LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course offers a critical view of the theoretical, epistemological and methodological assumptions of public policy analysis. The course embraces a perspective that assumes policies as problem solving activities and, in this sense, will critically discuss the interaction between power and knowledge within decision making processes and their role as mechanisms of policy change.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course the students are expected to acquire:

1. An in-depth knowledge of the main concepts of public policy analysis
2. Awareness of the criticalities of policy tools with respect to the achievement of expected outcomes
3. Ability to develop indicators for the evaluation of intervention programs
4. Ability to reconstruct and analyse a policy process
5. Awareness of the main determinants of policy change.

TEACHING METHODS

The course will alternate lectures with seminars. The active participation of students is a characterizing element and, compatibly with the number of participants, students will be asked to present and discuss original case studies.

The participate to the course studente are required to follow the guidelines provided by the University of Genoa:
- check in at https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti;
- Greenpass and mask will be required;
- once in the classroom, keep your position and the mask.

For those who cannot join, the course will also be held on the TEAMS platform. Students can join using this code:

nkbk2gy

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is organised into four Didactic Units (UD):

UD1 – Policy analysis: Basic concepts

UD2 – Policy Design

UD3 – Policy Evaluation: Frameworks, Instruments and Critical issues

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Attending students

Dente B. (2011), Le decisioni di policy, il Mulino, Bologna

Additional readings will be assigned by the lecturer.

Non attending students

Dente B. (2011), Le decisioni di policy, il Mulino, Bologna

Busetti S. e Dente B. (2018) EXPOst. Le conseguenze di un grande evento, il Mulino, Bologna.

Suggested reading for all students

Hirschman, A. O. (1991). The rhetoric of reaction. Harvard University Press. (Ed. it. Retoriche dell’intransigenza, il Mulino, Bologna).