Shaping public policy: contexts and processes
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | Includes residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown.
Summary
This course provides you with an education in critical awareness of, and engagement with, the policy process in the public domain, its global trends and local contexts. It has been designed to meet the needs of policy makers, managers and practitioners in international, national and local public and voluntary sectors, quasi-governmental and private agencies. The course makes a major contribution to understanding how to maintain, lead and manage change in the formulation, operation and delivery of the policy process in a range of policy and public management fields. In particular, it develops the intellectual, academic, cognitive and practical skills needed to negotiate the complex and challenging contemporary policy world.
Course content
The course seeks to provide a critical understanding of policy processes in the public domain, and the key challenges facing those engaged in public and quasi-public administration and management decision-making. It is aimed at managers and decision makers engaged in the formulation and implementation of public policy, and those involved in its delivery and evaluation. You may be a professional engaged in policy processes and service management; or you may be career manager with a finance, operations, marketing or HR background. You may be working in a wide range of contexts – in central, regional and local government; in an independent agency, whether international, national or local; or in a social enterprise, consulting organisation or private company working in the public domain.
The course examines global trends in policy and governance, and how they are playing out in different fields (for example, health and social care, criminal justice, defence, regional and local services, international public action, education and central agencies).
Contents include:
- theories of policy making and the policy cycle
- governance in a global context
- privatisation, modernisation and other approaches to public sector reform
- the political economy of public policy, including functional, local and regional decentralisation and devolution
- changing modes of financing and budgetary control; accounting and managing across boundaries, cross-cutting regulation in international, national and local contexts
- policy implementation, public involvement and partnership
- non-governmental organisations and social enterprise as policy and service intermediaries
- policy games of cooperation, competition and delivery; prospects for networked governance
- strategic leadership and values management in the public realm.
The emphasis throughout is for you to use course ideas to understand better your own experience of policy work and the challenges often involved. The core material draws on generic theories, debates and issues in public policy. However, the pace of change in public policy challenges conventional pedagogic approaches. To overcome this, the course uses online resources and networking to present current developments in different contexts, when and where appropriate.
You will learn
- To apply a range of models and theories to illuminate policy-making processes and behaviour that you are involved in or affected by.
- To explain to colleagues the sources and significance of major trends in and affecting governance and public policy (such as globalisation, multi-level governance, and the digital revolution), and the potential impacts these trends may have in relation to your own field of work.
- To appraise a wide range of policy tools and approaches in relation to issues in your own field of work, recognising the different ways they may be used and the potential costs and dysfunctions as well as benefits. Such tools and approaches will include regulation, audit, measurement, partnership, the use of contracting and quasi-markets, and taxation.
- To prepare, reflect on and appraise initiatives to contribute to institutional renewal in the public domains (or otherwise to deliver public policy) using appropriate concepts of strategy and leadership to explore the issues involved.
Vocational relevance
This course provides a management education in public policy that includes the development of a range of vocationally-relevant cognitive, practical and professional skills, including the ability to:
- formulate tensions, conflicting views and unstructured issues in constructive ways (e.g. as dilemmas)
- think creatively and manage creative processes in self and others
- undertake analysis and critical appraisal of policy documents and present reports in a clear and systematic manner
- solve problems and progress decisions through appropriate methods and processes
- demonstrate awareness of statistical techniques relevant to policy work and of what their application is likely to involve
- demonstrate an understanding of information and data in quantitative and qualitative contexts
- use information and communication technologies (ICT) in information gathering, consensus-building, problem solving and networking
- communicate effectively through different media, and perform more effectively within teams
- recognise ethical challenges and dilemmas in relation to organisational values, situations and choices
- conduct desk research into public policy within a chosen policy field
- appraise personal priorities for further learning and development in the light of the issues and concepts presented in the course.
Residential school
Satisfactory attendance is required if you want to gain credit for this course. The cost of the residential school is included in the course fee. See our Residential Schools website for more information.
Entry
You can take this course on its own or as part of our Master of Public Administration programme. To register for the MPA you must, normally, have a degree or equivalent professional qualification, and you must have a minimum of three years’ experience in a managerial, professional or technical role. Usually this means that you are at least 25 years old. If you are taking the course as part of an MPA, we expect you to have already completed Stage 1. If you are taking the course on its own and have not studied for some time, you might find it helpful to take courses such as Managing people (BZX642) (Module 1 and Module 2 from the Professional Certificate in Management) before you tackle study at this level. You could also look at Fundamentals of senior management (B713) or the Professional Diploma in Management materials to give you some idea of the level of work required by this course. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Outside the UK
The course has a strong international dimension and encourages comparisons between different jurisdictions, institutional arrangements and government cultures. If you are studying outside the UK you will not be disadvantaged – indeed, you are seen as bringing important knowledge and experience to the course community.
Preparatory work
There is no formal preparatory work, but the course assumes a capacity for graduate level study and a willingness to engage with ideas drawn from a range of social sciences. Supporting resources (e.g., a glossary, a selection of study skills toolkits are available if you feel that you have a weakness in a particular area).
Qualifications
B856 is a compulsory course in our
B856 is an optional course in our
- MBA (F02)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice (C72)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Development Management (D37)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Thinking in Practice (E28)
- MA in Social Sciences (F09)
- MSc in Development Management (F11)
- MSc in Strategic Management of Information Systems (F54)
- MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice (F47)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. The written course material is available in comb-bound format. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. After you have registered you will receive detailed information about the residential school site and the facilities available to help with the academic programme.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklets Meeting Your Needs and Meeting your residential school needs, which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course texts, study guides, course reader, online and other digital-based media, online forums.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the final course starting date in November 2010.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Business and Management and Health and Social Care.
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Student Reviews
Where to start? Overall an okay course with some strengths around the growing role of partnerships in the public sector ...
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