MSc Public Policy

The aim of this class is to introduce students to the concepts, theories, institutions, and processes of regulatory governance. The course is designed to provide students with analytical tools to understand the interactions between actors and institutions forming contemporary governance systems.

This class investigates theories of the policy making process. After taking this class you will be able to describe, and perhaps even influence, real-world policy making.

The MSc dissertation is assessed by means of an academic or practice-based project.

This class provides an overview of the ever-expanding field of qualitative methods in Political Science, International Relations and Policy Studies. A variety of data collection/generation and analytical methods will be examined, and situated within different traditions/paradigms of social research.

Throughout this class, we'll examine how these methods can be applied in students’ own research projects.

This class revolves around the different aims for conducting comparative policy analysis such as explaining the variation of policy output and outcome across different institutional, economic, social and cultural settings, generalising a given theory of policy process in different geographical contexts and by taking time into consideration, as well as capturing the interdependence of countries. Units of analysis include countries, states/regions, local governments, and international organisations.

Students will be introduced to concepts, research design, and methods.

This class introduces participants to the use of quantitative methods in social research; in particular, the logic and language of empirical analysis, the principal types of quantitative data (official statistics and surveys), and the use of software packages for statistical analysis.

This class describes how analysts may better help decision-makers to better understand problems in the public and the private sphere. The class demonstrates a range of low-cost analysis tools which help to formulate and structure messy societal problems.

This class trains participants in the design, application, presentation, and critical evaluation of quantitative political research using relevant software packages for statistical analysis.

The purpose of this class is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the concepts and theoretical approaches central to understanding and analysing the role of international institutions and regimes in the contemporary world.

This class will survey a variety of international institutions and regimes, exploring how they shape global interactions in a number of cross-cutting issue areas such as security, trade, human rights and the environment. The overall analysis will contribute to the understanding of the theories, practices and processes through which global politics are organised and to an assessment of the future of international institutions and regimes in global governance. 

This class seeks to examine the EU system of governance through the lenses of democracy, legitimacy and efficiency. Examining key processes, policy areas and proposals for reform, participants will be encouraged to consider the role of the EU and the nature of its relationship with its public.

This class looks at how the interplay between economic and politics shapes societies. It familiarises students with models of capitalism and the diversity of political economy traditions amongst states. It also explores the interface between domestic and supranational political economies - the competitive struggle between member states to shape EU economic policy, and the constraints that EU policy places on the governance of the domestic economy.

Security is an overarching concern of contemporary times. The late 20th century saw radical changes to the concept of security. No longer primarily focused on war between nation-states, security threats became far more varied and a-symmetrical, with increased attention paid to counter-terrorism and cyber-security. Contemporaneously, the concept of national security expanded to incorporate not only ‘traditional’ threats from hostile actors, but a host of issues ranging from the impact of climate change, natural disasters, resource security and even recession. Security has become increasingly globalised and interconnected in threat and response while also increasingly recruiting the populace to be ‘secure citizens’.

In this class we'll analyse today's key security challenges, looking at the shifting definition of security, 'traditional security' in the 21st century, human security and humanitarian intervention, refugee and migrant security, terrorism and counter-terrorism, protective security, cyber-security and climate change and security.

This class aims to introduce students to current debates in international relations theory. The academic discipline of international relations has developed its own distinctive theoretical traditions, as well as drawing on other fields, and learning about these traditions will help students navigate and make sense of competing claims about world politics and the best way to make sense of it.

Students will be encouraged to reflect critically on the strengths and weaknesses of rival thought frameworks, and on their application and purpose, to gain the theoretical understanding needed to understand international relations materials.

Cities and regions are instruments of economic growth. This module examines the processes of economic and regional development which occur in city-regions. The module presents a strategic management perspective on managing the diverse assets of cities, including the human resource component, the industrial organization of the city, and factors of production necessary for growth.

Networks are a critical part of modern day life. Networks inform the way we govern and the way we structure our critical techniques such as roads, water and power. Operating strategically within a network is a critical component of practice for many professional occupations whether public, private, or non-profit.