In the specialty of Public Policy, the program offers an advanced understanding for the comparative analysis of processes of policy formulation, implementation and enforcement as well as policy termination and dismantling. Particular emphasis is placed on a broad theoretical background, including both structural institutional and actor-centered approaches. Students will be trained in analyzing patterns and processes of policy-making on the basis of advanced quantitative and qualitative methods. The program provides students with central analytical capabilities to explain and develop policy developments in different areas and countries and offers deep insights into the institutional, political and socioeconomic background conditions of policy-making both at the national and international level. Special stress will be put on the main social policies developed by the Welfare States.
The topics of the courses in this specialty are the following:
The Welfare State, Globalization and European Integration
This course focuses on the most important public policy interventions that determine the quality of life and wellbeing of the population. It includes elements of political economy and comparative politics. It analyses the evolution of the welfare state in the UE and in the OECD.
Actors and Institutions in the analysis of public policy
It offers a review of the two theoretical approaches used in the analysis of public policies: The perspectives of new institutionalism and rational choice will be discussed during the first part of the course. In the second part of the course, we will consider different applications of the analysis of public policies, discussing the margin of variation of these from a comparative perspective, under the common denominator of the tensions between states and processes of globalization.
The Management of Complex Organizations
The aim of the course is to define in a both theoretically and practically way those dimensions that shape the realities and problems complex organizations face in their daily tasks (i.e., those dimensions referred to structures, the informal side of organization, administrative culture, human resources and technology). On the other hand, the program also aims to introduce new problems faced by modern organizations: management of outsourced services and of Information and Communication Technologies. The last part will be devoted to establish tools required to improve public organizations management.
Social Policies and Welfare State
Social Policies follow heterogeneous patterns depending on the institutional setting in which they develop. The objective of this subject is the analysis of the structural inequalities, the economic growth and the labour market efficiency. Knowledge about social policies in US and EU nations. Analytical and technical skills for understanding the theoretically predicted and empirical effects of social policies on labour markets and social stratification. Technical skills in using social indicators related to social expenditure and access to welfare benefits.
International migration: trends, causes and consequences
During the past few decades, the world has witnessed a significant ease in the restrictions and an increase in the exchange of goods, services and information; these developments have only partially been accompanied by parallel trends in international migration. However, migration and the growth of ethnic minorities are becoming more and more an element of concern in both the receiving and the sending countries. The aim of the course is to give an introduction to the analysis of migration, with an emphasis in the methodological and theoretical aspects. In the first part of the course, we discuss data requirements and data problems. In the second part, trends in international migration are discussed, followed by an in-depth review of the main theories of migration and the available evidence with regard to integration outcomes of different communities in different contexts of reception. By the end of the course students should be familiar with the main measures and data sources of migration; appreciate the diversity of migration flows and systems; understand the basics of the main theories of migration; be familiarised with theoretical and empirical research papers, including interpreting and assessing quantitative analyses; and have practised his/her presentation and discussion skills through participation in a seminar. Students will be trained for the successful employment in public institutional or corporate arenas and prepared for doctoral research and academic career.