Course objectives: The aim of the course is the introductory study of public policy analysis as an academic discipline, their key analytical concepts and frameworks, with an emphasis on the specifics of policy-making process in a specific context of South-East Europe. The course seeks to provide students with basic knowledge about actors who creates public policies, the goals pursued by these actors, and the instruments they use to achieve those goals. Additionally, the course presents basic approaches to public policy, with a presentation of conceptual and theoretical-methodological issues of the standard literature on public policy as an academic discipline.

Enrolment requirements and/or entry competences required for the course: There are no special requirements for enrolling in the course, but previous attendance at courses dealing with public administration, governance, political economy or some specific policies (educational, social, environmental etc.) can be very useful for studying in this course.

Learning outcomes at the level of the programme to which the course contributes:

(1) Analyse political ideas and processes in Southeast Europe

(2) Recognize and explain the ways in which local, national, and transnational processes influence social structures in Southeast Europe

Expected learning outcomes at the level of the course:   

Students will be available to explain:

(1) Differences between two aspects of political life – politics and policy

(2) The basic theoretical approaches to public policy research

(3) Basic typologies of public policies

(4) Different types of actors (institutional and non-institutional) involved in the policy-making process

(5) Differences between the different instruments used in policy-making;

(6) Fundamental features of individual stages in policy-making cycle (agenda-setting, formulation, implementation, evaluation)

Course content (syllabus):   

(1) Public policy analysis as an academic discipline

(2) Types and typologies of public policy

(3) Policy actors and policy-cycle

(4) Public policy agenda-setting

(5) Policy formulation

(6) Agenda-setting and policy formulation in a context of Southeast Europe

(7) Public policy decision-making

(8) Public policy decision-making in a context of Southeast Europe

(9) Implementation of public policy

(10) Evaluation of public policy

(11) Implementation and evaluation of public policy in a context of Southeast Europe

(12) Europeanization of public policy

(13) Clientelism and policy-making in Southeast Europe

(14) Democracy, policy-learning and perspectives of good governance in Southeast Europe

Format of instruction: Lectures, seminars and workshops, exercises, partial e-learning

Student responsibilities:

Monitoring student work: Class attendance, research, essay, seminar paper, preliminary exam, written exam  

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5. Bojicic-Dzelilovic, Vesna, Thomas, Margo, eds. (2015) Public Policy Making in the Western Balkans: Case Studies of Selected Economic and Social Policy Reforms. Dordrecht: Springer.
6. Petak, Zdravko, Kotarski, Kristijan, eds. (2019) Policymaking at the European Periphery: The Case of Croatia. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

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