for purchase at the University Bookstore:

1. Leslie A. Pal, Beyond Policy Analysis – Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times (5th Ed.). Nelson Education, 2013.
2. Lydia Miljan, Public Policy in Canada. An Introduction (6th Ed.), Oxford University Press, 2012.

Additional readings and course materials will be uploaded throughout the term to a BbL site accessible to all registered students.

7 Howlett, Michael, Ramesh, M., Perl, Anthony. (2009). Studying Public Policy – Policy Cycles & Policy Subsystems. Toronto: Oxford University Press, at 12-13.