Code
Weight of the course
Period
Course Leader
Lecturer
Teaching Methods
Modes of Assessment
Contact
ISS-4142
12 ECTS
TERM 1
Des Gasper and Wil Hout
Des Gasper, Georgina Gomez, Bert Helmsing, Wil Hout, Rosalba
Icaza, Karim Knio, Peter Knorringa, Joop de Wit
Participatory Lecture, Tutorials, Workshops, Study Visits
Written Exam: 45%, Assignment(s): 40% (incl. Presentation 10%),
Group Assignment: 15%
Cisca Vorselman
Learning objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will have obtained

Knowledge of governance arrangements, their main arenas (local, national and international) and actors (from the public and private sectors and civil society) and their interactions;

Knowledge of the basics of policy processes, as well as the way the way policies are framed, influenced and implemented;

Knowledge of the way in which power affects the relations between actors in governance and policy processes, and in politics from local to global levels;

Skills to start to apply this knowledge to academic and policy-related governance problems;

Strengthened ability to formulate judgements on governance problems, in relation to the social and ethical issues involved; and

The ability to present their views on governance issues to general and specialized audiences.
Course description
The core course of the Major in Governance, Policy and Political Economy provides a broad introduction to governance issues across the public, private and civil-society domains. It highlights that governance issues cannot usually be understood by reference to any one of these domains in isolation, and that attention to multiple processes and various actors is necessary in order to get a good understanding of the real problems involved. Perspectives and concepts from traditional disciplines of political science, economics and sociology, and from cross-cutting areas like policy studies, network theory and social movements studies, each provide relevant insights.
The course is structured as a set of interrelated components. It starts with discussions of relevant concepts and approaches in the field of the Major, including from the disciplines of sociology, political science and economics. The second part looks in turn at major actors and arenas, including state organisations and other public goods providers, private corporations and business associations, and civil society organisations. The third part of the course situates governance issues in relation to processes of development, and with reference to their impacts on inequality, inclusion, exclusion and social justice. The final part is a collective group project, to deepen students’ understanding of governance issues across the various arenas.
Indicative readings
Colebatch, H.K. (2009) Policy (3rd edn). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Hall, P.A. and D. Soskice (2001) Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative
Advantage . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Haque, A.S. and H. Zafarullah (eds) (2006) International Development Governance . New York:
Marcel Dekker.
Levi-Faur, D. (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Governance .
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Stubbs,R. and G.R.D. Underhill (eds) (2005) Political Economy and the Changing Global Order (3 rd edn). Oxford: Oxford University Press.