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POLS449 offers an advanced examination of social policy issues from a comparative context. Students will examine a range of "wicked policy problems" (problems that are complex and hard to solve) and governance issues. Students will learn how and why issues are labelled as particularly challenging, analyse a range of responses that have been labelled as successes and failures, and hear from differently situated people in support or opposition of these responses, to understand and gain lessons for future and continuing policy analysts and decision-makers. Over the semester students will engage with key conceptual, methodological, and theoretical challenges that have sparked research seeking to evaluate, explain, and design effective public policy. Importantly, students will engage with critical literature which unpacks assumptions of wicked problem literature and discussions, challenges mainstream policy approaches, and seeks alternative futures.
POLS449 offers an advanced examination of policy issues (problems that needs government action) from a comparative context, with focus on Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and pacific states. Students will examine a range of complex and "wicked policy problems" (problems that are interconnected and hard to solve) and governance issues, including in areas of the justice system, health, housing, poverty, environment, education, technology, and more. Students will learn how and why issues are labelled as particularly challenging, analyse a range of responses that have been labelled as successes and failures, and learn from differently situated people in support or opposition of these responses, to understand and gain lessons for future and continuing analysts and leaders. Over the semester students will engage with key conceptual, methodological, and theoretical challenges that have sparked research seeking to evaluate, explain, and design effective public policy. Importantly, students will engage with literature which unpacks assumptions of wicked problem literature and discussions, challenges mainstream policy approaches, and seeks alternative futures. In addition to masters of policy and governance students, students from a range of disciplines outside political science may find this course of interest.
Subject to approval by the Head of Department
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Lin Mussell
Domestic fee $2,169.00
International Postgraduate fees
* 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.
Maximum enrolment is 30
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .