Effective policy-making and public administration depend on good research. This module enables you to critically reflect on the strengths, limitations and appropriateness of different research approaches and techniques, and you acquire the skills needed to evaluate and commission research for public policy and administration contexts.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
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A | Online Teaching Period 4 2024-25 |
The module equips students with the knowledge of research methods required to make systematic and critical use of research in policy analysis and public administration. By providing a grounding in issues of research design, including core principles of key quantitative and qualitative approaches, it introduces students to the range and types of methods and data sources used in policy research and their strengths and limitations. Students can thus develop the skills needed to evaluate and assess the quality of ‘real world’ policy research based on relevant and appropriate criteria.
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
understand the advantages and disadvantages of research techniques and approaches for public administration and public policy purposes.
demonstrate familiarity with key data sources and their strengths and limitations.
assess and articulate the merits of competing research designs as applied to specific policy or practice contexts.
evaluate case studies of research in public administration to inform evidence-based decision-making.
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Research evaluation exercise |
N/A | 100 |
None
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Research evaluation exercise |
N/A | 100 |
Feedback on summative assessments will be provided within 20 working days, consisting of written comments and a marking matrix.
Majchrzak, A. and Markus, M. L. (2013) Methods for Policy Research Taking Socially Responsible Action - Second Edition, Applied Social Research Methods Series, London: Sage
Springer, J.F., Haas, P.J. and Porowski, A. (2017) Applied Policy Research Concepts and Cases, Second Edition, Abingdon: Routledge.
Vigoda-Gadot, E. and Vashdi, D. (eds) (2020) Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration, Management and Policy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar