In week one the importance of public policy and the shifts in public policy making paradigms will be discussed. Various aspects of the political, economic, social, environmental, and global factors will be discussed to understand the changes in the policy-making environment. Students will get a better understanding of how public policy creates public value.

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 1.

Fenna, A. (1998), Introduction to Australia Puluic Policy, Longman, Chapter3. 

Dennis, R; and Madddison, S (2013), An Introduction to Australian Public Policy: Theory and Practice, Booktopia, chapter  4.

Considine, M (2012), Thinking Outside the Box? Applying Design Theory to Public Policy.

Students will understand the importance of public policy making in a constantly changing political, social, environmental and business environment. 

By reading the selected readings students will get a better understanding of how policymaking creates public value.

Students will be able to understand how environmental forces influence the policy-making process in a country. They will also be able to identify emerging trends in the policy environment.

 In week 2 we will discuss institutional and regulatory changes that influence the public policy-making regime. 

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 2.

Fenna, A (1998), Introduction to Australia Puluic Policy, Longman, Chapter 4.

Stewart, J (2004), The Meaning of Strategy in the Public Sector, Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol 63 (4): 16-21

Argy, A (2004), Balancing Conflicting Goals: The big challenge for governments,  Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol 63 (4): 22-28.

Fells, A (2004), Regulating markets: Marketing Regulation, Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol 63 (4): 29-36.

By reading the selected readings for week 2, students will learn how the institutional factors and the role of policy actors shape public policies, Students will understand why social norms and goals that were once considered unassailable are no longer part of the policy ethos.

By reading the case Australia Post students will learn how the exercise of political mastery helps to achieve a balance between conflicting values/goals that is compatible with community preferences and through policy-making and institutional processes.

Designing public policy is a complex governance challenge. In week 3, we will mainly focus on who formulates public policies, how policies are made and the limits of institutionalism in the policy-making process. The importance of evidence-informed policy making steps and processes will be discussed. The key functional roles of policymakers in policy development, regulatory issues, and variations in service delivery across a range of policy and administrative responsibilities will be covered. 

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 3.

Clarke, A (2019), The twin faces of public sector design, Governance, Vol 32: 5-21.

Steen, Martin Van der and Twist, M. van (2018), Strategies for robustness: Five perspectives on how policy design is done, Policy and Society, Vol 37 (4): 491-513.

Head, B.W (2015), Towards More "Evidence-Informed" Policymaking, Public Administration Review, Vol 76, Issue 3: 472-484.

Students should read the suggested chapter and the articles. Students will learn  how design thinking can inform and enrich governance by helping policy designers produce adaptable designs, better appreciate the behavioral dynamics of public sector policy design.

Case study discussion: The East link project..

In week 4 we discuss why policy coordination is one of the oldest challenges for governments but has become even more important as the problems confronting governments change, and the ideas of 'New Public Management"  are diffused. 

Peter, B. G (2018), The challenge of policy coordination' Policy Design and practice, Vol 1 (1): 1-11.

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 4.

The case for class discussion:  On Solid Ground? Using a Public Private Partnership to build a new flagship hospital in Adelaide.

Students will be able to examine and understand the causes of coordination problems and the mechanisms available for improving coordination in policymaking.

The students will be engaged in a series of case study discussions and team-building exercises and a rigorous policy exercise. The case studies will set the stage for the students/graduates by exploring how leading public sector organisations define, analyse, and address major public policy challenges. The team-building exercise is an experiential problem-solving challenge designed to help students build skills such as active listening, empathy, information sharing, and critical analytical thinking.

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapters 5, 5 &7.

Hughes, O (2017), New Public Management, Owen Hughes Chapter 5.

Ohemeng, F. L.K, and Grant, J.K (2014), Neither Public nor Private: The efficacy of mixed model public service delivery in two Canadian municipalities, Canadian Public Administration, Vol 57 (4): 548-572..

Australian Public Service Commission (2018), Changing behaviour: A public Policy Perspective.

Case Study discussion

Students will form groups and present case analysis. Cases will be posted on the Moodle site in week 2.

The case analysis will help students to understand the features of various policy models 

Working on assignment 1.

Policy design and policy tool selection is a highly constrained process. In this week, we will discuss how policymakers select policy tools to design or plan policy outcomes. 

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 3, & 4.

Howlett, M (2009), What, Who and Why? , Chapter 9. (Policy Design).

Howlett, M; Jeremy, R. (2013, Patching vs Packaging in Policy Formulation: Assessing Policy Portfolio Design, Politics, and Governance, Vol 1 (2), 170-182.

Submission of assignment 1 (Topic)

Discuss the importance of the public policy process in a highly competitive political and economic environment. Critically analyse various public policy, implementation models. Select one public policy from your area of interest and expertise.

Relevant reading materials will be posted on the Moodle site.

Class discussion: The Competition Policy

Key issues in policy implementation and related problems will be discussed in week 7. 

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 10.

.Hudson, B; Hunter, D; and Peckham, S (2019), Policy Failure and policy implementation gap: can policy support program help? Policy Design and Practice, Vol 2 (1): 1-14.

McLaughlin, M. W (1987), Learning from Experience: Lessons from Policy Implementation, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol 9,(2): 171-178.

Ewalt, Jo G (2001), Theories of Governance and New Public Management: Links to Understanding Policy Implementation. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Public Administration Newark, NJ March 12, 2001.

Students must read the recommended articles for week 7.

By reading the articles and participating in the class discussion students will be able to understand the relations between policy and practice and understand that effective implementation requires a strategic balance of pressure and support.

Public managers working in various ministries,  departments and local level administration play significant roles in policy implementation.

Creating public value through effective policy implementation is not an easy task.

This week we will discuss the role of the street level bureaucrats in implementing public policies and the skills and competencies they require to perform tasks.

Tummers, L and Bekkers, V (2014), Policy Implementation, Street-Level Bureaucracy, and the Importance of Discretion, Public Management Review, Vol 16 (4): 527-547.

Lavee, E; Cohen, N, and Nouman, H (2018), Reinforcing public responsibility? Influences and practices in street-level bureaucrats' engagement in policy design, Public Administration, Vol 96:333-348.

Brunetto, Y (2000), Management of Policy Implementation within Australian Universities, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Vol 38 (1): 50-66.

Three articles have been selected for this week's reading. By reading the articles students will learn why a certain degree of autonomy/discretion is required for policy implementation. Students will also gain knowledge about the importance of operational level autonomy and discretion.

Although most practitioners claim to support the use of evidence relevant to their roles, their use of the best available evidence is patchy. Public officials should have the skills and competencies to understand how political and ideological factors often undermine evidence-informed practices. 

This week we will examine the role public officials play in policy implementation and the pressures they face during policy implementation.

Tummers, L; Vermeeren, B; Steijin, B; and Bekkers, V (2012), Public Professionals and Policy Implementation, Public Management Review, Vol,, Vol 14 (8)(: 1041-1059.

 Head, B.W (2015) Toward More “Evidence-Informed” Policy Making?, Public Administration Review, Public Administration Review, Vol. 76, Iss. 3, pp. 472–484.

Tummers, L; Bekkers, V; and Steijin, B (2009), Policy Alienation of Public Professionals, Public Management Review, Vol 11 (5): 685-706.

Crosby, B. C; Hart, P; and Torfing, J (2017), Public value creation through collaboration, Public Management Review, Vol, 19 (5): 655-669.

Students should read these three articles and make a summary identifying how public managers use insights about public sector innovation and public value governance to make more than incremental progress in addressing public policy purposes. Students should also realise that for policy implementation interaction between key actors and brokering across organizational boundaries are crucial.

This week we will discuss how an effective public governance model facilitates the system of inclusion of public input into the complex public policy decision process. We will explain that governance’ is the exercise of power or authority – political, economic, administrative or otherwise – to manage a country's resources and affairs. It comprises the mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences.

Osborne, S.P (2006), The New Public Governance, Public Management Review, Vol 8 (3): 377-387.

Parto, S (2017), Good Governance and Policy Analysis, MERIT – Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

 CIPFA & IFAC Report (2017), Good Governance in the Public Sector— Consultation Draft for an International Framework -

Walters, L.C; Aydelotte, J.; and Miller, J (2000), Putting more Public in Policy Analysis, Public Administration Review, Vol 60 (4), July-August: 349-358.

By reading the articles students will learn how governance affects policy implementation.

Students will participate in a syndicate discussion in the class and debate on how governance can be exercised as a political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels.

Students will critically analyse whether governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens can articulate their interests, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations.

In week 11, we will analyse the strategic triangle framework to demonstrate that public value creation through policy implementation is a means to strengthen the democratic process and establish citizen-focused administration.  We also examine the importance of procedural integrity, ethical and managerial challenges in public policy implementation.

Althaus, C, Bridgeman, P; and Davis, G (2018), The Australian Policy Handbook, Allen & Urwin, Chapter 12 & 13.

Osborne, S.P; Radnor, Z; and Strokosch, K (2016) Co-production and the Co-Creation of Value in Public Services: A suitable case for Treatment, Public Management Review, Vol 18 (5): 639-653.

Bryson, J. B; Sancino, A; Benington, J and Sorensen, E (2017), Towards Multi-sector theory of public value creation, Public Management Review, Vol 19 (5): 640-654.

In the second half of the three hour class, students will be asked to discuss the concept of co-creation and public policy  implementation and the nature of mutual relationship between participation and policy implementation..

The discussion will assist students to understand how a broad range of participation can make public policy design and implementation more inclusive and effective.. 

Unit review

Summary of public policy processes

Trends in policy making and the  challenges

Shits in policy design and future trends

Analysis of new public policy implementation models

Feedback on assignment 2.

Group discussion on key themes of public policy design and implementation.