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How do governments address real-world problems such as health crises, climate change, and social inequity? Public policy broadly refers to government goals, decisions, and actions/inactions made on behalf of the public to address perceived issues, and policy analysis entails examining and evaluating the available options. This course introduces students to public policy and policy analysis, with an overview of power and rationality, colonialism, institutions, theories of policy change, citizen participation, policy learning, and more. Over the term we will devote particular focus to Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and small pacific states. This course is part of the public policy subdiscipline of the Political Science degree, is co-coded with Human Services, and is also relevant to a number of other degrees across the university.
1. Understand core concepts and major approaches of public policy and policy analysis; 2. Comprehend public policy as both an applied field and academic discipline; 3. Describe the relationships between actors, institutions, and public policy processes; 4. Articulate the values and interests that underpin policy views; 5. Understand how colonialism and policy-making relate; 6. Conduct independent policy research and analysis; 7. Develop individual advanced reading, research, writing, and critical thinking skills;8. Apply policy tools and concepts independently to real-world issues; 9. Discern the differences between public policy in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and pacific states.
Any 15 points at 100 level from HLTH, HSRV, orPOLS, orany 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA, orLAWS, GEOG, orthe Schedule V of the BCom.
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Lin Mussell
Cairney, P; Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues ; 2nd edition; Bloomsbury, 2019.
Reading materials will be available on Learn and at the university library.
Domestic fee $894.00
International fee $4,100.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .