ST-424 International public policy and administration: Solving global problems

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Master's Programme in Political Science and Management

Teaching language

English.

Recommended prerequisites

The BA-level course ST-205 “Institutionalism and transnational governance” provides a good basis to prepare for the topic of IPPA. As all literature and teaching is in English, knowledge of this language is a recommended prerequisite.

Course contents

In light of a growing number of transnational crises, challenges, and “wicked” problems – related to global health, climate change, digitalization, and migration issues –, the importance of international organizations has grown over the past few years. Concomitantly, the efficiency and legitimacy of organizations – such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or the European Union – has become increasingly contested not only by populistic movements but also in the eyes of the general public in several of their member states.

 

Towards this background, this course put the secretariats and executive branches of these international organizations center stage as the locus of action capacity, institutional knowledge, and organizational memory. This course introduces the emergent scholarly field of international public policy and administration (IPPA) which seeks to grasp the bureaucratic wing of international organizations and their influence on global public policymaking. International bureaucracies constitute the institutional mechanism through which global policy is both diffused, prepared and sometimes implemented. And yet, we do not have a strong sense of how they work and the extent to which they parallel national bureaucracies. Do we expect international bureaucracies to be fundamentally different from national ones? If so, how? Our existing knowledge is hitherto often constrained to Western-style organizations, such as the European Commission, the UN Secretariat, the OECD Secretariat, and the like. In addition to focusing on these institutions, this course also explores the IPAs from the Global South, that is Africa or Asia, e.g., the African Union and ECOWAS Commissions as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.

 

In the first part of the course, we conceptualize, map, and theorize the field of IPPA. In the second part of the course, we will empirically examine different actors and policymaking in international organizations. In the third part, we will discuss some core issues related to IPPAs like legitimacy and accountability. This part will also include a workshop focused on crisis and problem solving. Finally, we will take stock and look ahead at the field of IPPA.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

 

• identify the rise and spread of IPPA

• recognize key features of IPPA

• identify and use key theories of IPPA

• analyze and understand patterns of coordination and power-sharing in IPPA

• critically assess legitimacy issues and performance challenges of IPPA

Examination requirements

Approved oral group presentation is required. More information is available on canvas.

Teaching methods

Lectures and student workshop.

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.

Admission for external candidates

No

Admission Requirement if given as Single Standing Module

Same as for the Master programme in political science and management.

Assessment methods and criteria

5-hour individual written school exam. Graded A-F.