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Comparative Social Policy: Governance, Management & Delivery - SPY00004M

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  • Department: Social Policy and Social Work
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Antonios Roumpakis
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module seeks to:

  • Introduce students to policy issues from a comparative and international perspective
  • Explore a range of governance models
  • Analyse the forces, processes, and events that have shaped and might shape models of governance
  • Explore how the balance is struck between the private and the public in a range of nations

Module learning outcomes

Having successfully completed this module students will:

  • Have an appreciation of the range of governance models that exist
  • Understand the role governance plays in shaping approaches to social policy
  • Be aware of issues that shape models of governance and their effectiveness in delivering social policy programmes

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Students receive feedback four (4) weeks since their submissions.

Indicative reading

The most useful single key text for this course is:

Levi-Faur, D (Ed.), (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Governance, Oxford: OUP

Limited physical copies of the key reading are available in the library but there is a free on-line access (need to be connected to Uni). Useful general reading is also listed below. In addition to this, targeted reading will be assigned and where possible supplied via the VLE to support the tasks in individual weeks workshops or to provide a context for the lectures; this can be found in the Week-by-Week section of the site.

i. books

  • Bevir, M (2013) The SAGE handbook of Governance, London: Sage
  • Bovaird, T. and L ¶ffler, E. (2009) Public Management and Governance, 2nd Edition, Routledge.
  • Ferlie, E., Lynn, L.E. and Pollitt, C. (2005) The Oxford Handbook of Public Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (e-book)
  • Flynn, N. (2007) Public Sector Management, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall.
  • Greener, I. (2009) Public Management: a critical text, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Hughes, O.E. (2012) Public Management and Administration, 4th Edition, Palgrave (electronic resource).
  • Lane, J-E. (2009) State Management: an enquiry into models of public administration, Abingdon Routledge, (electronic resource)
  • OECD. (various years). Government at a Glance. Paris: OECD.
  • Pollitt, C. and Bouckaert, G. (2011) Public Management Reform: A comparative analysis, new public management and the Neo-Weberian State, Oxford University Press.

ii. articles

  • Thynne, I. (2003) Making sense of public management reform: drivers and supporters in comparative perspective, Public Management Review, 5, 3, 449-459.
  • Welch, E. and Wong, W. (1998) Public administration in a global context: bridging the gaps of theory and practice between Western and non-Western nations, Public Administration Review, 58, 1, 40-49.
  • Wise, L.R. (2002) Public management reform: Competing drivers of change, Public Administration Review, 62, 5, 555-567.
  • Bryson, J.M, Crosby, B.C. and Bloomberg, L. (2014) Public Value Governance: Moving beyond traditional public administration and the New Public Management, Public Administration Review, 74, 4, 445-456.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.