National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68) for Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Author of the syllabus: Tawat Mahama, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy and
Research Fellow, Centre for Advanced Studies mahama.tawat@otago.ac.nz
)
Approved by the meeting of the all-university Department of Public Policy on (day/month/year) «___»____________ 2015
Head of department:
Nina Belyaeva (signature)
1

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Moscow, 2015
This syllabus cannot be used by other university departments and other higher education institutions without the explicit permission of the Department of Public Policy.
2

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
1
The present program outlines minimum demands of students’ knowledge and skills and the content of the course.
This syllabus meets the standards required by:
● Standards of National Research University Higher School of Economics of Federal Masters’ Degree
Program 030200.68 “Political Science”,
● Master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’ of Federal Master’s Degree Program 030200.68
“Political Science”,
● Curriculum of the master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’ as of 2015.
The syllabus is intended for the department teaching this course, its teaching assistants, and students of the degree program 030201.68 ‘Political Science’, master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public
Policy’.
2
Learning objectives of the course are:
To provide students with a solid grasp of the basic concepts, historical backgrounds, theoretical perspectives and the practice of comparative public policy. Some of the questions that the course will seek to answer are:
What is comparative public policy?
Why compare public policies?
What are the main questions in such policy domains as healthcare, pension, family, trade and so on?
How can we explain variations in policy responses across countries?
How can a public management reform be successfully carried out ?
Which theoretical perspectives can be usefully applied to project implementation?
3

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
3
As a result of studying of the discipline the student should:
-Know the basics of political theory, the basic concepts of public policy (government, public policy and the public sphere, the state, democracy, civil society), the theoretical and methodological approaches to political research, methodology of public policy analysis
-Be able to apply the concepts and methods of political research in the applied areas of public policy analysis
-Have the skills (to gain experience) of writing analytical documents (papers, reports, and memos) in several areas of public policy
The following knowledge and competences are needed to study the discipline:
-Good analytical skills
-Medium to advanced English language skills
-Successful completion of Theories and Methodology of Political Science and Contemporary Political
Science.
Competence
NC/NRU-
HSE
Code
Descriptors
(indicators for achieving the result)
Forms and methods of education which help the students to acquire the competence
Ability to generate concepts and theoretical models, to test new methods and tools for professional activities
SC-2 70 percent in the cohort has achieved at least 5 over 10
Seminars, independent work, group work, tests
Ability to analyze, verify, estimate the accuracy of information in his/her professional activities.
Ability to fill in the gaps, to synthesize the missing information and to work in uncertainty
SC-6
70 percent in the cohort has achieved at least 5 over 10
Seminars, independent work, group work, tests
4

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Ability analytical
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy” to prepare materials
(reviews, notes, reports, recommendations, etc) and policy proposals for decision-makers.
PC-6 70 percent in the cohort has achieved at least 5 over 10
Seminars, independent work, group work, tests
4
This discipline is one of the general disciplines for the program.
This discipline is the basic one for specialization "Political Analysis and Public Policy"
The main propositions of the discipline to be used later in the study the following subjects:
● Quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis
● Global actors in public policy
● Think tanks as policy actors
● Development policy
● Defense policy and civil-military relations
● Social policy and welfare state
● State policy in the field of inter-ethnic relations (migration and national minority)
● SRS "Methods and organization of public policy analysis"
Main competences developed by studying this discipline can be used to study the following disciplines:
Social P olicy, comparative social policy
Economics
Public Management and governance
Development studies
Public health
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National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Political Economy
Political Sociology
5.
№
Topic
1. Policy Processes in Comparative Perspective. The comparative method. Focused Comparison: Caseoriented Vs Variable-oriented comparison
2 Regulatory policies
3 Redistributive policies
4
Morality policies
5 Policy analysis: the tendering process, drafting a policy document: analysis, report, working paper, briefing, article.
6 Policy implementation and evaluation
7 Public management reforms
Total
4
4
4
4
28
4
4
4
Total hours
Contact hours
Indepennt students’ work
Lectures Seminars
2 2
2
2
2
2
2
2
14
2
2
2
2
2
2
14 92
6

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Type of grading
Type of work 1 st.year
Current Essay
1
Department Characteristics
2 3 4
1 AUDPP The student is expected to show on the one hand, craft in writing and good presentation and should, if necessary, liaise with the Writing Centre for assistance. On the other hand, he or she is expected to show an understanding of theoretical, methodological and thematic issues and the ability to expose them in a convincing manner. This exercise counts for 20 %
Current Groupwork 1 AUDPP This will consist in a presentation of approximately 30 minutes including the questions and answers session and count for 20%. It will be the result of group work by three or four students on a policy topic.
Final Exam 4 AUDPP The final paper counts for 40 %.
6.1 Course Evaluation Criteria
Students will be assessed on the following four criteria:
1. Participation . This amounts to 20% of the module grade and assesses the level of participation of each student: activity and quality. This includes a one-page reading notes relating to a seminar question that students should email before each meeting.
2. One mid-term paper of about 15 pages. This will count for (20%) of the grade. It will deal with topics examined in lectures and seminars during the previous three or four weeks. The paper is a significant piece of research work. The student is expected to show on the one hand, craft in writing
7

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy” and good presentation and should, if necessary, liaise with the Writing Centre for assistance. On the other hand, he or she is expected to show an understanding of theoretical, methodological and empirical issues and the ability to expose them in a convincing manner. Late submissions will be penalised. I will be available for advice throughout the semester at my office hours or through appointment. Details and adjustments will be provided prior to the beginning of the course.
3. Oral presentation. (homework) This will last 30 minutes including questions and answers and count for 20%. It will be the result of group work by three or four students on a policy topic. Details and adjustments will be provided at the beginning of the course.
4. Final paper (40%) 15-20 pages. The final paper will focus on the topics examined in the last part
(March) of the module.
Note:
Students who fail to attend at least 25% of the classes may receive additional work.
Plagiarism, forgery, or fabrication of data and results are strictly prohibited and may bring students disciplinary penalties ranging from a reprimand and an unsatisfactory grade up to expulsion from the University.
7
As the subject of this discipline is in the process of permanent evolution and academic publications get outdated quickly, students are advised to follow the latest developments in several academic journals on the topic, available at the HSE library, such as Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Comparative
Policy Analaysis, Comparative Politics, Policy and Society, Critical Policy Studies, Journal of European
Public Policy etc., as well as in the general media, on the internet and around them, “in the street”.
Topic 1. The Comparative Method: Ontology and methodology in social science research. Why compare? Heuristic differences and similarities between focused comparison, the case study, and statistical analysis. The background and tenets of the comparative historical analysis (qualitative comparative analysis). Mill's Indirect Method of Agreement and Difference: background, principles, advantages and pitfalls.
M ost similar designs, most-different desi gns.
Configurational Comparative Methods (crisp-set
QCA, multi-valueQCA, fuzzy-setQCA, Boolian language, sufficiency and necessity of variables, choice of variables/the formation of configurations, process-tracing and forms of historical analysis, correlation, multifinality, equifinality, randomness, QCA softwares.
Statistical inference, variations and distributions of frequency (policy convergence). Group work and exercises.
Required readings:
Page, Edward, C. (2006) "The origins of policy" in Moran, Michael and Rein, Martin and Goodin, Robert
E., (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Public Policy , Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Donald L. Horowitz (1989) “Is there a Third World Policy Process?”
Policy Sciences , Vol. 22, No.3/4 , pp.
197-212.
8

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Lijphart, Arend (1975) “The Comparable-Cases Strategy in Comparative Research”,
Comparative Political
Studies , Vol. 8, No 2, 158-177.
Sartori Giovanni (1970) Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics, American Political Science
Review , Vol. 64, No. 4, 1033-1053. Available here: http://dcpis.upf.edu/~raimundoviejo/docencia/girona/Sartori.pdf
Engeli, Isabelle and Rothmayr A. Christine eds. (2014) Conceptual and Methodological Challenges in
Comparative Public Policy, London: Palgrave, chapter 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Marx, Axel, Benoît Rihoux and Charles C. Ragin (2013) ‘The Origins, Development and Application of
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): The First 25 Years’,
European Political Science Review , 6 (1),
115–42.
Optional readings
Przeworski, Adam and Teune, Henry (1970) The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry, New York: Wiley-
Interscience.
Lijphart , Arend
(1971) “Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method”,
American Political Science
Review , Vol. 65, No 3.
Barbara Geddes (1990) “How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get: Selection Bias in
Comparative Politics,” in James A. Stimson ed. Political Analysis , Vol. II, Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, 131-150.
Tarrow, Sydney (2010) The Strategy of Paired Comparison: Toward a Theory of Practice, Comparative
Political Studies, Vol. 43, No 2, 235-237.
King, Gary, Keohane, Robert and Verba, Sidney (1994). Designing Social Inquiry. Scientific Inference in
Qualitative Research , Princeton: University Press.
Howard, Peter (2010) “Triangulating Debates within the Field: Teaching International Relations Research
Methodology”,
International Studies Perspectives , Vol. 11, No 4.
George, Alexander, L. and Bennett, Andrew (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social
Sciences , Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Hague, Rod, and Martin Harrop (2013) Political Science: A Comparative Introduction, 7 th
edition .
Palgrave.
Birkland Thomas (2011) A. An Introduction to the Policy Process. Theories, Concepts, and Models of
Public Policy Making . New York: M.E.Sharpe.
Mahoney, James and Rueschemeyer, Dietrich eds. (2003) Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social
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National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Sciences : Cambridge University Press.
Anckar, Carsten (2008) "On the Applicability of the Most Similar Systems Design and the Most Different
Systems Design in Comparative Research." International Journal of Social Research Methodology 11 (5):
389-401.
Savolainen, Jukka (1994) "The Rationality of Drawing Big Conclusions Based on Small Samples: In
Defense of Mill's Methods." Social Forces 72 (4), 1217-24.
Lieberson, Stanley (1994) "More on the Uneasy Case for Using Mill-Type Methods in Small-N
Comparative Studies." Social Forces, 72 (4):12, 25-37.
Skocpol, Theda (1979) States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and
China . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Moore, Jr., Barrington (1993) [First published 1966]. Social origins of dictatorship and democracy: lord and peasant in the making of the modern world (with a new foreword by Edward Friedman and James C.
Scott ed.), Boston: Beacon Press.
Putnam, Robert, D.; Leonardi, Robert and Nanetti, Raffaella, Y. (1993) Making Democracy Work: Civic
Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. de Tocqueville, Alexis (1862) (1946) Democracy in America translated by Henry Reeve, edited with an introduction by Henry Steele Commager, London: Oxford University Press.
Mill, John Stuart. 1974b [1843]. “Of the Four Methods of Experimental Inquiry.” In Book 3, Chapter 8, cinative and Inductive, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
COMPASSS (COMPArative Methods for Systematic cross-caSe analySis) Website. http://www.compasss.org/about.htm
http://www.compasss.org/about.htm
http://www.compasss.org/about.htm
David Levi-Faur’s homepage on the comparative method http://poli.haifa.ac.il/~levi/method.html
Ragin, Charles, C. (1987) The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative
Strategies , Berkeley: University of California Press.
Topic 2. Regulatory Policies
Theoretical perspectives on regulation. What are the factors that underpin policy convergence or divergence of regulatory policies in the field of telecommunications, electricity, trade and envoironmental protection. The European Union as examplar.
Jordana, Jacint and Levi-Faur, David (eds) The Politics of Regulation: Institutions and Regulatory
Reforms for the Age of Governance , Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (chapters 1-2 and 8-10).
10

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Knill, Christoph (2006). Cross-National Policy Convergence: Causes, Concepts and Empirical Findings.
Journal of European Public Policy , Special Issue 12 [5].
Optional readings:
Holzinger, Katharina, Christoph Knill, and Thomas Sommerer (2008) ‘Environmental Policy
Convergence: The Impact of International Harmonization, Transnational Communication, and Regulatory
Competition’, International Organization , 62 (4), 553–87.
Knill, Christoph, Schulze, Kai, Tosun, Jale (2012) Regulatory Policy Outputs and Impacts: Exploring a
Complex Relationship, Regulation and Governance 6 (4), 427-444.
Bennett, Colin J. (1991) ‘Review Article: What Is Policy Convergence and What Causes It?’,
British
Journal of Political Science , 21 (2), 215–33.
Topic 3. Distributive and Redistributive Policies
Typology of welfare regimes in developed countries. How and why do national responses vary?
The politics of retrenchment in the West: economic globalization, immigration, aging and the sustainability of the welfare state. Activation policies in a comparative perspective. Is there an
Asian or Russian welfare regime? Can poor countries afford a welfare system? Group work and comparative policy analysis.
Gøsta Esping-Andersen (1990)
The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Cambridge: Polity Press, and
Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Huck-Ju Kwon (1997) Beyond European Welfare Regimes: Comparative Perspectives on East Asian
Welfare Systems, Journal of Social Policy , 26, 467-484.
Pierson, Paul (1996) ‘The New Politics of the Welfare State’,
World Politics , 48 (2), 143–79.
Thandika Mkandawire (ed) (2004). Social Policy in a Development Context [Online] Available at:http://www.palgraveconnect.com/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9780230523975 (Accessed: 28 July 2014).
Optional readings:
Hacker, Jacob S. (2004) ‘Review Article: Dismantling the Health Care State? Political Institutions, Public
Policies and the Comparative Politics of Health Reform’,
British Journal of Political Science , 34 (4), 693–
724.
Rueschemeyer, Marilyn, Ornstein, Mitchell and Cook, Linda (1999) eds. Left Parties and Social Policy in
Post-Communist Europe ", Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Sainsbury, Diane (2006)
Immigrants’ Social Rights in Comparative Perspective: Welfare Regimes, Forms in Immigration and Immigration Policy Regimes, Journal of European Social Policy, 16 (3), 229-244.
11

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Saxonberg, Steven (2014) Gendering Family Policies in Post-Communist Europe. A
Historical-Institutional Analysis , London: Palgrave.
Heidenheimer, Arnold, Heclo Hugh and Carolyne T. Addams (1990) Comparative Public Policy: The
Politics of Social Choice in America , Europe and Japan
, 3rd edn., New York: St Martin’s Press.
Kvist, Jon and Greve, Bent (2011) Has the Nordic Welfare Model Been Transformed? Social Policy &
Administration , 45: 146–160.
Considine, Mark (2001) Enterprising States: The Public Management of Welfare-to-Work , Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Jensen, Carsten, Knill, Christoph, Schulze Kai, Tosun, Jale (2014). Giving Less by Doing More: Solving the Paradox of Retrenchment. Journal of European Public Policy , 21 (4), 528-548.
Kvist, Jon. (2002) ‘Activating welfare states. How social policies can promote employment’, in J. Clasen
(ed.), What Future for Social Security? Debates and Reforms in National and Cross-National Perspectives,
Bristol: Policy Press.
Hubert , Evelyn; Stephens, John, D.; Bradley, David, Moller, Stephanie and Nielsen, Francois (2003)
“Distribution and Redistribution in Post-Industrial Democracies”
World Politics , 55 (2), 193-208.
Clausen, Jochen and Clegg, David (2006) Beyond activation: reforming European unemployment protection systems in post-industrial labour markets , European Societies , 8, 4, 555-581.
Rothstein, Bo (1998) Just Institutions Matter : The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare
State , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Topic 4. Morality Policies
What are the tenets of the debates over issues such as cell-stem, gambling, abortion, prostitution, drug, same-sex marriage that involve moral judgment? What are patterns of policy choice and developments? Is religion impact so important as often argued ? Comparative analyses of two or more countries.
Required readings:
Knill, Christoph (2013). Morality Policies in Europe: Concepts, Theories, and Empirical Evidence. Journal of European Public Policy , Special Issue 20 [3].
Engeli, Isabelle, Christopher Green-Pedersen and Lars Thurop Larsen (2012) Morality Politics in Western
Europe. Parties, Agenda and Policy Choices , London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Optional readings:
Bucken-Knapp, Gregg and Karlsson Schaffer, J. (2008) “Prostitution Policy Reform and the Causal Role of Ideas: A Comparative Study of Policymaking in the Nordic Countries”
Statsvetenskaplig Tidskrift, Vol.
110, No. 1, 59-65.
12

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Knill, Christoph; Preidel, Caroline, Nebel, Kerstin (2014) Brake Rather Than Barrier: The Impact of the
Catholic Church on Morality Policies in Western Europe. West European Politics.
Saxonberg, Steven (2014) Gendering Family Policies in Post-Communist Europe. A
Historical-Institutional Analysis , London: Palgrave.
Topic 5. Policy Analysis Exercise
The tendering process. Types of policy analysis: report, memo, briefing article, research article, working paper, systematic review. Policy analysis exercise.
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE). The Writing guide. The HKS Communications Program
Harvard Kennedy School. http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/degreeprograms/oca/Communications/pae-guide.pdf
Research for Development (R4D) Department of International Development (UK) http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/
Topic 6. Policy Implementation and Evaluation
Implementation failure (top-down approach, bottom-up approach, the synthetisers, organizational design, functionalist approach). The rationale of policy evaluation. Models of evaluation: selfevaluation, external evaluation, accrual accounting, cost-benefit analysis, effectiveness, efficiency, policy feedback, randomized control trials… Exercises of evaluation of policy implementation in two or more countries.
Required readings:
Eduardo Araral, Scott Fritzen, Michael Howlett, M Ramesh, Xun Wu (eds.) Handbook of Public Policy ,
New York: Routledge, parts 7 and 8.
Hill, Michael, J. and Hupe, Peter, L. (2002) Implementing Public Policy: Governance in Theory and in
Practice , London: Sage Press (all chapters).
MacDonald G, Starr G, Schooley M, Yee SL, Klimowski K, Turner K. (2001) Introduction to Program
Evaluation for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. Atlanta (GA) : Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tobacco_control_programs/surveillance_evaluation/evaluation_manual/pdfs/e valuation.pdf
13

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Optional readings:
Lipsky, Michael (1980) Street-Level Bureaucracy , New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Wildavsky, Aaron and Pressman, Jeffrey, L. (1973) Implementation: How Great Expectations in Washing ton are Dashed in Oakland; Or, Why it’s Amazing that Federal Programs Work at All , This Being a Saga of the Economic Development Administration as Told by Two sympathetic Observers Who Seek to Build
Morals on a Foundation of Ruined Hopes , Berkeley: University of California Press.
Wilson, James, Q. (2000) Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It , New York:
Basic Books
Peters, B. Guy (1995) The Politics of Bureaucracy: A Comparative Perspective , 4th edition, London:
Longmans.
Matland, Richard, E. (1995) “Synthesizing the Implementation Literature: The Ambiguity-Conflict Model of Policy Implementation”, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory , Vol. 5, No 2, 145-174.
O’Toole, Laurence J., Jr (2000) “Research on Policy Implementation: Assessment and Prospects” Journal of Policy Administration and Theory , Vol. 10, No 2, 263-288.
Sabatier, Paul (1986) “Top-Down and Bottom-up Models of Policy Implementation: A Critical Analysis and Suggested Synthesis”, Journal of Public Policy , Vol. 6, No 1, 21-48.
Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc, Ray C. Rist and Evert Vedung eds. (1998) Carrots, Sticks and Sermons:
Policy Instruments and Their Evaluation New Brunswick, N.J., Transaction Publishers.
Vedung, Evert (2010) Four Waves of Evaluation, Evaluation , 16(3), 263-277.
Topic 7. Public Management Reforms
Approaches to public management reforms: New Public Management, good governance/quality of government/state capacity and neo-Weberian Bureaucracy. Workshop on implementation of reforms.
Required readings:
Hyden, Goran Court, Julius and Meese, Kenneth (2003) ‘The Bureaucracy and Governance in 16
Developing Countries’.
World Governance Survey Discussion Paper 7. http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/4104.pdf
Pollitt, Christopher and Bouckaert, Geert. (2004 ) Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis ,
2nd. edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapters 1-5
14

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
Andrews, Matt (2013) The Limits of Institutional Reform in Development . New York: Cambridge
University Press, chapters 1-2.
Lapuente, Victor and Bo Rothstein (2014). "Civil War Spain versus Swedish Harmony: The Quality of
Government Factor". Comparative Political Studies 47(10), 1416-1441.
Optional readings:
Weber, Max (1947) The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations , New York: Free Press .
Gauld, Robin and Goldfinch Shaun (2006) Dangerous Enthusiasms: e-government, computer failure and information system development , Dunedin: Otago University Press (Reprinted December 2012).
Fukuyama, Francis (2011). Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French
Revolution ,New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. http://www.cgdev.org/files/1426906_file_Fukuyama_What_Is_Governance.pdf
The Nordic Countries, the Next Supermodel, The Economist, 2 February 2013 http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21571136-politicians-both-right-and-left-could-learn-nordiccountries-next-supermodel
Goldfinch, Shaun and Wallis, Joe eds. (2009) International Handbook of Public Management Reform ,
London: Edward Elgar.
Acemoglu, Daron; Johnson, Simon; Querubin, Pablo and Robinson, James A (2008) When Does Policy
Reform Work - The Case of Central Bank Independence, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, (1), 351-
418.
Rothstein, Bo and Teorell, Jan (2008), What Is Quality of Government? A Theory of Impartial Government
Institutions, Governance , 21, 165–190.
Goldfinch, Shaun., DeRouen, Karl and Pospieszna, Paulina. (2013), Flying Blind? Evidence for Good
Governance Public Management Reform Agendas, Implementation and Outcomes in Low Income
Countries, Public Administration and Development 33: 50–61.
Fukuyama, Francis (2012). ‘What is Governance?’ The Governance Blog,
Governance: An International
Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions (follow discussion thread on the Blog).
Schick, Allan (1998) “Why Most Developing Countries Should Not Try New Zealand Reforms”,
World
Bank Research Observer , Vol. 13, No 8, 123–131.
Tawat, Mahama (2012) New Public Management in New Zealand: The Past, Present and Future of the
Great Experiment, International Public Management Review , Vol. 14, Issue 2.
15

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
8.
8.1 Recommendations for Students
Instructions will be provided to the students as an annex to the syllabus.
9.
Provisional Topics for Continuous Assessment (essays):
- Critical review of two required readings.
- Group work: comparative analysis of a policy issue in two countries.
- Identification of main questions in a policy domain.
1. Discuss the differences and similarities between policy processes in two countries of your choices.
2. Write a policy report on implementation obstacles in a distributive, regulatory or morality policy of your choice in two or more countries
3. Write a policy briefing on a topical issue?
4. Make a comparative policy analysis of a public health issue in two countries based on either MSDO (most similar/different outcome) or MDSO (most different/similar outcome). Apply the Configurational
Comparative Method.
5. Are social policy and economic growth incompatible? Discuss in the light of examples drawn from developed and developing countries. Use the comparative historical analysis method.
Specific information will be giving prior to the course beginning.
16

National Research University – Higher School of Economics
All-university Department of Public Policy
Syllabus of the course (Comparative Public Policy ) for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68), Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”
10.
10% Participation, 30% Midterm paper, 20% Homework, 40% Final Essay. With the exception of clerical errors, there will be no change of grades after posting.
Cumulative grade for current work formula is:
О current
= 0,2
·О participation
+ 0,3
·O homework
+ 0,5·О essay
;
Final cumulative grade formula is:
О final grade
= 0,4·О final essay
+ 0,6·О current
Only the final grade goes into your Master Degree certificate.
Mentioned in course description.
Instructions will be provided to the students as an annex to the syllabus.
17