The project aims at providing students with the fundamental methodological, analytical, and theoretical tools to analyze decision and policy-making processes in modern societies. Public policies shape actors’ behavior through formal (and sometimes informal) means: they exhibit dynamism as well as stability, they distribute power and are inevitably contested. In short, public policies have a major impact on citizens and constitute constraints as well as opportunities for particular groups of citizens. As society becomes more complex and is confronted with political challenges (e.g. environmental sustainability, financial regulation, good governance), understanding the political, economic as well as social factors influencing (the formulation) of public policy is of major importance for any political analyst. In particular, the course focuses on policy areas which challenge societies, inducing deep transformations (e.g. energy, environment, migration, democratic innovations, international and European governance). This year, the students will focus on environmental, climate and, energy related issues taking place at local, regional, national and/or European levels.
The main objectives of the course are the following:
Building a research design and a research strategy
Using the interview method
Developing a critical stance vis-à-vis the research method used
Writing a public policy analysis research paper
Writing an abstract in English
Orally presenting your research findings in front of a jury
developping project management skills
The course takes place over the entire academic year and is divided into 4 complementary modules. Each module provides students with the specific knowledge and necessary skills for the final jury and the production of a research paper.
Module 1: Understanding epistemology and research methods
Module 2: Understanding public policy analysis
Module 3: Project management
Module 4: Data collection and public policy analysis
The teaching method combines the added-value of lectures (introducing students to fundamental concepts and theories of policy-making) with empirical and theoretical analyses of real case-studies conducted by the students. Students apply concepts and theoretical models to an empirical analysis of a public policy of their choice (in coordination with the professor and the teaching assistants). Meetings the professor and teaching assistants to receive comprehensive feedback are organized on students' demands.
Consequently, the organization of the course largely relies on students’ regular participation and commitment to field work (including the development of data collection tools, such as interviews, questionnaires or participatory observation with stakeholders and decision-makers).
1st Semester
Assessment of Module 1 – Epistemology and Research Methods (25% of the overall project mark)
Written examination.
Assessment of Module 2 – Understanding Public Policy Analysis (25% of the overall project mark)
Oral examination in English.
2nd Semester
Assessment of Module 3 – Project Management and Presentation of Results
No direct assessment, but a penalty applies if the project management documents are not submitted (one mark deducted per document not submitted).
Assessment of Module 4 – Data Collection and Public Policy Analysis (50% of the overall project mark)
Presentation of the research before a panel (13% of the mark)
Research article written by each group (37% of the overall mark)
Requirents for passing
If the final overall mark is below 10/20, the student must retake in August those assessments in which they scored less than 10/20.
A mark of less than 8/20 in the written epistemology examination, the oral examination in public policy analysis or the research paper will automatically result in the overall mark being set at 6/20 and the student being required to retake the assessments in August for which they scored less than 8/20 (even if the overall mark is higher than 10/20).
There is no opportunity for a resit for the oral presentation before the examination board.
Overall success in the project is conditional upon passing the abstract for the English course (pass or fail assessment).
| Training | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Political Sciences : General | 2 | 10 | Yes |