Draft, 20 September
Course title: PUBLIC POLICY
Course number: JSM501, Fall Semester 2010/11
Course website: http://www.martinpotucek.cz/vyuka_vp.html
Volume of instruction: 2/1
Number of credits: 9
Course leader: Prof. Martin Potůček, PhD. http://www.martinpotucek.cz
Consultations to be booked electronically at http://cinefogo.cuni.cz/terms.
Seminars for Faculty of Social Sciences students:
Seminars coordinator, Assistant & Head of Seminar Group A (Room J 3019): Mgr. Daniel
Messele Balcha, contact: danielmessele@gmail.com
Assistant, Seminar Group A: Mgr. Antonín Tym, contact: an.tym@tiscali.cz (or Paulina?)
Assistant & Head of Seminar Group C (Room J 2080): Mgr. Ing. Vít Skála, contact:
skala@ptl.cz
Assistant, Seminar Group C: Mgr.
paulina.tabery@soc.cas.cz (or Antonín?)
et
Mgr.
Paulína
Tabery,
contact:
Seminars for Faculty of Humanities students:
Mgr. Selma Muhič Dizdarevič, PhD. selma.muhic@gmail.com.
See instructions by the head of seminars.
Goals of instruction:
The course aims to introduce students to the study of public policy as a discipline, within a
broader context of the development of contemporary societies; to exemplify public policy’s
practical application and the ways public policy as a scientific discipline attempts to
apprehend social problems and devise solutions thereof; to do so by defining the key terms,
concepts and methods of public policy; and to engage students in critical thinking and
studying, systematic work with scholarly literature, writing scholarly texts and actively
participating in seminars.
Registration prerequisites:
Full-time enrolment in any Master’s or Doctoral study programme at the Charles University.
Conditions for passing:
Faculty of Social Sciences students shall be admitted to the written examination for this
course (in English or Czech) if they have been graded for the seminar and if they have
elaborated and submitted a final written assignment (in English or Czech) on an agreed topic.
The topic shall be based on student’s interest and consulted with course assistants or course
sponsor.
Faculty of Humanities students shall be admitted to the written examination for this course (in
English or Czech) if they have been graded for the seminar.
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Final grading shall be based on the following key:
Point score
Grade
80 or more
Excellent (výborně)
65-79
Very Good (velmi dobře)
50-64
Good (dobře)
49 or less
Fail (neprospěl/a)
Points can be earned in the following ways:
Answers to questions formulated at lectures (3000 characters including spaces 10
maximum, printed out and submitted at the next lecture)
Student performance during seminars
25
Final written assignment
25
Written examination
40
N. B.:
1. Sources shall be credited in line with the latest version of the ISO 690 standard. No
form of plagiarism is tolerated at the Charles University. Any instances of plagiarism
shall be discussed by the Disciplinary Board and, eventually, the Dean.
2. The final written assignment shall be submitted on the day of registration for written
examination, at the latest.
Course schedule:
Time: lectures 3:30-6:20 pm, seminars 3:30-4:50 pm or 5:00-6:20 pm
Day
Room Content
4 Oct
2080
Lecture #1
Introduction to the course, lectures and seminars.
A. Society and Governance
Students will form seminar groups.
11 Oct
18 Oct
25 Oct
2080
Seminar #1
3019
Introduction to the discipline. Agreement on presentation topics. Topics
of final written assignments (discussion of choice of topics, proposal
recommendations and basic rules of crediting sources).
2080
Seminar #2
3019
Presentations on framework topic “Society and Governance”.
Specifying the agreement on presentation topics. Discussion of final
written assignment proposals.
2080
Lecture #2
B. Development Criteria and Orientations
C. Public Policy Problems
2
Day
Room Content
1 Nov
2080
Lecture #3
D. Market, State and Civic Sector
E. State and Political System
8 Nov
15 Nov
2080
Seminar #3
3019
Presentations on framework topic „Delimiting the Policy Problem“.
Deadline for submitting final written assignment proposal.
2080
Lecture #4
F. Institutions and Actors
G. Public Policy Policy Discourse
22 Nov
29 Nov
2080
Seminar #4
3019
Presentations on framework topic “Market, State and Civic Sector as
Regulators”
2080
Lecture #5
H. Structures, Processes, Functions
I. Public Policies
6 Dec
13 Dec
2080
Seminar #5
3019
Presentations on framework topic “Institutions and
Submission of a comprehensive draft of the final assignment.
2080
Lecture #6
Actors”.
J. How to Examine Public Policy
Final recapitulation, getting ready for the examination.
20 Dec
2080
Seminar #6
3019
Presentations on framework topic “Public Policies”. Instructions for
submitting final written assignments.
Basic bibliography:
Fiala, P. and Schubert, K. 2000. Moderní analýza politiky: Uvedení do teorií a metod policy
analysis. Praha: Barrister & Principal.
Fischer, F., Miller, G. J. and Sidney, M. S. 2007. Handbook of Public Policy Analysis:
Theory, Politics, and Methods. New York: CRC Press.
Potůček, M. et al. Veřejná politika. 2005 (2nd ed. 2010). Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství.
Potůček, M., LeLoup, L., Jenei, G. and Váradi, L. 2003. Public Policy in Central and Eastern
Europe: Theories, Methods, Practices. Bratislava: NISPAcee.
Veselý, A. and Nekola. M. (eds.) 2008. Analýza a tvorba veřejných politik: Přístupy, metody
a praxe. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství.
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Notes on literature study:
1. Further literature will be recommended in individual lecture worksheets.
2. It is advisable to follow the electronic Central European Journal of Public Policy
(CEJPP): http://www.cejpp.eu.
3. Students are expected to follow the media covering policy problems on an ongoing
basis.
Useful websites:
Center for Social and Economic Strategies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in
Prague (CESES): http://ceses.cuni.cz
Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe
(NISPAcee): http://www.nispa.sk
Government of the Czech Republic: www.vlada.cz
Portal of the Public Administration, Czech Republic: www.portal.gov.cz
Non-profit sector: www.neziskovky.cz
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: www.oecd.org
World Bank: www.worldbank.org
European Union: www.europa.eu
Eurostat: http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int
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