Overview
This unit will assist you to understand the dynamics of the public policy making process and the role of stakeholders in policy development and implementation. The unit expands on the notion of evidence-based policy and equips participants to evaluate the evidence used to craft policy development. You will develop the skills and knowledge required to better understand how policy analysis and implementation contributes to improved policy outcomes and stakeholders engagement. In addition, you will examine how public policy theories and concepts are applied to specific cases in order to understand the different stages of the policy process, including design, implementation and evaluation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Critically examine a range of theories and models that help explain the public policy process and the role of policy analysis within that process
- Analyse the role of government institutions and other stakeholders in the process of policy making
- Design strategies to address policy issues, including policy design and implementation
- Apply relevant theories and models to practical cases of policy design and implementation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Case Study - 60% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 40% | |||||||||
| 2 - Case Study - 60% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
Journal articles, reports, newspaper articles, and cases will be posted on the Moodle Site for each week's scheduled topic.
Lecture notes will be prepared based on the selected articles and will be posted on the Moodle Site.
In each week a brief summary of the lecture will also be posted.
Online students will be advised to attend weekly Zoom sessions.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
q.alam@cqu.edu.au
Week 1: Explaining Public Policy: Theoretical Perspectives
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 2:Institutional Framework of Public Policy Making
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2020Module/Topic
In week 2 we will discuss institutional and regulatory changes that influence the public policy-making regime.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 3: Policy Making: Steps and Processes
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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..
Week 4:Policy Coordination and Decision Making
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 5: Public Policy Models
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Working on assignment 1.
Week 6:Public Policy Design: Issues and Challenges
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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
Week 7:Public Policy Implementation
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2020Module/Topic
Key issues in policy implementation and related problems will be discussed in week 7.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Discuss the importance of 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 Due: Week 7 Thursday (30 Apr 2020) 11:55 pm AEST
Week 8: Policy Implementation and Street-level Bureaucracy
Begin Date: 04 May 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 9: Public Professionals and Policy Implementation
Begin Date: 11 May 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 10: New Public Governance and Policy IMplementation
Begin Date: 18 May 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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.
Week 11: Managing the Policy Process
Begin Date: 25 May 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
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.
Events and Submissions/Topic
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..
Week 12: Unit review and discuss on the major themes covered in this unit
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2020Module/Topic
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.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group discussion on key themes of public policy design and implementation.
Case Study. Due: Week 12 Thursday (4 June 2020) 11:55 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Jun 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Research Assignment
Assignment Type: Individual
Weighting: 40%
Word Limit: 3000
Task Description
Define public policy and discuss the importance of public policy.
Discuss the factors that influence the public policy process in a country.
Evaluate various policy implementation models.
Each student selects an important public policy and uses any one of the models to analyse the key features of the policy implementation strategies.
The students should identify the problems of that policy and suggest some recommendations. The student s need to demonstrate their competency to analyse, evaluate and discuss theoretical concepts and principles of public policy making In their written assignment the students should be able to articulate their arguments and clearly communicate their understanding of complex nature of modern-day public policy making, models of policy implementation.
.
Week 7 Thursday (30 Apr 2020) 11:55 pm AEST
Week 8 Thursday (7 May 2020)
Return with Feedback
Select an important public policy of Australia or a country of your choice.
Identify and analyse the factors that influenced the policy.
Critically analyse the policy design, processes, and various steps involved in that public policy formulation.
Discuss the implementation strategies and the outcomes.
Analyse the challenges that the policymakers faced.
You are required to use your knowledge, cognitive and communication skills in explaining how the policy actors used their innovative leadership and management capability in designing and implementing the policy.
You should conduct research and collect recent information to write an argumentative and analytical essay.
Your assignment should demonstrate your knowledge and scholarship in articulating your arguments.
- Critically examine a range of theories and models that help explain the public policy process and the role of policy analysis within that process
- Analyse the role of government institutions and other stakeholders in the process of policy making
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Case Study
Assessment Type: Individual
Word Limit: 4000
Weighting: 60%
Assessment Tasks
Each student will select one of the two suggested public policies and write an analytic and argumentative professional case study report,
1. Critically discuss the Age Care policy of Australia focusing on the services provided by private sector organisations. You are required to discuss:
The main elements of the policy
Services provided by the private sector
Monitoring and evaluation criteria used to assess the quality of services
Problems of care reported in various electronic and social media.
Your own observation
Recommendations
2. Discuss how development policies designed are implemented at district or local level administration in your country.
Identify the steps local administration takes to administer development policies (select one or two local level development policies).
Critically analyse how community groups are involved in policy design and implementation.
Discuss whether the process is citizen-friendly.
Identify and analyse the factors that are important in local-level policy implementation.
Discuss the challenges local administration faces in implementing policies.
You are required to use your knowledge, cognitive and communication skills in explaining how the policy actors used their innovative leadership and management capability in designing and implementing the policy.
You should conduct research and collect recent information to write a well-structured case study.
Your assignment should demonstrate your knowledge and scholarship in articulating your arguments.
Week 12 Thursday (4 June 2020) 11:55 pm AEST
Exam Week Monday (15 June 2020)
After the publication of results
Your analysis needs to be critical, thoughtful and argumentative.
Your assignment must reveal scholarship and demonstrate your ability to understand and use theories and models of public policy and implementation.
You should have advance knowledge and communication skills to provide a logical structure and meet the graduate attributes.
You should be able to demonstrate that you are able to interpret public policy processes and challenges of policy implementation.
You should use your cognitive, technical and creative skills in developing your arguments.
You need to collect information from published documents and use at least 15 references including quality journal articles.
- Design strategies to address policy issues, including policy design and implementation
- Apply relevant theories and models to practical cases of policy design and implementation.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Self-management
- Leadership
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
