Postgraduate Certificate in Public Policy (Distance Learning)

Decentralisation is a worldwide reality, as most countries are already engaged in a more or less advanced form of it. The following figures illustrate this trend: in the 1980s local governments around the world collected on average 15% of revenues and spent 20% of expenditures. By the late 1990s those figures had risen to 19% and 25% and had even doubled in certain countries. Moving beyond the fiscal arena, major public services such as education or health have also been transferred to local governments and political and electoral reforms have taken place. News headlines testify to the importance of local governance and local governments’ issues around the world.

The first implication for us, and for policy-makers and donors, is that the debate on whether decentralisation is good or bad in itself has lost its relevance. The key question is no longer whether a country should further decentralise or whether donors should support such a process. Although in different forms and to varying degrees decentralisation is there, it is part of the reality in which governments, other actors and citizens need to operate.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed the study of this course, you will have acquired the knowledge and tools to:

• understand decentralisation as a complex political process and “system” with several dimensions, levels and actors, and define and distinguish it from other related concepts
• critically discuss various approaches and trends in the academic world in relation to decentralisation
• evaluate the success of various decentralisation approaches worldwide and explain why countries exhibit such widely different outcomes, in terms of economic performance, political reforms and effects on society
• explain the concept of political decentralisation, its components and implications
• critically discuss the links between political decentralisation, wider state-society relations and domestic accountability mechanisms in multilevel governance systems
• define and assess functional assignments, and understand why they are the keystone for effective public action and division of labour across levels of government
• explain the main principles underlying fiscal decentralisation, its components and implications
• analyse expenditure assignments, revenue assignments, transfer mechanisms and local borrowing in a given context and identify possible corrective measures
• evaluate the impact of the fiscal and functional division of labour across levels of government on local entities’ performance
• apply the concepts of local policy-making, budget and fiscal autonomy
• assess challenges to setting up domestic monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as to assessing the outcomes of decentralisation.

Tuition and assessment

Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.

You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.

You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.

Study resources

• Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
• Key texts: 
  • Cheema GS and D Rondinelli (2007) Decentralizing Governance: Emerging Concepts and Practices, Brookings Institution Press
  • Connerley E, K Eaton and P Smoke (2010) Making Decentralization Work: Democracy, Development, and Security, Lynne Rienner
  • The module also references extracts from the Public Policy and Management pre-programme textbook:
    • Hague, R & M Harrop (2016) Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, 10^th Edition, Palgrave Macmillan
• Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
• Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.

Study calendar 2022/23

Study calendars are subject to change.

Module overview

Unit 1 What is Decentralisation?

• 1.1 State Models and Decentralisation
• 1.2 Territorial Organisation of the State and Decentralisation
• 1.3 Political Regimes, Democracy and Decentralisation
• 1.4 Decentralisation as a Policy
• 1.5 Political Decentralisation
• 1.6 Administrative Decentralisation
• 1.7 Fiscal Decentralisation
• 1.8 Why do Countries Decide to Decentralise?

Unit 2 Decentralisation in Practice

• 2.1 The Objectives Pursued through Decentralisation
• 2.2 The Status of the Decentralisation: Past Track Record and Current Reforms
• 2.3 The Historical Path: Top-down versus Bottom-up Decentralisation
• 2.4 The Historical Pace of Decentralisation: Big Bang versus Gradual Approach
• 2.5 The Sequencing of the Three Dimensions of Decentralisation
• 2.6 The Geographic Phasing of Decentralisation
• 2.7 Recognising Mixed Results: Opportunities and Risks of Decentralisation

Unit 3 Conditions Needed to Make Decentralisation Work

• 3.1 Materialising the Benefits of Decentralisation
• 3.2 How Can Local Autonomy and Accountability be Achieved?
• 3.3 Why Decentralisation Outcomes Vary
• 3.4 Implementation Challenges: Stalemates and Deadlocks

Unit 4 Political Decentralisation, State-Society Relations and Domestic Accountability

• 4.1 The Status of Political Decentralisation and Political Autonomy
• 4.2 Assessing Accountability and How Governments Hand Over Power to Citizens
• 4.3 Case Studies on Accountability Mechanisms
• 4.4 Political Decentralisation in Multi-Level and Multi-Layered Governance Systems
• 4.5 Can Decentralisation Contribute to Political Reforms and Domestic Accountability?

Unit 5 Administrative Decentralisation

• 5.1 Defining Functional Assignments
• 5.2 Policy Choices
• 5.3 The Mandates and the Challenge of Policy Coordination in Decentralised Contexts
• 5.4 Assessing the Quality of Functional Assignments
• 5.5 Human Resources Deployment, Distribution and Management
• 5.6 Can Decentralisation Contribute to State Building Processes?
• 5.7 Decentralisation Efficiency in the Service Sector

Unit 6 Fiscal Decentralisation

• 6.1 Expenditure Assignments
• 6.2 Revenue Assignments
• 6.3 Intergovernmental Transfers
• 6.4 Allocation of Borrowing Powers
• 6.5 Sequencing Fiscal Decentralisation [optional]
• 6.6 Sources of Information on Fiscal Decentralisation [optional]

Unit 7 Local Government Autonomy and Capacity Learning Outcomes

• 7.1 The Role and Potential of Local Governments
• 7.2 Policy-Making Autonomy
• 7.3 Discretion in Managing Human Resources
• 7.4 The Composition of Decentralised Budgets: Challenges and Mitigating Measures
• 7.5 Budget and Financial Autonomy

Unit 8 Monitoring, Evaluation and Decentralisation

• 8.1 The Role of Indicators in Monitoring
• 8.2 Decentralisation Processes and Reforms
• 8.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks

Module samples

• M404 Module Introduction (PDF)
• M404 Specimen Examination (PDF)
• M404 Unit 1 (PDF)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

As you will learn in this module, the intended beneficiaries or investors are not the only audiences to whom it must be demonstrated that a project’s technical, institutional and financial attributes warrant that the project will be worthwhile. The effects a project will have (ie, its impacts) on the environment, nearby communities and wider society must also be investigated so they can be taken into consideration by the decision-makers who determine whether the project should proceed.

The most widely used techniques to investigate a project’s environmental and social implications are Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA), or Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). Many governments, project financiers and project developers require ESIA or EIA.

Two types of project assessment can be distinguished:

• Ex ante assessment: determining in advance (ie, before it is implemented) whether a project is worthwhile and should proceed and, if so, in what format – this is sometimes called project appraisal or evaluation.
• Ex post assessment: assessing the performance of a project after it has been implemented and completed (ie, retrospectively) – this is sometimes called (environmental) auditing or performance monitoring.

This module covers the ex ante ESIA of projects. It also introduces tools used to support ESIA, ways of improving the effectiveness of ESIA, and ways in which other (non-ESIA) techniques are used to investigate the environmental and social implications of projects and other initiatives.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:

• analyse and critically appraise the stages in ESIA processes
• synthesise and evaluate the outcomes of an ESIA
• critique ESIA in practical applications
• critically discuss thematic and specialised assessment approaches
• evaluate the contribution of strategic and emerging forms of assessment
• critically assess the role of ESIA as a policy and planning tool.

Tuition and assessment

Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.

You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.

You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.

Study resources

• Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
• Key texts: John Glasson & Riki Therivel (2019) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment. 5th Edition. Abingdon UK: Routledge.
• Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
• Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.

Study calendar 2022/23

Study calendars are subject to change.

Module overview

Unit 1 Introduction to ESIA

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Origins and Variations in Application
• 1.3 The Purpose of ESIA
• 1.4 Drivers for ESIA
• 1.5 The Overall ESIA Process
• 1.6 Structuring ESIAs
• 1.7 Success of ESIA
• 1.8 Social Impact Assessment
• 1.9 Reflection on SIA
• 1.1 Conclusion

Unit 2 Laying the Foundations for ESIA

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Screening
• 2.3 Scoping
• 2.4 Project Description
• 2.5 Baseline Description
• 2.6 Data Collection, Interpretation and Reporting
• 2.7 Conclusion

Unit 3 Impact Assessment – the ‘Heart’ of ESIA

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Impact Identification and Prediction
• 3.3 Impact Significance Evaluation
• 3.4 Social Impacts and Equity
• 3.5 Conclusion

Unit 4 Impact Management, Reporting and Decision-Making

• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 Impact Mitigation and Enhancement
• 4.3 Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring
• 4.4 Reporting the ESIA
• 4.5 ESIA and Decision-Making
• 4.6 Conclusion

Unit 5 ESIA Stakeholder Engagement/Public Consultation

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Stakeholder Engagement: Objectives and Benefits
• 5.3 Methods of Securing Stakeholder Engagement
• 5.4 Stakeholder Engagement in Practice
• 5.5 Conclusion

Unit 6 Improving the Effectiveness of ESIA

• 6.1 Introduction
• 6.2 ESIA Planning and Project Management
• 6.3 Implementation and Follow-up
• 6.4 Conclusion

Unit 7 Thematic and Specialised Assessment Techniques

• 7.1 Introduction
• 7.2 Themed Impact Assessment
• 7.3 ‘Specialised’ Assessment Techniques
• 7.4 Conclusion

Unit 8 Strategic and Emerging Forms of Assessment

• 8.1 Introduction
• 8.2 Widening the Scope of Impact Assessment
• 8.3 Emerging Forms of Impact Assessment
• 8.4 Conclusion

Module samples

• M469 Module Introduction (PDF)
• M469 Specimen Examination (PDF)
• M469 Unit 1 (PDF)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

This module aims to introduce you to the main forms of cooperation between the state and the private sector in the provision of public goods and services. It does so both by examining the theoretical bases of public-private partnerships, and by an analysis of a number of recent case studies of PPP in action.

The module text is focused primarily around the following two questions.

• What are the role and the duties of a state – which goods and services should be guaranteed to the population when employing financial resources raised through taxation?
• Which provisions should be made directly by the state, or instead outsourced to the private sector operating on its behalf?

Learning outcomes

When you have completed your study of this course you will be able to:

• outline how state functions have evolved over time
• discuss how the public sector typically relates to the private sector for the provision of public goods
• explain and assess the main features of alternative public-private relationships
• quantify the size of PP markets across the world and explain the source of PP regulations
• assess the merits and limitations of alternative procurement legislations and procedures
• identify the goals of the procuring administration
• select the main dimensions for effective procurement design
• describe concession contracts and their rationale, and assess different types
• identify some of the merits and limitations of a PPP contract
• explain the differences underlying alternative PPP models in different sectors
• identify the main economic principles behind PPP case studies
• explain the main reasons underlying privatisation of public assets
• detail the regulatory challenges behind privatisation
• assess the importance of regulatory institutions when privatising natural monopolies.

Tuition and assessment

Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.

You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.

You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.

Study resources

• Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
• Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
• Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.

Study calendar 2022/23

Study calendars are subject to change.

Module overview

Unit 1 Defining Public-Private Relationships

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 The Role of the State
• 1.3 Public Procurement
• 1.4 Public-Private Partnerships
• 1.5 Privatisation
• 1.6 Conclusion

Unit 2 The Size and Institutional Framework of Public Procurement

• 2.1 Introduction: How Important Are Regulations for Effective PP?
• 2.2 Outsourcing Trends in the Public Sector
• 2.3 Public Procurement and Supranational Institutions
• 2.4 Defence Procurement
• 2.5 Public Procurement of Innovation
• 2.6 Case Studies
• 2.7 Conclusion

Unit 3 Designing Public Procurement

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Public Procurement and Economic Policy
• 3.3 Best Value for Money in Procurement
• 3.4 Centralised vs Decentralised Procurement
• 3.5 Tendering Formats
• 3.6 Risk Sharing and Incentives in Public Procurement
• 3.7 Obligational and Adversarial Contracting
• 3.8 Contracts and Quality Enforcement
• 3.9 SMEs and Public Procurement
• 3.10 Green and Sustainable Procurement
• 3.11 Case Studies
• 3.12 Conclusion

Unit 4 Concessions of Public Assets

• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 The Rationale for Public Concessions
• 4.3 Types of Concessions
• 4.4 Infrastructure Concessions
• 4.5 Forest, Land and Mining Concessions
• 4.5 Conclusion

Unit 5 Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): Principles

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 The Variety of PPPs
• 5.3 The Economics of PPPs
• 5.4      Conclusion

Unit 6 PPP Case Studies

• 6.1 Introduction
• 6.2 The London Underground
• 6.3 Urban Water Provision in Developing Countries
• 6.4 Infrastructural Projects in Indonesia and Vietnam
• 6.5 Conclusion

Unit 7 Privatising Public Assets

• 7.1 Introduction
• 7.2 Why Privatise?
• 7.3 Which Public Assets to Privatise?
• 7.4 How to Privatise?
• 7.5 Privatisation and Regulation
• 7.6 Conclusion

Unit 8 Privatisation Case Studies

• 8.1 Introduction
• 8.2 The Privatisation of the British Rail System
• 8.3 Privatisation of the Sidney Airport
• 8.4 Partial Privatisation in China and Singapore
• 8.5 Telecom Privatisation in Croatia
• 8.6 Conclusion

Module samples

• M411 Module introduction (PDF)
• M411 Specimen examination (PDF)
• M411 Unit 1 (PDF)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

In this module you will learn about evaluation, and specifically about the types of evaluation that assesses the achievements of public interventions and uncover the lessons learned which have wider application. Often termed 'summative', 'ex-post', or 'post-hoc' this sort of evaluation looks back over what has changed over the course of an intervention by a public institution, and tries to answer questions such as:

• What difference has our project, programme or policy made?
• Who has benefitted and who has been left out?
• Did our intervention deliver what we expected and hoped it would?
• Were the resources spent on it justified by the results achieved?
• What else might account for the changes that have happened?
• Should we continue doing this sort of thing, and what have we learned to help us do better in the future?
• Are there lessons from this experience which can help others do better?

Ex-post evaluation is of growing importance for governments, donors, international bodies and those involved in delivering projects and programmes 'on the ground'. It has spawned an industry of researchers, evaluators and consultants who specialise in designing methodologies to answer the sort of questions posed above, and who sell their services to public bodies who want to know the answers. In many cases, the provision of public funds for an endeavour bring with them a requirement for an eventual ex-post evaluation to be carried out – and a concomitant need for data to be collected right from the beginning.

You will hear the term evaluation used in many different ways and applied at different times. This module focuses on the type of evaluation that takes stock and forms judgements. It can be contrasted with other types of evaluation that you may encounter, and which are covered to a greater or lesser degree in a number of other CeFiMS Public Policy and Management courses.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed this module and its readings, you should be able to:

• outline how ex-post evaluation informs public policy and management processes
• set the meaning of ex-post evaluation in the wider context of different ways to assess public intervention
• distinguish between ex ante, interim, and ex post evaluation, and set ex post evaluation in its proper temporal context
• specify the differences between public policies, programmes and projects, and the implications of these for their evaluation
• define a wide variety of evaluation terms and organise them into their purpose, scale, period in time and type of study design
• choose an evaluation methodology that is relevant to the institutional context and resources available
• design and carry out evaluations of different types, with an understanding of likely challenges, including identifying and validating impact, disentangling impacts from other influences; the likelihood of absent baselines, inadequate monitoring data, and insufficient research capacity
• critique evaluation studies in relation to the quality of their design, their conduct and the value of conclusions drawn
• fit evaluation practice into the real world of politics and the question of what those commissioning really want to know, and want to hear
• practically assess timescales, changing questions, and when to look for results
• form a judgement as to whether you yourself would like to consider developing a career as an evaluator
• join in with networking and exchange amongst the evaluation 'community', and identify differences from broader research.

Tuition and assessment

Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.

You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.

You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.

Study resources

• Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
• Key texts: 
  • Palfrey C, P Thomas & C Phillips (2012) Evaluation for the Real World. The Policy Press.
  • Bamberger M, J Rugh & L Mabry (2012) RealWorld Evaluation: Working Under Budget, Time, Data, and Political Constraints. 2nd Edition. Sage.
• Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
• Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.

Study calendar 2022/23

Study calendars are subject to change.

Module overview

Unit 1 History, Types and Uses of Evaluation

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Evaluation in Public Policy
• 1.3 Judgement: Evaluation, Audit, Inspection, Journalism and Academic Research
• 1.4 Different Types of Evaluation
• 1.5 Conclusion

Unit 2 Designing an Ex-Post Evaluation: Programme Theory and the Importance of Context

• 2.1 Ex-Post Evaluation
• 2.2 Programme Theory: How Interventions are Supposed to Work
• 2.3 The Importance of Context
• 2.4 Sources of Information
• 2.5 Conclusion

Unit 3 Project Evaluation I

• 3.1 Micro Evaluation – Policies at the Coalface
• 3.2 Pilots and the Mainstream – Projects as Experiments or Examples of Basic Delivery
• 3.3 Projects in Context
• 3.4 Drawing Conclusions and the Question of Attribution
• 3.5 Project Evaluation as a Laboratory – the Question of Replicability
• 3.6 Time to Get Going: Scoping the Evaluation
• 3.7 Conclusion

Unit 4 Project Evaluation II

• 4.1 The Case Studies
• 4.2 Purpose and Context
• 4.3 Theory of Change
• 4.4 Evaluation Design and Methodology
• 4.5 Results and Conclusions in the Reports
• 4.6 Conclusion

Unit 5 Evaluation Methods: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Quantitative Evaluation Methods
• 5.3 Qualitative Evaluation Methods
• 5.4 Mixed Method Evaluation
• 5.5 Conclusion

Unit 6 Programme Evaluation I

• 6.1 Programmes and Their Evaluation
• 6.2 Evaluation Criteria
• 6.3 The Specification of Impacts
• 6.4 Conclusion

Unit 7 Programme Evaluation II

• 7.1 The Case Studies
• 7.2 End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes
• 7.3 The Tuungane Community-Driven Reconstruction Project
• 7.4 Conclusion

Unit 8 Policy Evaluation, and Being an Evaluator

• 8.1 Introduction
• 8.2 Policy Evaluation
• 8.3 Policy Evaluation in a Development Context
• 8.4 Multinational Policy Evaluation
• 8.5 Maximising the Usefulness of Evaluation
• 8.6 Conclusion

Module samples

• M479 Module Introduction (PDF)
• M479 Specimen Examination (PDF)
• M479 Unit 1 (PDF)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

Welcome to this module on public policy and strategy. Strategy is a term that has become very common in both business and government, and it is likely that you have your own understanding of what it may mean. This module sets out to explore the meaning of strategy generally, and more specifically as a feature of the work of governments and public authorities.

It is written for people who are engaged in the processes of strategy development, policy-making, implementation and evaluation, whether as professionals, politicians, advisors or citizens.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:

• define the meaning of strategy, and what makes an issue strategic, in a public policy context, including how this differs from private sector strategy
• identify the ways in which key contextual factors shape and constrain how public sector strategy is made, including the physical and socio-economic environment, and political and administrative systems
• explain how strategic issues come onto the political agenda of governments, how they are understood, and the roles of different types of stakeholder
• describe how to begin the process of strategic planning, taking into account the complexity of public policy and the business of government
• assess the potential use of different types of policy instrument and how strategy helps in making choices over which actions to adopt
• explain how to move from strategic planning as a conceptual exercise to the practical issues involved in putting your plan into effect and mobilising the system for its delivery
• define the differences between performance management, monitoring and evaluation, and explain the importance of the principal-agent problem, and different ways of evaluating the results of strategic plans
• describe what is meant by the Strategic State, and its relationship to the ‘science of delivery’, and explain how policy ideas and innovations travel from one place to another.

Tuition and assessment

Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.

You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.

You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.

Study resources

• Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
• Key texts: 
  • Michael Barber (2015) How to Run A Government: So that Citizens Benefit and Taxpayers Don't Go Crazy. Penguin Books.
  • John M Bryson (2018) Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. 5th Edition. John Wiley & Son.
  • Paul Joyce (2015) Strategic Management in the Public Sector. Routledge.
• Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
• Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.

Module overview

Unit 1 Strategy and the Policy Process

• 1.1 The Meaning of Strategy
• 1.2 Public Policy and Strategy
• 1.3 Public/Private Differences
• 1.4 Strategic Issues
• 1.5 Conclusions

Unit 2 The Contexts for Strategy

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Political and Institutional Context
• 2.3 Economic and Market Context
• 2.4 Geographical and Environmental Context
• 2.5 Technological Context
• 2.6 Social and Demographic Context
• 2.7 Conclusions

Unit 3 Strategic Issues, Stakeholders and Evidence

• 3.1 Strategic Policy Making
• 3.2 The Emergence of Strategic Issues
• 3.3 Stakeholders
• 3.4 Issue Definition and the Use of Evidence
• 3.5 Tasmania’s Population Issue: Stakeholders and Data
• 3.6 Conclusions

Unit 4 Complexity, and How to Produce a Strategic Plan

• 4.1 Complexity
• 4.2 The Formation of Strategy
• 4.3 Case Study: Tasmania’s Population Growth Strategy
• 4.4 Conclusions

Unit 5 Strategy into Practice: Approaches and Instruments

• 5.1 What Are We Going to Do?
• 5.2 Choosing Instruments
• 5.3 Strategic Approaches to Choice of Action
• 5.4 Case Study: China's Policies for Elderly Care
• 5.5 Conclusions

Unit 6 Implementation

• 6.1 Engaging the System
• 6.2 Institutions for Implementation
• 6.3 Case Study 1: Network Implementation
• 6.4 Case Study 2: Population Policy in Ghana
• 6.5 Conclusions

Unit 7 Reviewing Strategy: Performance Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

• 7.1 Introduction
• 7.2 The Context for Monitoring, Evaluation and Performance Management
• 7.3 Reviewing Strategy
• 7.4 Performance Management and The Principal–Agent Problem
• 7.5 Monitoring Strategy
• 7.6 Aspects of Evaluation
• 7.7 Strategy and Policy Evaluation

Unit 8 Strategic Futures, and the Future of Strategy

• 8.1 Introduction
• 8.2 Getting Started on Strategic Planning
• 8.3 The Strategic State and Science of Delivery
• 8.4 Policy Networks and Policy Transfer
• 8.5 Shared Imagining

Module samples

• M412 Module introduction (PDF)
• M412 Specimen examination (PDF)
• M412 Unit 1 (PDF)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules