Undergraduate Course: Public Policy In Scotland (S1) (PLIT10111)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Part-year visiting students only |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) engage with a wide range of institutions, processes and issues. This class will explore who MSPs are, what they do and how they relate to these institutions, processes and issues. Background to the establishment and evolution of the Scottish Parliament, debate on further reforms but also the everyday work of MSPs will be covered. |
| Course description |
The course sets out to prepare students for working with MSPs. MSPs perform various roles and functions and different MSPs interpret these roles differently. A day in the life of any MSP is likely to be very varied and subjects requiring attention can change rapidly but most MSPs attempt to specialize to some extent whether in a particular area (especially so for constituency Members) and/or subject matter(s). The subjects covered by MSPs usually reflect the powers and responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament including the business and the economy, environment, law and order, public safety, health, education, social services, arts and culture, housing, urban and rural affairs but will also include matters such as aspects of the UK constitution, Brexit and even foreign affairs though these might not formally come under the Parliament¿s remit.
The course will focus on the roles and functions of Members: the implications of having constituency and regional list Members; Members of different parties and party work; constituency work; committee and chamber work; and both local and other campaigns. As well as understanding these functions, it will be important to understand the institutional landscape of Scottish politics and decision-making processes including the relationship between MSPs and Scottish Government, local government, other public, private and voluntary bodies. The powers and responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament and current issues that are likely to be addressed by Parliamentarians will be discussed. An indicative list of subjects covered (subject to change reflecting the evolution of the politics of devolution) include:
- Members of the Scottish Parliament: who are they? What do they do?
- Policy-Making: Interest Groups, Access and Lobbying
- Delivering services
- Scotland's "wicked problems"
- Public Service Reform
The aim is to equip students with analytical and methodological skills in public policy analysis that will be relevant to completing projects, writing briefs and undertaking research while working in the office of a Member of the Scottish Parliament. It will marry academic studies with practical examples drawing on concerns and issue dealt with by MSPs.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
88 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
There are TWO elements to the assessment of Public Policy in Scotland. Each is designed to prepare students for the kind of tasks likely to be performed when working for an MSP. There will be occasions when students are expected to work with MSPs or their staff as well as independent work. Both types of work are reflected in the assessment.
- Policy Brief to be completed by each student (2,000 words). A list of policies/issues will be provided in the course handbook and students will choose a topic to be completed in the form of a Policy Brief. The nature of the Policy Brief will be explained in handbook and in class. This will constitute 60% of this element of the module¿s marks.
- Group Project to be completed by groups of students (normally 4/5 to each group) (3,000 words including presentation to class). The nature of the Group Project will be elaborated in handbook and in class. This will constitute 40% of this element of the module¿s marks.
Students will have the opportunity to submit a draft outline of the Policy Brief in advance of the final version for feedback.
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| Feedback |
Projects will be returned with feedback within 15 working days of submission |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand the policy making process in Scotland
- understand key issues in Scottish public policy
- be able to identify key sources of relevant information
- be able to complete a policy brief on a subject of relevance to and in a style of value to an MSP.
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Reading List
Some of the reading will with change with each cohort to reflect changing issues in public policy. Key texts will include:
- Paul Cairney, Understanding Public Policy, Palgave, 2012.
- Michael Keating, The Government of Scotland 2011
- Tom Lundberg, "tensions between regional and constituency Members", Parliamentary Affairs, 2014
- MSPs; Neil McGarvey "Expectations, Assumptions and Realities: Scottish Local Government Post-Devolution", British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2011.
- Head, Brian and Alford, John (2013), "Wicked problems: Implications for Public Policy and Management", Administration and Society, vol.20, pp.1-29.
- Watkins , Alan and Wilber, Ken (2015), Wicked and Wise: how to sole the world's toughest problems, Chatham, Urbane Publications Ltd.
- Plus a range of public documents depending on issues under debate including Report of the Christie Commission on Future Delivery of Public Services.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Only available to students on the Parliamentary Programme through the Academy of Goverment |
| Keywords | Academy of Government |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof James Mitchell
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Alexander Dysart
Tel: (0131 6)51 5197
Email: |
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