Master of Public Administration - Social and Public Policy

Different countries face both different and similar problems that they seek to address by public and social policy interventions. This module introduces approaches to a comparative analysis of these similarities and differences, and thus provides you with insights into the complexity of policy making across nation-states.

Social leadership is crucial for ensuring ethical conduct of organisations as well as for the pursuit of public value. This module introduces you to the importance of ethical social leadership, how it is developed, and how it can contribute to the pursuit of organisational ethics as well as wider public value. 

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.

In the modern world, how we work is subject to profound change, while employment conditions are becoming increasingly problematic for many. This module looks into the main trends around employment and the multiple drivers behind them, as well as the social policy responses that seek to shape the future of work.

In spite of efforts to reduce global poverty and a stronger awareness of the unequal distribution of wealth, poverty and inequality remain as substantive social problems. This module looks at the causes and drivers of global poverty, and provides you with the skills to analyse both the problems themselves and the policies that seek to tackle them.

This module explores the theory and practice of managing change in organisational contexts. The overall aim is to develop your capacity and confidence not only in initiating and responding to change, but in taking control of change situations, helping you to deal more effectively with change within your own organisation.

This module explores and analyses the complexity inherent in contemporary social and public policy development and reform. It critically examines the role of ideas, interests, institutions and actors in the policy process and explores the wider social, economic and political processes that shape contemporary policy making. It equips you with the conceptual and analytical tools to undertake advanced applied policy analysis in a range of local, national and international policy settings.

The delivery of many public services involves a partnership between the public and the private or voluntary sector, which creates both opportunities and challenges. This module unpacks these, and equips you with the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate public-private partnerships in their many guises.

Social protection is about enabling individuals to deal with risks they can hardly manage by themselves, in order to create conditions for a degree of social wellbeing. Social protection may look different from country to country, but there are a range of underlying principles and challenges that apply in any case, and that are explored systematically in this module.

This module prepares you for your Independent Study Project. It outlines the requirements for this project, covers key advice for its successful completion, and provides support in developing a precise and detailed plan, enabling you to start effectively on your study project in the following term.

The Independent Study Project is designed to assess your ability to define and investigate a researchable question or thesis, drawing on academic knowledge and skills acquired during your studies as well as your own professional experiences and practice.