Studying at York
Comparative Public Administration - POL00094M
Module summary
This course provides an introduction to comparative public administration by looking at common problems and examples of systems of public administration around the world and a more in-depth case study on the UK system.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
The course addresses two key aims of the MPA with Placement programme: a knowledge and critical understanding of the main issues and events that have shaped the development of Public Administration in the UK at both national and sub-national settings, coupled with practitioner visits and talks, as well as putting these developments in a comparative perspective with a look at different national settings in other parts of the world.
The module will have an integrated programme of group visits to local and national level institutions, practitioner talks and round tables that mirror the academic content of the module.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- Understand and be able to describe the main institutional and procedural elements of public administration in the countries studied within the module.
- Independently identify and understand the major debates on the question of comparative analysis in public administration and management.
- The students will develop an understanding of the processes of reform and transformation in public administration systems and engage with policy practitioners on the latest policy developments.
- Develop transferable skills, including gathering information, communicating effectively both orally and in writing, participating actively in constructive discussions, criticising different points of views, carrying out interdisciplinary analysis and learning independently, interacting with policy practitioners.
- Inter-personal skills - Work effectively in group projects to produce policy analysis.
- Research skills - Independently find and use relevant empirical data and literature for particular policy cases.
Module content
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Introduction
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The UK Government
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The UK Civil Service
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Local Government in the UK
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Influencing Public Policy in the UK
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Civil service in the European Union
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Public Administration in the USA
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Public Administration in Latin America
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Public Administration in Eastern Europe
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Public Administration in Pacific Asia
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
Pass/fail
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
- Peters, G. and Pierre, J. (2012) The SAGE Handbook of Public Administration (eds.), Sage, London.
- Walle Van de Brans (2018) ‘Where Comparative Public Administration and Comparative Policy studies meet’, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, vol. 20(1): 101-113.
- Craft, J. and Halligan, J., (2017) Assessing 30 years of Westminster policy advisory system experience. Policy Sciences, 50(1): 47–62.
- Pollitt, C., (2011) Not odious but onerous: Comparative public administration. Public Administration, 89(1): 114–127.
- Cheung, A. (2013) ‘Can there be an Asian model of Public Administration?’ Public Administration and Development, 33(4): 249-261.