Course description
Course Description:
The focus on the European Union and European Governance and Public Policy is complemented by options enabling comparative analysis of governance and/or public policy in France, Germany, Italy
and the UK, as well as key policy areas such as the Euro and international political economy more generally. Assessment is usually by 3,500-word essay for each module and a dissertation of no more than 20,000 words.
Special Features:
* Training in the use of information resources, including electronic sources such as: databases and the internet; research design, in particular on the constitution of a formal dissertation proposal; the comparative method; interpretation of survey results; elite interview techniques.
* The history of European integration, its institutions, and their development in the context of globalisation, is placed in a theoretical context and takes advantage of the research resources of the European Documentation Centre at Cardiff University.
* Focus on European policy processes and/or governance issues at national level (Britain, France, Germany and Italy) and EU level, paying particular attention to the theories and institutional and actor realities of supranationalism, intergovernmentalism and multi-level governance.
* Research training in generic and allied transferable skills.
Course convener: Alistair Cole
The MScEcon in European Governance and Public Policy bridges European integration studies, public policy, comparative politics and area studies. The European Governance and Public Policy Masters course promotes understanding of the historical, cultural and institutional contexts of the leading European nations - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom – and the common pressures which they face. The scheme provides students with an advanced knowledge of the European Union, of processes of European integration and of Europeanisation. The course allows such understandings to be developed at the EU, the country-specific and the regional levels.
The core course in Semester One considers theory and methods with special reference to the European Area context. Students are grounded in comparative methodology and familiarised with theories of public policy, of decision-making and the European policy process. They combine theory and methods in the study of comparative institutionalism; parties and social movements; identities and identity formation, international and regional studies.
The course explores the role of ideas in public policy, via the concepts of policy entrepreneurship, innovation, learning and transfer. It considers the fields of implementation, evaluation and foresight in understanding evidence-based policy. These dimensions are each treated cross-culturally. The course places special emphasis on the importance of research design (especially defining operational research questions and identifying the tools and methods required to answer them) discourse analysis and context; and ethical considerations in cross-cultural research. Students on this pathway apply generic methodologies to their specific area contexts.
Each optional course in Semester Two begins with an elucidation of the epistemological traditions and situational contexts of the area concerned.
Programme of Study
The first semester focuses on core problems in European Governance and
Public Policy, Research Methods, and the European Union Policy Process.
In the second semester, students choose three options from the following list: European Political Economy, European Economic Governance and Policies, Governance and Policy-making in Britain, Governing and Governance in France, The Policy Process in Germany, State Crisis: Changing Governance in Italy and the External Relations of the EU.
Period of Study
The period of study is twelve months (October - September).
The degree can also be taken over a twenty-four month period as part-time study.
Admissions Requirements
British students will normally be expected to have an Upper Second Class Honours degree, in a relevant or related subject. Suitable for graduates in Politics, International Relations, Economics and Public Administration.
Other European and overseas applicants must have an equivalent qualification. Applicants with non-standard qualifications may also be considered, but are advised to enquire before applying. The closing date for applications is September (of the year in which the student will be starting the degree), but those wishing to apply for grants or scholarships are advised to apply sooner rather than later.
Academic Staff
* Professor Alistair Cole
* Professor Kenneth Dyson
* Professor Paul Furlong
* Dr Hugh Compston
* Dr Mark Donovan
* Dr Steven Thornton
* Dr Andy Klom
* Dr Rosanne Palmer
* Mr Ian Thomson
* Dr David Broughton
Dissertation
The dissertation component (max. 20,000 words), which comprises a third of the overall assessment, and is pursued during the summer, allows students to make an in depth study of a topic of their own choice, under the supervision of an expert in the field.
Recent Dissertations
* The Bonfire of the Quangos and the 'Quangos for the Lingos': The Future Administration of Welsh Language Policy in the UK. Andrew White, 2006.
* Path Dependents or Welfare State Retrenchment: In which direction are Europe’s Comprehensive Welfare States moving? Juergen Sirsch, 2006.
* Does Europeanization matter to Wales? A Case Study of Structural Funds, Devolution and Welsh Cultural Policy. James Dunstone, 2006.
*
The Emergence of City-Regional Governance: An appropriate level for Economic Development Policy-making? Robyn Thomas, 2006.
Course Modules (core and options)
* European Governance and Public Policy
* Research Methods
* European Union Policy Process
* Governing and Public Policy in Britain
* Governing and Governance in France
* European Economic Governance and Policies
* Governance and Public Policy in Germany
* State Crisis: Changing Governance in Italy
* EU Foreign Policy
