MSc Public Policy and Management (Distance Learning)
Key information
- Duration
- 2-years (Max. 3-years)
- Start of programme
- October / January / April / June
- Attendance mode
- Distance learning (part-time)
- Fees
-
MSc: £10,920
Single module: £1,820 - Course code
- OLTF0016
- Entry requirements
-
You should have a recognised UK Bachelor's degree, or international equivalent, in a social science discipline. Qualifications in other subjects will be assessed on their merits. Your application may be considered if you have previous education and experience, equivalent to a degree-level qualification, which includes suitable preliminary training. All international applicants must be able to show that their English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete their course at SOAS.
Course overview
Our MSc Public Policy and Management programme provides you with the analytical tools needed to understand the principles and methods of modern public policy and management.
The programme gives you the skills to make financial and policy decisions within the public sector. Through the range of modules, you will gain theoretical knowledge on policy-making, policy implementation and the management of public sector entities.
As well as this, you will have the opportunity to explore specific areas such as the management of human resources in the public sector, the public financial management process, the decentralisation of public functions and the collaboration between public and private entities.
Why study MSc Public Policy and Management at SOAS?
- SOAS is ranked 38th in the UK for Accounting and Finance (Complete University Guide 2023).
- We're ranked 6th in UK for graduate employability (QS World University Rankings 2023).
- Develop skills in analysis, critical thinking and communication to improve your professional development and career prospects.
- Gain an excellent understanding of key issues shaping international business strategy.
- We are specialists in the delivery of more than 40 African and Asian languages. As the economies of the Global South continue to expand, knowledge of another language and other cultures will be a big asset in the world of commerce and international trade.
- You will be joining our community of alumni working in 160 countries in sectors including finance, government, industry and international organisations.
How to apply
Please read our online and distance learning how to apply guidance, and use our online form to submit your application directly to us for consideration.
Structure
You will study six modules selected from the list below. If you wish to complete the Dissertation you must study Research Methods.
Important notice
The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes.
However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.
Modules
Decentralisation is a worldwide reality, as most countries are already engaged in a more or less advanced form of it. The following figures illustrate this trend: in the 1980s local governments around the world collected on average 15% of revenues and spent 20% of expenditures. By the late 1990s those figures had risen to 19% and 25% and had even doubled in certain countries. Moving beyond the fiscal arena, major public services such as education or health have also been transferred to local governments and political and electoral reforms have taken place. News headlines testify to the importance of local governance and local governments’ issues around the world.
The first implication for us, and for policy-makers and donors, is that the debate on whether decentralisation is good or bad in itself has lost its relevance. The key question is no longer whether a country should further decentralise or whether donors should support such a process. Although in different forms and to varying degrees decentralisation is there, it is part of the reality in which governments, other actors and citizens need to operate.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed the study of this course, you will have acquired the knowledge and tools to:
- understand decentralisation as a complex political process and “system” with several dimensions, levels and actors, and define and distinguish it from other related concepts
- critically discuss various approaches and trends in the academic world in relation to decentralisation
- evaluate the success of various decentralisation approaches worldwide and explain why countries exhibit such widely different outcomes, in terms of economic performance, political reforms and effects on society
- explain the concept of political decentralisation, its components and implications
- critically discuss the links between political decentralisation, wider state-society relations and domestic accountability mechanisms in multilevel governance systems
- define and assess functional assignments, and understand why they are the keystone for effective public action and division of labour across levels of government
- explain the main principles underlying fiscal decentralisation, its components and implications
- analyse expenditure assignments, revenue assignments, transfer mechanisms and local borrowing in a given context and identify possible corrective measures
- evaluate the impact of the fiscal and functional division of labour across levels of government on local entities’ performance
- apply the concepts of local policy-making, budget and fiscal autonomy
- assess challenges to setting up domestic monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as to assessing the outcomes of decentralisation.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts:
- Cheema GS and D Rondinelli (2007) Decentralizing Governance: Emerging Concepts and Practices, Brookings Institution Press
- Connerley E, K Eaton and P Smoke (2010) Making Decentralization Work: Democracy, Development, and Security, Lynne Rienner
- The module also references extracts from the Public Policy and Management pre-programme textbook:
- Hague, R & M Harrop (2016) Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction, 10th Edition, Palgrave Macmillan
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Decentralisation and Local Governance (M404) | Running | Not running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 What is Decentralisation?
- 1.1 State Models and Decentralisation
- 1.2 Territorial Organisation of the State and Decentralisation
- 1.3 Political Regimes, Democracy and Decentralisation
- 1.4 Decentralisation as a Policy
- 1.5 Political Decentralisation
- 1.6 Administrative Decentralisation
- 1.7 Fiscal Decentralisation
- 1.8 Why do Countries Decide to Decentralise?
Unit 2 Decentralisation in Practice
- 2.1 The Objectives Pursued through Decentralisation
- 2.2 The Status of the Decentralisation: Past Track Record and Current Reforms
- 2.3 The Historical Path: Top-down versus Bottom-up Decentralisation
- 2.4 The Historical Pace of Decentralisation: Big Bang versus Gradual Approach
- 2.5 The Sequencing of the Three Dimensions of Decentralisation
- 2.6 The Geographic Phasing of Decentralisation
- 2.7 Recognising Mixed Results: Opportunities and Risks of Decentralisation
Unit 3 Conditions Needed to Make Decentralisation Work
- 3.1 Materialising the Benefits of Decentralisation
- 3.2 How Can Local Autonomy and Accountability be Achieved?
- 3.3 Why Decentralisation Outcomes Vary
- 3.4 Implementation Challenges: Stalemates and Deadlocks
Unit 4 Political Decentralisation, State-Society Relations and Domestic Accountability
- 4.1 The Status of Political Decentralisation and Political Autonomy
- 4.2 Assessing Accountability and How Governments Hand Over Power to Citizens
- 4.3 Case Studies on Accountability Mechanisms
- 4.4 Political Decentralisation in Multi-Level and Multi-Layered Governance Systems
- 4.5 Can Decentralisation Contribute to Political Reforms and Domestic Accountability?
Unit 5 Administrative Decentralisation
- 5.1 Defining Functional Assignments
- 5.2 Policy Choices
- 5.3 The Mandates and the Challenge of Policy Coordination in Decentralised Contexts
- 5.4 Assessing the Quality of Functional Assignments
- 5.5 Human Resources Deployment, Distribution and Management
- 5.6 Can Decentralisation Contribute to State Building Processes?
- 5.7 Decentralisation Efficiency in the Service Sector
Unit 6 Fiscal Decentralisation
- 6.1 Expenditure Assignments
- 6.2 Revenue Assignments
- 6.3 Intergovernmental Transfers
- 6.4 Allocation of Borrowing Powers
- 6.5 Sequencing Fiscal Decentralisation [optional]
- 6.6 Sources of Information on Fiscal Decentralisation [optional]
Unit 7 Local Government Autonomy and Capacity Learning Outcomes
- 7.1 The Role and Potential of Local Governments
- 7.2 Policy-Making Autonomy
- 7.3 Discretion in Managing Human Resources
- 7.4 The Composition of Decentralised Budgets: Challenges and Mitigating Measures
- 7.5 Budget and Financial Autonomy
Unit 8 Monitoring, Evaluation and Decentralisation
- 8.1 The Role of Indicators in Monitoring
- 8.2 Decentralisation Processes and Reforms
- 8.3 Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
The dissertation is a supervised piece of research on a topic that we will agree with you. The length will be 10,000 words. Before we can consider a proposal to submit a dissertation we will need to review your academic performance so far.
Students wishing to take the Dissertation should ideally do so in their second or third year of study. Students will need to enrol for the Dissertation before the enrolment deadline for Session Two of each academic year. It will not be possible to enrol onto the Dissertation past this point. The annual Dissertation period is March to October.
With the exception of the MSc Finance (Quantitative Finance) programme, if you wish to write a dissertation you are required to successfully complete the tutor marked assignments for the Research Methods module before proceeding to the Dissertation.
Module objectives
The Dissertation module aims to make students develop the capabilities and skills required to undertake a supervised research project at master's level of study and to write the results of the study at the academic level. Detailed objectives are:
- To develop research capabilities and skills at postgraduate (master's) level.
- To develop the capacity and skills to pursue an independent inquiry.
- To produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates competence in research and the ability to operate independently.
- To develop knowledge, capabilities and skills on issues of research design, methodology, and research ethics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module students will be able to:
- evaluate and apply the methods acquired in the Research Methods course to write a dissertation,
- apply epistemological and ontological concepts to intellectual enquiry,
- analyse and critique the research of others,
- choose an appropriate method for investigating your own research question
- collect, present and interpret data using qualitative or quantitative methods,
- carry out an effective and ethical research project – from the proposal initiation stage, through the literature search, data collection and analysis to the final writing-up and presentation of results,
- demonstrate the capacity to work independently under the guidance of an academic supervisor,
- show that they have followed good academic research practice and have achieved a good level of competence in academic writing.
Study calendar 2022/23
Research | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dissertation (M454) – You will need to enrol by the enrolment deadline for Session 2, you will then have until the end of Session 4 in the same academic year to complete your research, write up your results and submit your final thesis. | Not running | Running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
As you will learn in this module, the intended beneficiaries or investors are not the only audiences to whom it must be demonstrated that a project’s technical, institutional and financial attributes warrant that the project will be worthwhile. The effects a project will have (ie, its impacts) on the environment, nearby communities and wider society must also be investigated so they can be taken into consideration by the decision-makers who determine whether the project should proceed.
The most widely used techniques to investigate a project’s environmental and social implications are Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA), or Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). Many governments, project financiers and project developers require ESIA or EIA.
Two types of project assessment can be distinguished:
- Ex ante assessment: determining in advance (ie, before it is implemented) whether a project is worthwhile and should proceed and, if so, in what format – this is sometimes called project appraisal or evaluation.
- Ex post assessment: assessing the performance of a project after it has been implemented and completed (ie, retrospectively) – this is sometimes called (environmental) auditing or performance monitoring.
This module covers the ex ante ESIA of projects. It also introduces tools used to support ESIA, ways of improving the effectiveness of ESIA, and ways in which other (non-ESIA) techniques are used to investigate the environmental and social implications of projects and other initiatives.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:
- analyse and critically appraise the stages in ESIA processes
- synthesise and evaluate the outcomes of an ESIA
- critique ESIA in practical applications
- critically discuss thematic and specialised assessment approaches
- evaluate the contribution of strategic and emerging forms of assessment
- critically assess the role of ESIA as a policy and planning tool.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: John Glasson & Riki Therivel (2019) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment. 5th Edition. Abingdon UK: Routledge.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (M469) | Not running | Running | Not running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Introduction to ESIA
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Origins and Variations in Application
- 1.3 The Purpose of ESIA
- 1.4 Drivers for ESIA
- 1.5 The Overall ESIA Process
- 1.6 Structuring ESIAs
- 1.7 Success of ESIA
- 1.8 Social Impact Assessment
- 1.9 Reflection on SIA
- 1.1 Conclusion
Unit 2 Laying the Foundations for ESIA
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Screening
- 2.3 Scoping
- 2.4 Project Description
- 2.5 Baseline Description
- 2.6 Data Collection, Interpretation and Reporting
- 2.7 Conclusion
Unit 3 Impact Assessment – the ‘Heart’ of ESIA
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Impact Identification and Prediction
- 3.3 Impact Significance Evaluation
- 3.4 Social Impacts and Equity
- 3.5 Conclusion
Unit 4 Impact Management, Reporting and Decision-Making
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Impact Mitigation and Enhancement
- 4.3 Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring
- 4.4 Reporting the ESIA
- 4.5 ESIA and Decision-Making
- 4.6 Conclusion
Unit 5 ESIA Stakeholder Engagement/Public Consultation
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Stakeholder Engagement: Objectives and Benefits
- 5.3 Methods of Securing Stakeholder Engagement
- 5.4 Stakeholder Engagement in Practice
- 5.5 Conclusion
Unit 6 Improving the Effectiveness of ESIA
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 ESIA Planning and Project Management
- 6.3 Implementation and Follow-up
- 6.4 Conclusion
Unit 7 Thematic and Specialised Assessment Techniques
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Themed Impact Assessment
- 7.3 ‘Specialised’ Assessment Techniques
- 7.4 Conclusion
Unit 8 Strategic and Emerging Forms of Assessment
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Widening the Scope of Impact Assessment
- 8.3 Emerging Forms of Impact Assessment
- 8.4 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Welcome to the Financial Reporting module. Accounting is a vital yet complex task for any organisation. Businesses and public organisations need to keep accurate records of their income and spending. This information is needed both for internal decision-making and to demonstrate accountability to their stakeholders. This module is designed to give students sufficient knowledge of financial reporting practices, in both the private and public sectors, to use the information produced and to contribute to debates on the development of reporting policy. The module concentrates on financial reporting using the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). These standards have now been adopted in many countries; other countries are in the process of adoption or have implemented similar systems.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:
- discuss the international conceptual frameworks for financial reporting in the public and private sectors
- discuss the development and global adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
- explain and contrast the differences in external reporting on a cash and accruals basis
- discuss the accounting treatment for specific assets and liabilities in accordance with IPSAS and IFRS
- discuss the process of consolidating financial statements and identify relevant accounting standards
- discuss the application of governance principles and compare with national governance guidance.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts:
- Elliott B & J Elliott (2019) Financial Accounting and Reporting. 19th Edition. Pearson.
- Müller-Marqués Berger T & EY (2018) IPSAS Explained: A Summary of International Public Sector Accounting Standards. 3rd Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Financial Reporting (M492) | Not running | Running | Not running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Context of Financial Reporting
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Private Versus Public Sectors
- 1.3 Rationale for Financial Reporting Standards
- 1.4 International Conceptual Framework – Public Sector
- 1.5 International Conceptual Framework – Private Sector
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 Accounting Concepts 1
- 2.1 Financial Standards: IFRS versus IPSAS
- 2.2 Cash- Versus Accruals-Based Accounting
- 2.3 Cash Versus Accruals and Accounting Standards
- 2.4 Case Study
- 2.5 Feedback on Case Study
- 2.6 Conclusion
Unit 3 Accounting Concepts 2
- 3.1 Income, Capital and Value
- 3.2 The Accountant’s View
- 3.3 The Economist’s View
- 3.4 Accounting for Changes in Price Levels
- 3.5 Case Study
- 3.6 Feedback on Case Study
- 3.7 Conclusion
Unit 4 Accounting for Assets
- 4.1 Current Assets
- 4.2 Non-Current Assets
- 4.3 Valuing Assets in Agriculture
- 4.4 Case Study
- 4.5 Feedback on Case Study
- 4.6 Conclusion
Unit 5 Accounting for Liabilities
- 5.1 Current and Non-Current Liabilities
- 5.2 Provisions and Contingent Liabilities
- 5.3 Financial Instruments
- 5.4 Case Studies
- 5.5 Feedback on Case Studies
- 5.6 Conclusion
Unit 6 Leases and Partnerships
- 6.1 Leases
- 6.2 What are Public Private Partnerships?
- 6.3 Use of PPP
- 6.4 Accounting for PPP
- 6.5 Case Study
- 6.6 Feedback on Case Study
- 6.7 Conclusion
Unit 7 Group Accounts
- 7.1 Group Accounts
- 7.2 The Consolidation Process
- 7.3 Users and Uses of Consolidated Financial Statements
- 7.4 Case Studies
- 7.5 Feedback on Case Studies
- 7.6 Conclusion
Unit 8 Governance
- 8.1 Definitions
- 8.2 Governance Failures
- 8.3 Good Governance in the Public Sector
- 8.4 Good Governance in the Private Sector
- 8.5 International Comparisons and National Perspectives
- 8.6 Conclusion
- 8.7 The Examination
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
This module is concerned with the management and development of staff in public organisations, known popularly as Human Resource Management and Development (HRM). The basic idea is simple – that all organisations, and not just those in the public sector, can improve their performance if they manage their staff properly. Very often, HRM is also associated with a series of practices related to the main activities of managing people and that we, as employees, experience directly. This may include recruiting new staff or training and developing existing staff.
The main objective of this module is to develop a critical appreciation of the strategic role of HRM not only in a public sector context, but within the overall constraints of different political, cultural and institutional environments. Although the module introduces you to the main features, or 'good practice' in HRM, we hope you can develop a critical awareness of its applicability to a given organisation. In addition, HRM is not a field of study independent of other modules in your MSc programme; it is related to many other areas including the management of change, project management and policy implementation.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed this module, you will be able to:
- present a 'strategic' model of human resource management and development (HRM/D)
- assess the main functions of strategic HRM/D primarily, but not exclusively, in public sector organisations
- discuss the main contemporary issues for HRM/D in the public sector
- analyse the role of HRM/D as a managerial activity, while appreciating institutional and cultural constraints
- apply the main features of HRM/D to the public sector of developing and transitional countries with an understanding of its weaknesses and limitations.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: Bailey C, D Mankin, C Kelliher & T Garavan (2018) Strategic Human Resource Management. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Human Resource Management and Development (M402) | Not running | Running | Not running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Strategic HRM for the Public Sector
- 1.1 Introduction to HRM
- 1.2 The Activities of HRM
- 1.3 The Context of HRM
- 1.4 Strategic HRM
- 1.5 Strategic HRM in the Public Sector
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 Employee Resourcing
- 2.1 Recruitment
- 2.2 Selection
- 2.3 Retention
- 2.4 Contracts of Employment
- 2.5 Conclusion
Unit 3 Performance
- 3.1 Introduction – Organisational Performance
- 3.2 Performance Management
- 3.3 Performance Evaluation
- 3.4 Leadership
- 3.5 Teams
- 3.6 Conclusion
Unit 4 Development
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Management Learning
- 4.3 Organisational Learning
- 4.4 Creativity in Public Organisations
- 4.5 Conclusion
Unit 5 Employee Relations
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Employee Involvement and Participation (EIP)
- 5.3 Managing Diversity
- 5.4 Formal Employee Relations
- 5.5 The Role of Trade Unions
- 5.6 Conclusion
Unit 6 Reward
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 Setting Rewards
- 6.3 Pay Structures
- 6.4 Human Resource Aspects of Public Sector Pay Problems
- 6.5 Paying by Performance
- 6.6 Rewards Other Than Pay
- 6.7 Conclusion
Unit 7 Contemporary Issues in HRM
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- 7.3 Work-Life Balance
- 7.4 Alternative Forms of HR Service Delivery
- 7.5 Conclusion
Unit 8 Applying HRM
- 8.1 Introduction – Applying 'Best Practice'
- 8.2 Convergence and Divergence between Countries
- 8.3 The Limits of Strategic HRM in the Public Sector
- 8.4 Challenges and Prospects for HRM in the Public Sector
- 8.5 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
The public sector has witnessed substantial change in recent years, and change looks set to continue. Such changes began about two decades ago and were marked by a desire to privatise and ‘roll back’ the public sector. Although these processes are continuing on a global scale, more recent changes have focused on improving the capabilities of the public sector, often in terms of capacity building, or institutional or sectoral development. This in turn has led to significant changes for individual public sector organisations. Many of these changes or reform programmes have recast public sector organisations as being smaller and decentralised, often with a short lifespan, and being opened up to ‘market forces’. Of course, many large-scale bureaucracies remain; but even here change is occurring.
At the same time, new managerial processes associated, for example, with human resource management or management information systems have been introduced. Whether managers in the public sector approve or not of the underlying factors that have brought about such change, or of the specific organisational changes introduced, nonetheless they are responsible for dealing with these changes at an organisational level. This module is about how managers understand and implement organisational change, thereby helping them to fulfil their responsibilities.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- describe and assess the relationship between an organisation and its environment, and apply these concepts to public sector organisations in general and to your own organisation in particular
- distinguish different levels of, and approaches to, organisational change both generally and with special reference to public sector organisations
- discuss what is meant by organisational culture, power, politics, leadership and learning, and apply them to analysing the dynamics of public sector organisations in general, and to your own organisation in particular
- identify how issues of structure, culture, power, politics, leadership and learning can be used to understand and manage change in public sector organisations
- apply different techniques of managing change to processes of change in your own organisation
- handle, communicate and apply with confidence the analytical framework of organisational change management.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: Senior B, S Swailes & C Carnall (2020) Organisational Change. 6th Edition. Pearson.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Managing Organisational Change (M406) | Running | Not running | Running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Organisations and Environments
- 1.1 Introduction: Organisational Change
- 1.2 Developing Country Organisations
- 1.3 The Systems View of Organisations
- 1.4 The Importance of the Environment
- 1.5 Environmental Pressures for Change
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 Organisational Change
- 2.1 Introduction: The Nature of Change
- 2.2 Typologies of Change in the Public Sector: Case Study
- 2.3 Planned and Emergent Change
- 2.4 The Standard Model of Change Management
- 2.5 An Alternative to the Standard Model?
- 2.6 Conclusion
Unit 3 Organisational Structure and Change
- 3.1 Introduction: Defining Organisational Structure
- 3.2 Forms of Organisational Structure
- 3.3 What Shapes Structure
- 3.4 Managing Structural Change
- 3.5 Conclusion
Unit 4 Organisational Culture and Change
- 4.1 Introduction: What is Organisational Culture and Why Does it Matter?
- 4.2 Analysing Organisational Culture
- 4.3 Sources of Organisational Culture: the Influence of National Culture
- 4.4 Managing Organisational Culture and Change
- 4.5 Conclusion
Unit 5 Power, Politics and Change
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Power, Politics and Conflict in Organisations
- 5.3 Power in Organisations
- 5.4 Conflict in Organisations
- 5.5 Power, Politics and Conflict in Managing Organisational Change
- 5.6 Conclusion
Unit 6 Leadership and Organisational Change
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 What is Leadership?
- 6.3 Approaches to Leadership
- 6.4 Leadership and Culture
- 6.5 Leadership and Change
- 6.6 Conclusion
Unit 7 Learning and Organisational Change
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Processes of Change in Pubic Organisations: Key Developments
- 7.3 Organisational Learning and the Learning Organisation
- 7.4 Learning from Other Organisations
- 7.5 Conclusion
Unit 8 Strategies for Change
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Organisational Diagnosis
- 8.3 Organisation Development
- 8.4 Ethics and Organisational Change
- 8.5 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
This module aims to introduce you to the main forms of cooperation between the state and the private sector in the provision of public goods and services. It does so both by examining the theoretical bases of public-private partnerships, and by an analysis of a number of recent case studies of PPP in action.
The module text is focused primarily around the following two questions.
- What are the role and the duties of a state – which goods and services should be guaranteed to the population when employing financial resources raised through taxation?
- Which provisions should be made directly by the state, or instead outsourced to the private sector operating on its behalf?
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this course you will be able to:
- outline how state functions have evolved over time
- discuss how the public sector typically relates to the private sector for the provision of public goods
- explain and assess the main features of alternative public-private relationships
- quantify the size of PP markets across the world and explain the source of PP regulations
- assess the merits and limitations of alternative procurement legislations and procedures
- identify the goals of the procuring administration
- select the main dimensions for effective procurement design
- describe concession contracts and their rationale, and assess different types
- identify some of the merits and limitations of a PPP contract
- explain the differences underlying alternative PPP models in different sectors
- identify the main economic principles behind PPP case studies
- explain the main reasons underlying privatisation of public assets
- detail the regulatory challenges behind privatisation
- assess the importance of regulatory institutions when privatising natural monopolies.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Privatisation and Public Private Partnerships (M411) | Not running | Not running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Defining Public-Private Relationships
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 The Role of the State
- 1.3 Public Procurement
- 1.4 Public-Private Partnerships
- 1.5 Privatisation
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 The Size and Institutional Framework of Public Procurement
- 2.1 Introduction: How Important Are Regulations for Effective PP?
- 2.2 Outsourcing Trends in the Public Sector
- 2.3 Public Procurement and Supranational Institutions
- 2.4 Defence Procurement
- 2.5 Public Procurement of Innovation
- 2.6 Case Studies
- 2.7 Conclusion
Unit 3 Designing Public Procurement
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Public Procurement and Economic Policy
- 3.3 Best Value for Money in Procurement
- 3.4 Centralised vs Decentralised Procurement
- 3.5 Tendering Formats
- 3.6 Risk Sharing and Incentives in Public Procurement
- 3.7 Obligational and Adversarial Contracting
- 3.8 Contracts and Quality Enforcement
- 3.9 SMEs and Public Procurement
- 3.10 Green and Sustainable Procurement
- 3.11 Case Studies
- 3.12 Conclusion
Unit 4 Concessions of Public Assets
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 The Rationale for Public Concessions
- 4.3 Types of Concessions
- 4.4 Infrastructure Concessions
- 4.5 Forest, Land and Mining Concessions
- 4.5 Conclusion
Unit 5 Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): Principles
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 The Variety of PPPs
- 5.3 The Economics of PPPs
- 5.4 Conclusion
Unit 6 PPP Case Studies
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 The London Underground
- 6.3 Urban Water Provision in Developing Countries
- 6.4 Infrastructural Projects in Indonesia and Vietnam
- 6.5 Conclusion
Unit 7 Privatising Public Assets
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Why Privatise?
- 7.3 Which Public Assets to Privatise?
- 7.4 How to Privatise?
- 7.5 Privatisation and Regulation
- 7.6 Conclusion
Unit 8 Privatisation Case Studies
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 The Privatisation of the British Rail System
- 8.3 Privatisation of the Sidney Airport
- 8.4 Partial Privatisation in China and Singapore
- 8.5 Telecom Privatisation in Croatia
- 8.6 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
This is a module about financial and economic appraisal of projects. The project is a very specific element of the public policy and management mix. It normally consists of an investment – that is, the creation of an asset which will generate benefits, financial and non-financial over a period of more than one year. This is not universally applicable as a working definition, as ‘project’ is often used to describe a set of discrete activities that do not always involve a capital investment, to achieve some specific goals. In this module, however, we will be dealing with capital investments.
This is a very specific and quite technical module, which will enable you to carry out financial and economic appraisals. It will give you enough theory to understand the financial and economic processes involved in such an appraisal, but the emphasis is on practice, with some critique of the methods involved. There are two related modules: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is specifically concerned with these two aspects of project appraisal, themselves often also a formal requirement of the project approval process; while, the module Project, Programme and Policy Evaluation offers a post-hoc process of assessing whether projects, programmes and policies have been successful after implementation.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed all your work on this module, you will be able to:
- the reasons for project and programme appraisal and evaluation
- apply private sector investment appraisal techniques to different situations
- explain and use cash flow analysis
- discuss private sector appraisal techniques
- use spreadsheets for investment appraisal
- explain and comment on related issues of investment appraisal including choosing between mutually exclusive projects, and outline the difference between financial and economic analysis as applied to projects
- apply the technique of social cost-benefit analysis that is used in project appraisal
- explain and use the main valuation techniques of Revealed Preference and Contingent Valuation
- analyse the strengths and weaknesses of these valuation techniques
- apply cost-effectiveness analysis in situations where project benefits are not measurable
- consider the most appropriate project evaluation techniques for different economic sectors
- apply appropriate evaluation techniques in different economic sectors
- critically review the advantages and limitations of social cost-benefit analysis
- identify the problems of risk and uncertainty associated with project identification, preparation, monitoring and evaluation
- use spreadsheets for analysing risk and uncertainty in project appraisal
- interpret measurements of income distribution
- outline the economic theory of diminishing marginal utility of income and consumption and explain its use as a basis for determining welfare or distributional weighting
- assess the advantages and disadvantages of using distributional weighting in SCBA
- explain how a system of weights can be applied to regional disparities in income, in the context of allocating public sector projects between the regions of a country.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: Boardman AE, D Greenberg, AR Vining & DL Weimer (2014) Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice. 4th (International) Edition. Pearson.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Project Appraisal (M475) | Running | Not running | Running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Investment Appraisal Techniques I
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Cash Flow Analysis
- 1.3 Private Sector Appraisal Techniques
- 1.4 Conclusions
Unit 2 Investment Appraisal Techniques II
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Net Cash Flow and the Working Capital
- 2.3 Mutually Exclusive Projects and Other Issues
- 2.4 Conclusions
Unit 3 Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 The Main Stages of a Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 3.3 Theoretical Basis of Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 3.4 Social Cost-Benefit Analysis Case Study
- 3.5 The Social Discount Rate (SDR)
- 3.6 Conclusions
Unit 4 Valuation Methodologies in Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Revealed Preference Methods
- 4.3 Stated Preferences – Contingent Valuation
- 4.4 Summary and Review
Unit 5 Sector Analysis and Case Studies in SCBA
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Transport Projects
- 5.3 Water
- 5.4 Education
- 5.5 Environment
- 5.6 Health Care
- 5.7 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA)
- 5.8 Summary and Review
Unit 6 Risk and Uncertainty Analysis
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 Risk and Uncertainty
- 6.3 Techniques for Risk Analysis
- 6.4 Uncertainty
- 6.5 Risk and Large Projects
- 6.6 Spreadsheet Modelling and Risk Analysis
- 6.7 Conclusions
Unit 7 Distributional Issues and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Analysing the Distribution of Costs and Benefits
- 7.3 Displaying Distributional Impacts
- 7.4 Distributional Weighting
- 7.5 Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA)
- 7.6 Conclusions
Unit 8 Critique and Reflection
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Standings, Value Assumptions, and Legitimacy of Cost-Benefit Analaysis
- 8.3 The Strengths and Limitations of Social Cost-Benefit Analysis
- 8.4 SCBA in Developing Countries
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
In this module you will learn about evaluation, and specifically about the types of evaluation that assesses the achievements of public interventions and uncover the lessons learned which have wider application. Often termed 'summative', 'ex-post', or 'post-hoc' this sort of evaluation looks back over what has changed over the course of an intervention by a public institution, and tries to answer questions such as:
- What difference has our project, programme or policy made?
- Who has benefitted and who has been left out?
- Did our intervention deliver what we expected and hoped it would?
- Were the resources spent on it justified by the results achieved?
- What else might account for the changes that have happened?
- Should we continue doing this sort of thing, and what have we learned to help us do better in the future?
- Are there lessons from this experience which can help others do better?
Ex-post evaluation is of growing importance for governments, donors, international bodies and those involved in delivering projects and programmes 'on the ground'. It has spawned an industry of researchers, evaluators and consultants who specialise in designing methodologies to answer the sort of questions posed above, and who sell their services to public bodies who want to know the answers. In many cases, the provision of public funds for an endeavour bring with them a requirement for an eventual ex-post evaluation to be carried out – and a concomitant need for data to be collected right from the beginning.
You will hear the term evaluation used in many different ways and applied at different times. This module focuses on the type of evaluation that takes stock and forms judgements. It can be contrasted with other types of evaluation that you may encounter, and which are covered to a greater or lesser degree in a number of other CeFiMS Public Policy and Management courses.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed this module and its readings, you should be able to:
- outline how ex-post evaluation informs public policy and management processes
- set the meaning of ex-post evaluation in the wider context of different ways to assess public intervention
- distinguish between ex ante, interim, and ex post evaluation, and set ex post evaluation in its proper temporal context
- specify the differences between public policies, programmes and projects, and the implications of these for their evaluation
- define a wide variety of evaluation terms and organise them into their purpose, scale, period in time and type of study design
- choose an evaluation methodology that is relevant to the institutional context and resources available
- design and carry out evaluations of different types, with an understanding of likely challenges, including identifying and validating impact, disentangling impacts from other influences; the likelihood of absent baselines, inadequate monitoring data, and insufficient research capacity
- critique evaluation studies in relation to the quality of their design, their conduct and the value of conclusions drawn
- fit evaluation practice into the real world of politics and the question of what those commissioning really want to know, and want to hear
- practically assess timescales, changing questions, and when to look for results
- form a judgement as to whether you yourself would like to consider developing a career as an evaluator
- join in with networking and exchange amongst the evaluation 'community', and identify differences from broader research.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts:
- Palfrey C, P Thomas & C Phillips (2012) Evaluation for the Real World. The Policy Press.
- Bamberger M, J Rugh & L Mabry (2012) RealWorld Evaluation: Working Under Budget, Time, Data, and Political Constraints. 2nd Edition. Sage.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Project, Programme and Policy Evaluation (M479) | Not running | Running | Not running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 History, Types and Uses of Evaluation
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Evaluation in Public Policy
- 1.3 Judgement: Evaluation, Audit, Inspection, Journalism and Academic Research
- 1.4 Different Types of Evaluation
- 1.5 Conclusion
Unit 2 Designing an Ex-Post Evaluation: Programme Theory and the Importance of Context
- 2.1 Ex-Post Evaluation
- 2.2 Programme Theory: How Interventions are Supposed to Work
- 2.3 The Importance of Context
- 2.4 Sources of Information
- 2.5 Conclusion
Unit 3 Project Evaluation I
- 3.1 Micro Evaluation – Policies at the Coalface
- 3.2 Pilots and the Mainstream – Projects as Experiments or Examples of Basic Delivery
- 3.3 Projects in Context
- 3.4 Drawing Conclusions and the Question of Attribution
- 3.5 Project Evaluation as a Laboratory – the Question of Replicability
- 3.6 Time to Get Going: Scoping the Evaluation
- 3.7 Conclusion
Unit 4 Project Evaluation II
- 4.1 The Case Studies
- 4.2 Purpose and Context
- 4.3 Theory of Change
- 4.4 Evaluation Design and Methodology
- 4.5 Results and Conclusions in the Reports
- 4.6 Conclusion
Unit 5 Evaluation Methods: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Quantitative Evaluation Methods
- 5.3 Qualitative Evaluation Methods
- 5.4 Mixed Method Evaluation
- 5.5 Conclusion
Unit 6 Programme Evaluation I
- 6.1 Programmes and Their Evaluation
- 6.2 Evaluation Criteria
- 6.3 The Specification of Impacts
- 6.4 Conclusion
Unit 7 Programme Evaluation II
- 7.1 The Case Studies
- 7.2 End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes
- 7.3 The Tuungane Community-Driven Reconstruction Project
- 7.4 Conclusion
Unit 8 Policy Evaluation, and Being an Evaluator
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Policy Evaluation
- 8.3 Policy Evaluation in a Development Context
- 8.4 Multinational Policy Evaluation
- 8.5 Maximising the Usefulness of Evaluation
- 8.6 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Welcome to the module Public Financial Management: Audit and Compliance. Audit is an evolving function in the public sector. It has evolved from simply checking that money has been spent in the ways that governments intended and ensuring that none was stolen or misappropriated. Now it is also concerned with evaluating whether the application of funds represents good value for the taxpayer and, more recently, to evaluating whether government policies have been effective. The early functions of audit (i.e. the detection of fraud and technical errors in accounting) still remain but have now been overlain with new, more evaluative, functions.
The purpose of this module is to give you an understanding of the different roles and purposes of audit and to enable you plan and commission audits. In addition, it will enable you to carry out some of the functions of the auditor. This is an ambitious aim, and the module ranges over the spectrum of audit activities, drawing examples from detecting fraud to evaluating the success of policies.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed the study of this module and its readings you will be able to:
- explain the public finance control function as an activity that involves different actors in the constitutional system
- explain the different rationales with which the different control actors operate in a democratic state
- make comparisons between the different control subsystems
- explain and compare the different forms of audit reporting
- examine the International Public Sector Internal Audit Standards applicable and effective from 1 April 2013 and other internal audit guidelines
- outline the advantages of cybernetic control theory
- carry out a systems-based approach to audit
- use compliance and substantive testing
- explain the various sampling techniques and demonstrate how to use IT to test the whole population
- discuss the concept of performance audit, and what it consists of
- differentiate the role of performance audit from evaluation activity
- define the concepts of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, and evaluate the performance of a public programme or organisation through these elements
- use audit criteria to determine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of a public programme or organisation
- value the importance of performance audit in the contemporary public administration
- discern the fuzzy delineation between political and external control when it comes to performance audit
- distinguish the two main functions of performance audit: accountability and organisational learning
- assess the performance of a performance auditor
- situate the function of fraud combat within the broader architecture of budgetary control
- discuss how a fraud investigation is carried out, including the legal framework and evidence collection
- explain the main types of classical and contemporary fraud which exist in all countries, developed or developing.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: Davies M & J Aston (2011) Auditing Fundamental. Prentice Hall.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Elective module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Public Financial Management: Audit and Compliance (M472) | Not running | Not running | Running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Public Sector Auditing
- 1.1 Introduction to Auditing
- 1.2 Accountability in the Public Sector
- 1.3 External Audit in the Public Sector
- 1.4 Internal Audit in the Public Sector
- 1.5 Political Power and Control
- 1.6 The Control of Public Spending in the Genesis of Constitutionalism
- 1.7 The Purposes of Budgetary Control
- 1.8 Conclusion
Unit 2 The Public Finance Control System
- 2.1 The Control Pyramid
- 2.2 Internal Control
- 2.3 External Control
- 2.4 Jurisdictional Control
- 2.5 Political Control
- 2.6 Social Control
- 2.7 Conclusion
Unit 3 External Audit and Reporting
- 3.1 The Role of External Audit?
- 3.2 Reporting on Finanical Statements
- 3.3 Probity Audit
- 3.4 Verification Audit
- 3.5 Supreme Audit Institutions
- 3.6 Conclusion
Unit 4 Internal Audit and Control
- 4.1 What is Internal Audit?
- 4.2 Internal Audit and Internal Control
- 4.3 Ethical Issues and the Internal Auditor
- 4.4 Public Sector Internal Audit Standards
- 4.5 Internal Control
- 4.6 Cybernetic Control Theory
- 4.7 Conclusion
Unit 5 Risk Assessment and a Systems-Based Approach
- 5.1 Introduction to Risk
- 5.2 Policy and Risk
- 5.3 Risk Management
- 5.4 Systems-Based Auditing
- 5.5 System Documentation
- 5.6 Sampling
- 5.7 An IT Approach to Sampling
- 5.8 Conclusion
Unit 6 Performance Audit I
- 6.1 Introduction to the Concept of Performance Audit
- 6.2 Auditing Performance: Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness
- 6.3 Performance Audit Criteria
- 6.4 Conclusion
Unit 7 Preformance Audit II
- 7.1 Performance Audit in Contemporary Public Administration
- 7.2 The Political Dimension of Performance Control
- 7.3 Performance Audit, Between Accountability and Learning
- 7.4 Performance Audit in the Age of Multi-Level Governance
- 7.5 Implications of the Elaboration of the Audit Agenda
- 7.6 The Learning Component of Performance Audit
- 7.7 Evaluating the Performance of a Good Performance Audit
- 7.8 Conclusion
Unit 8 Fraud
- 8.1 The Problem of Fraud
- 8.2 Fraud and Irregularity
- 8.3 Corruption and Risk in Public Procurement
- 8.4 Preventing Fraud through Internal Control: COSO
- 8.5 Conclusion
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Welcome to Public Financial Management: Planning and Performance. We hope that you will find the module stimulating and useful. Even if you do not have a background in public finance we think you will be able to learn a lot and do well in the assessment for this module. There is technical material and language that may seem to outsiders to be jargon, but we aim to explain the reasoning behind all new terms as we introduce them and to avoid unnecessarily technical language.
It is an interesting time to be studying public finance for several reasons. First, there are changes in the way that the public sector ‘does its business’. Bureaucracies with strict hierarchies of public employees carrying out their duties according to a fixed set of rules are giving way, or have already given way, to different ways of working. In some cases there have been programmes of decentralisation and delegation of authority so that managers and professionals at relatively junior levels now have to take decisions based on the best information, including financial information, available to them.
In professions across the public sector – whether medical, educational, legal, engineering or custodial – people are making choices about investments, about how to achieve efficiency, how to stay within budget and how to improve performance. Whether reluctantly or willingly, people are having to understand costs, budgets, financial statements about cash flows and expenditures, even when they are not in accountancy.
In other cases, services are increasingly contracted out to commercial companies, to NGOs or to communities rather than being provided directly by public employees. These arrangements require a different set of disciplines – of monitoring other people’s performance, of assessing value for money of contracts rather than employees’ performance.
A second reason why public finance is interesting now is that in many countries what people are being held to account for is also changing. It is often not sufficient to have accounts that show that money has been spent as governments intended – politicians and the public want to know how well it has been spent, whether it has been used efficiently and whether it has achieved the purposes for which it was allocated. This widening of accountability, combined with the delegation of accountability lower down in the organisations, has placed a burden on accounting systems and on the managers and professionals who have to understand and operate them. Computer systems make financial management easier but managers need to understand the concepts underlying the numbers and the consequences of the financial information that is provided.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed this module, you will be able to:
- explain how public budgeting fits into the macroeconomic framework
- apply ideas about accountability to the production of various forms of account for public services and public money
- discuss how changes in public management require different forms of public accounting
- read a budget and a set of national accounts and explain the differences between budgets and accounts in different jurisdictions
- explain costs and different ways of measuring them and how costs are used in budgets
- discuss the budget process at national and sub-national levels and the techniques appropriate at different levels
- apply budgetary control methods
- use financial management to enhance the performance of public organisations
- discuss how public financial management interfaces with politics and political choices.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts: Allen R, R Hemming and BH Potter (Eds) (2013) International Handbook of Public Financial Management. Basingstoke, UK and New York, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed learning environment. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Core module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Public Financial Management: Planning and Performance (M401) | Not running | Running | Not running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 The Context of Financial Management
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 What is a Budget?
- 1.3 The Macroeconomic Framework
- 1.4 The Legal Framework
- 1.5 Accountability
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 Budget Coverage, Classification and Structure
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Coverage of the Budget
- 2.3 Classification of the Budget
- 2.4 Budget Composition
- 2.5 The Line Item System vs Programme Systems
Unit 3 Costs
- 3.1 Some Definitions of Cost
- 3.2 Costing Systems
- 3.3 Cost-Volume-Profit Model
- 3.4 Absorption or Full Cost Recovery
- 3.5 Activity Based Costing (ABC)
- 3.6 Managing Costs
- 3.7 Price-Based Costing
- 3.8 Relevant Costs
Unit 4 Accounting and Budgeting: National Level
- 4.1 Approaches to Public Accounting and Budgeting
- 4.2 Cash Accounting vs Accruals Accounting
- 4.3 The Macroeconomic, Fiscal Framework and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework
- 4.4 Policy Formulation and the Budget Process
- 4.5 Budget Timetable
Unit 5 Accounting and Budgeting: Sub-National Level
- 5.1 Translating the national budget into operational budgets
- 5.2 Structure, Performance, Discretion, Block Grants and Contracts
- 5.3 Fund Accounting
- 5.4 Resource Accounting and Budgeting
- 5.5 Which Techniques at Which Stage?
- 5.6 Budget Timetable at Sub-National Level
- 5.7 Case Study South Africa Basic Education
- 5.8 Accounting for Services Provided by Third Parties
Unit 6 Budget Execution
- 6.1 Introduction: Budgetary Control
- 6.2 Controlling Operations
- 6.3 Taking Action
- 6.4 Risk of Policy Failure
- 6.5 Case Study
Unit 7 Budgeting and Performance
- 7.1 Introduction: Accruals Accounting and Output and Outcome Budgeting
- 7.2 Defining and Measuring Non-Financial Items, Especially Outputs and Outcomes
- 7.3 Case Study 1: Output and Outcome Definitions
- 7.4 Case Study 2: Performance Budgeting in France
- 7.5 Case Study 3: Performance Budgeting in Poland
- 7.6 Performance Budgeting in Asia
- 7.7 Case Study: Education Funding in South Africa
- 7.8 Conclusions: Will Performance Management and Budgeting Ever Be Fully Implemented?
Unit 8 Budgeting and Democracy
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 National Legislatures and the Budget Process
- 8.3 Case Study: Canada
- 8.4 Participatory Budgeting
- 8.5 Case Study: Australia
- 8.6 Conclusions on Budgeting and Democracy
- 8.7 Is There a Single Best Method of Financial Management?
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
This module aims to introduce you to the theory and practice of public finance, with special reference to how governments raise and use revenues. It is concerned with taxation, borrowing and aid. There are economic principles that bear on the issues of financing public expenditure and these are covered in the module. At the same time, however, we recognise that decisions on taxation, borrowing and aid are not taken solely with reference to economics but also to politics, and the module raises relevant political and social issues too. While the module has some emphasis on taxation in poorer countries, they are not its exclusive concern.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this course you will be able to:
- outline and discuss the main sources of government revenue
- explain the main criteria for assessing types of taxation
- analyse the main trends in taxation especially as between advanced and developing countries
- evaluate the main recommendations and analytical methods of the theory of optimal taxation that underpins modern tax reform
- gauge the degree of inequality and evaluate policies to reduce inequality
- outline the economic arguments for and against environmental taxes
- assess the impact of taxes on people’s consumption behaviours
- evaluate the causes of weak tax administration in developing countries and recommended appropriate policies to improve tax administration
- judge the use of Value Added Taxes in the context of developing countries
- discuss the causes and effects of tax competition between countries
- evaluate the effects of natural resource abundance on countries
- explain the economic case for fiscal decentralisation
- explain the characteristics of local taxes and some of the problems of tax collection at local level
- define the issues in how fiscal policy can be used to stabilise economies
- outline the different effects and policy implications of internal and external debt
- explain how governments can create the illusion of fiscal adjustment by financial engineering
- assess the success of aid giving as a method of supplementing government revenues in poorer countries and analyse its effects on government spending, tax raising and borrowing.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- "classics" in the study of public finance
- operational and policy documents that illustrate how the public finance practitioner uses the tools of public finance in real world policy contexts
- case studies and research papers that examine the impact of various public finance policies and initiatives in a variety of country and policy contexts.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Core module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Public Financial Management: Revenue (M405) | Running | Running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Introduction to Taxation
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Criteria for Assessing Types of Taxes
- 1.3 Types of Tax
- 1.4 Trends in Taxation
- 1.5 Tax Policy and Tax Administration
- 1.6 Conclusion
Unit 2 The Economic Theory of Taxation
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Economic Efficiency
- 2.3 Income Tax versus Sales Tax
- 2.4 Taxes on the Supply of Labour
- 2.5 Equity and Efficiency
- 2.6 Optimal Taxation
- 2.7 Implications for Tax Policy
- 2.8 Summary and Conclusions
Unit 3 Public Policy and Taxation
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Inequality
- 3.3 Environmental Taxes
- 3.4 Behaviour and Taxes: Tobacco and Alcohol (Sin) Taxes
- 3.5 Summary and Conclusions
Unit 4 Tax Policy Issues in Developing Countries
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Tax Policies in Developing Countries
- 4.3 Tax Administration in Developing Countries
- 4.4 Value Added Tax (VAT)
- 4.5 Summary and Conclusions
Unit 5 Tax Policy Issues
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Tax Competition
- 5.3 The Internationalisation of Tax Policy – Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)
- 5.4 Natural Resources ‘Curse’?
- 5.5 Flat Taxes
- 5.6 Summary and Conclusions
Unit 6 Sub National government Revenues
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 The Economic Case for Fiscal Decentralisation
- 6.3 SNG Tax Revenues
- 6.4 Intergovernmental Grants and Transfers
- 6.5 Sub-National Government Borrowing
- 6.6 The Impact of Fiscal Decentralisation
- 6.7 Summary and Conclusions
Unit 7 Budget Deficits and National Debts
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Deficit Definitions
- 7.3 Why do Governments Run Deficits?
- 7.4 Why Do Deficits Matter?
- 7.5 Does Government Debt Matter?
- 7.6 Austerity Policies
- 7.7 Fiscal Policy in Developing Countries
- 7.8 Fiscal Adjustment and Fiscal Illusions
- 7.9 Summary and Review
Unit 8 Foreign Aid and Debt Relief
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 What is Foreign Aid? (ODA)
- 8.3 Donors of Foreign Aid
- 8.4 Allocation of Foreign Aid
- 8.5 Budget Support
- 8.6 Aid and Tax Effort in Recipient Countries
- 8.7 Aid Volatility
- 8.8 Debt Relief
- 8.9 Summary and Conclusions
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Governments regularly transfer cash or make concessionary loans to other governments in order to promote economic and social development, improve the welfare of the recipient governments’ citizens, or help out with humanitarian assistance after a natural or human-created disaster. Politicians from richer countries attend high-profile conferences and commit to increasing these transfers, often encouraged by popular campaigns in their home countries. Citizens of the richer countries (and many in poorer countries) regularly donate money to voluntary organisations involved in the same sorts of transfers, especially when natural disasters occur, but also at other times, hoping that their contributions will improve the lot of the world’s poorest people.
The transfer process is managed through a medium-sized industry that includes governmental organisations and their aid agencies, international bodies (eg various parts of the United Nations and the European Union), development banks (eg the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank) and a large number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), all supported by consultants and experts, including those in the academic institutions training and educating their staff. People spend their whole careers in this industry, administering financial flows, designing and managing projects, writing assessments, evaluating results and raising funds.
Views are divided on the impact of all this effort. Some argue not only that aid does not work to promote economic development but also that aid itself holds back development by propping up corrupt and inefficient governments and distorting investment flows, exchange rates and domestic markets. At the other end of the opinion spectrum are those who argue that aid is essential and could be effective if only its quantity and quality were improved.
Others, such as Roger Riddell (2014), are carefully analytical about the impact of the aid effort and argue for improvements in the way aid is delivered, without claiming that aid can or will solve the problem of poverty or unequal wealth and income distribution.
This module enables you to look at the evidence for the impact of these aid efforts and examine the flows of funds, the organisations involved in aid delivery, and the processes of allocating aid and designing aid programmes. We ask you to study the module and its readings with an open mind and reach your own views about what works and what does not work.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this module are that you will be able to:
- define what is meant by development assistance and its constituent parts
- outline the main trends in development assistance
- gauge the growing role of NGOs, private foundations and other non-DAC (OECD’s Development Assistance Committee) organisations in the provision of development assistance and identify the sources of their funding
- discuss some of the theory of economic growth, and the role and effectiveness of development assistance in promoting it
- explain the definitions and measurement of poverty, and the recent reduction in global poverty
- analyse the relationship between growth, inequality and poverty, and be aware of the role of development assistance in contributing to the reduction in poverty
- assess the extent to which development assistance is successful in influencing recipient governments’ domestic policies, with respect to environment, climate change, democracy and governance
- describe what makes for successful and unsuccessful humanitarian assistance, including the relationship between immediate disaster relief and longer-term reconstruction and development assistance
- assess the role and incentives that aid agencies face; be familiar with the recommendations of the High-Level Forums for improving aid effectiveness and evaluate the extent to which these have been carried out
- analyse the effectiveness of general budget support and payment by results as aid modalities designed to improve aid effectiveness
- judge whether relatively new entrants to the development assistance field are different from previous players.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Module readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Module overview
Unit 1 An Introduction to Development Assistance
- 1.1 What is Development Assistance?
- 1.2 Main Providers of Development Assistance
- 1.3 A Brief History of Development Assistance
- 1.4 Why Do Countries Donate Development Assistance?
- 1.5 Aid Allocation
- 1.6 International Agreements on Aid Effectiveness and Development
- 1.7 Conclusion
Unit 2 Development Assistance and Economic Development
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Economic Growth and Development
- 2.3 Development Assistance and Economic Growth: Theory
- 2.4 The Impact of Development Assistance
- 2.5 Conclusion
Unit 3 Poverty
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Concepts and Measurement of Poverty
- 3.3 Human and Multidimensional Development Indicators
- 3.4 Growth, Inequality and Poverty
- 3.5 Development Assistance and Poverty
- 3.6 Conclusion
Unit 4 Development Assistance and National Government Policies 1: Environmental and Climate Change
- Unit 4 and 5 Overview
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals
- 4.3 Development Finance and Climate Action
- 4.4 EU Budget Support and the Sustainable Development Goals
- 4.5 An Example: the LoCAL Programme
- 4.6 An Example: Private Sector Involvement
- 4.7 Sustainable Development Goals Progress
- 4.8 Conclusion
Unit 5 Development Assistance and National Government Policies: 2. Democracy, Governance and Human Rights
- 5.1 Changing Policy Interventions
- 5.2 An Example: the European Union and Democracy and Good Governance
- 5.3 The United States and Democracy Assistance
- 5.4 Are Sanctions Effective?
- 5.5 Conclusion
Unit 6 Humanitarian Assistance
- 6.1 What Is the Scope of Humanitarian Assistance?
- 6.2 Is Humanitarian Aid Effective?
- 6.3 Twelve Lessons About Flood Relief Efforts
- 6.4 The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
- 6.5 Examples
- 6.6 When Are Cash Transfers the Answer?
- 6.7 Conclusion
Unit 7 Aid Agencies
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Aid Agencies
- 7.3 Aid Agencies and Aid Effectiveness
- 7.4 High-Level Forums and Aid Effectiveness
- 7.5 General Budget Support
- 7.6 The Predictability of Aid
- 7.7 Payment by Results/Cash on Delivery
- 7.8 Managing Aid Agencies
- 7.9 Conclusion
Unit 8 New Development Assistance
- 8.1 Development Assistance Beyond the OECD DAC
- 8.2 Turkey
- 8.3 BRICS Countries
- 8.4 Conclusion: Impact of the New Development Assistance on Traditional ODA
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
In this module you look at the state and how it is managed. This is a huge agenda and brings in ideas from political science, from history, sociology, economics, anthropology and management science. The purposes are these:
- to establish what is meant by some key concepts such as the State, Government and Policy, which are often taken for granted but about which we need to be clear – and to understand different interpretations
- to survey the principles and practice of public management using a historical and comparative perspective
- to introduce a range of ideas that have emerged about how to manage the public sector to demonstrate the importance of context in understanding management and changing management practices.
- to raise some issues about the nature of the policy process in different contexts
- to set out some of the main debates in the field in order to help you to make your own judgements.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:
- define the State and what it means in the second decade of the twenty-first century
- discuss the variety of approaches to public policy and management in different parts of the world and different periods
- analyse the elements of the social, economic, political and cultural contexts in which governments operate and the influence of these elements on approaches to management and policy
- explain how ideal types of government arrangements have influenced government policy
- advise on some of the major choices that governments have to make when making management arrangements
- evaluate the applicability of ideas about policy and management developed in one jurisdiction to another
- assess claims that the role and function of the state is everywhere in decline.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Core reading: The pre-module reading for the whole of Public Policy and Management programmes is:
- Rod Hague, Martin Harrop & John McCormick (2016) Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction. 10th Edition. London, Palgrave.
- Additional readings: Because no single textbook could be found that covered all the issues raised in this module, students will be provided with access to a number of supplementary readings. These draw upon selected articles and extracts from books developing and exploring the nature of the state and governance, state-society relations, what states should (and should not) do, why, and how. There are case studies of policy making, evaluation, governance changes and structural and management reforms in a variety of contexts.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Public Policy and Management: Perspectives and Issues (M400) | Running | Not running | Running | Not running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 The State, Public Policy and Management
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Public Policy, Government and the State
- 1.3 Understanding the Variability of States
- 1.4 What is Public Management?
- 1.5 Finally: What Then is Public Policy?
Unit 2 The State in Action
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 The Market Failure Explanation
- 2.3 Size and Functions
- 2.4 Economic Development and the State
- 2.5 States and Welfare
- 2.6 The State, Politics and Institutions
- 2.7 Implications for Public Policy and Management
Unit 3 Ideal Types
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 The Classical Chinese Civil Service
- 3.3 Max Weber and Bureaucracy
- 3.4 ‘Progressive’ Public Administration: Taking the Politics out of Management
- 3.5 The ‘New Deal’
- 3.6 Post-Bureaucracy: Reinventing Government
- 3.7 ‘New Public Management’
- 3.8 After ‘New Public Management’
Unit 4 Policy Analysis and Evaluation
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 The Policy Process: From the Rational Ideal to Chaotic Reality
- 4.3 Policies, Politics and Institutions
- 4.4 Policy in Practice: Case Study on China’s Economic Reform
- 4.5 Policy Evaluation
- 4.6 Unit Review
Unit 5 Policy and Management Dilemmas I
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Choosing how to Deliver Public Services
- 5.3 The Principal–Agent Problem
- 5.4 Motivations and Incentives
- 5.5 Summary and Review
Unit 6 Policy and Management Dilemmas II
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 How Holds the Reins of Power? Centralisation and Decentralisation
- 6.3 How to Do Things Better: The Quest for Innovation
- 6.4 Conclusion
Unit 7 Policy Transfer and Diversity of Ideas
- 7.1 A Theory of Policy Transfer: Institutional Form
- 7.2 Case Study 1: Policy Responses to Financial Crisis
- 7.3 Case study 2: The USA Occupations of Japan and Iraq
- 7.4 Case Study 3: ‘Co-production’ and the Question of Meaning
- 7.5 Conclusion
Unit 8 The Future of the State?
- 8.1 The End of the State?
- 8.2 Choices
- 8.3 Review Questions and Reflection
- 8.4 The Field of Public Policy and Management
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Welcome to this module on public policy and strategy. Strategy is a term that has become very common in both business and government, and it is likely that you have your own understanding of what it may mean. This module sets out to explore the meaning of strategy generally, and more specifically as a feature of the work of governments and public authorities.
It is written for people who are engaged in the processes of strategy development, policy-making, implementation and evaluation, whether as professionals, politicians, advisors or citizens.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed your study of this module, you will be able to:
- define the meaning of strategy, and what makes an issue strategic, in a public policy context, including how this differs from private sector strategy
- identify the ways in which key contextual factors shape and constrain how public sector strategy is made, including the physical and socio-economic environment, and political and administrative systems
- explain how strategic issues come onto the political agenda of governments, how they are understood, and the roles of different types of stakeholder
- describe how to begin the process of strategic planning, taking into account the complexity of public policy and the business of government
- assess the potential use of different types of policy instrument and how strategy helps in making choices over which actions to adopt
- explain how to move from strategic planning as a conceptual exercise to the practical issues involved in putting your plan into effect and mobilising the system for its delivery
- define the differences between performance management, monitoring and evaluation, and explain the importance of the principal-agent problem, and different ways of evaluating the results of strategic plans
- describe what is meant by the Strategic State, and its relationship to the ‘science of delivery’, and explain how policy ideas and innovations travel from one place to another.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Key texts:
- Michael Barber (2015) How to Run A Government: So that Citizens Benefit and Taxpayers Don't Go Crazy. Penguin Books.
- John M Bryson (2018) Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. 5th Edition. John Wiley & Son.
- Paul Joyce (2015) Strategic Management in the Public Sector. Routledge.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Module overview
Unit 1 Strategy and the Policy Process
- 1.1 The Meaning of Strategy
- 1.2 Public Policy and Strategy
- 1.3 Public/Private Differences
- 1.4 Strategic Issues
- 1.5 Conclusions
Unit 2 The Contexts for Strategy
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Political and Institutional Context
- 2.3 Economic and Market Context
- 2.4 Geographical and Environmental Context
- 2.5 Technological Context
- 2.6 Social and Demographic Context
- 2.7 Conclusions
Unit 3 Strategic Issues, Stakeholders and Evidence
- 3.1 Strategic Policy Making
- 3.2 The Emergence of Strategic Issues
- 3.3 Stakeholders
- 3.4 Issue Definition and the Use of Evidence
- 3.5 Tasmania’s Population Issue: Stakeholders and Data
- 3.6 Conclusions
Unit 4 Complexity, and How to Produce a Strategic Plan
- 4.1 Complexity
- 4.2 The Formation of Strategy
- 4.3 Case Study: Tasmania’s Population Growth Strategy
- 4.4 Conclusions
Unit 5 Strategy into Practice: Approaches and Instruments
- 5.1 What Are We Going to Do?
- 5.2 Choosing Instruments
- 5.3 Strategic Approaches to Choice of Action
- 5.4 Case Study: China's Policies for Elderly Care
- 5.5 Conclusions
Unit 6 Implementation
- 6.1 Engaging the System
- 6.2 Institutions for Implementation
- 6.3 Case Study 1: Network Implementation
- 6.4 Case Study 2: Population Policy in Ghana
- 6.5 Conclusions
Unit 7 Reviewing Strategy: Performance Management, Monitoring and Evaluation
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 The Context for Monitoring, Evaluation and Performance Management
- 7.3 Reviewing Strategy
- 7.4 Performance Management and The Principal–Agent Problem
- 7.5 Monitoring Strategy
- 7.6 Aspects of Evaluation
- 7.7 Strategy and Policy Evaluation
Unit 8 Strategic Futures, and the Future of Strategy
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Getting Started on Strategic Planning
- 8.3 The Strategic State and Science of Delivery
- 8.4 Policy Networks and Policy Transfer
- 8.5 Shared Imagining
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Research plays an essential role in business and in public policy and management. Increasingly, organisations undertake small-scale research projects, to find out about matters relating to the concerns of their organisation or to critically evaluate existing policies. Both commercial firms and government institutions rely upon research to inform their decisions, to test the effectiveness of existing policies, to predict the effects of intended future policies, to understand management processes and decisions and to gain insights into public preferences and opinions about public services.
Whether you are studying this module in order to carry out research in your professional role, to commission and project-manage research conducted by others or to complete a dissertation for your MSc qualification, your ability to appropriately and rigorously design, execute report, and evaluate research is essential.
The range of research issues and research methods available for researchers to use is vast – too vast to be covered in one introductory module. Therefore, this module concentrates on helping you develop a rigorous understanding of the key principles and practice of research that are needed to get a research project up and running.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed this module, you should feel confident of your ability to conduct an effective research project – for an MSc dissertation, for your professional work or for personal interest. In particular, you will be able to:
- evaluate the relevance and application of the research methods introduced to answer different types of research question
- define and discuss the basic epistemological and ontological concepts related to intellectual enquiry
- analyse and critique the research of others
- choose an appropriate method for investigating your own research question
- carry out an effective and ethical research project – from the proposal initiation stage, through the literature search, data collection and analysis to the final writing-up and presentation of results
- analyse and present qualitative or quantitative data
- evaluate the validity of your own and others' research
- write up research effectively.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The study guide contains 10 units. The units are carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the further assigned readings. The unit files are also available to download from the Virtual Learning Environment.
- Key texts: Denscombe M (2021) The Good Research Guide: For Small-scale Research Projects. 7th Edition. Open University Press.
McMillan K & J Weyer (2011) How to Write Dissertations and Project Reports. 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall. - Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Case studies: Examples of the various research techniques taught in the module will be illustrated using case studies – you will be directed to look at them when relevant in the unit text.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Research | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Research Methods (M453) | Running | Running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 The Nature of Research
- 1.1 What is Research – Pure and Practical?
- 1.2 The Relationship between Theory, Research and Data
- 1.3 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods in Social Research
- 1.4 Objectivity and Reflexivity
Unit 2 Planning and Designing Research
- 2.1 Planning and Managing Time and Resources
- 2.2 Formulating and Focusing the Research Topic
- 2.3 Choosing a Research Strategy and Design
- 2.4 Ethical Considerations and Issues of Access
Unit 3 Reviewing the Literature and Making Methodological Choices
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 The Purpose of Searching and Reviewing Literature
- 3.3 Planning Your Search of the Literature
- 3.4 Recording the Literature
- 3.5 Writing a Critical Review
- 3.6 Some Common Faults in Literature Reviews
Unit 4 Data
- 4.1 What is Measurement?
- 4.2 Measurement Issues
- 4.3 Data Classification and Why it Matters
- 4.4 Describing Data
- 4.5 Variance and Standard Deviation
- 4.6 Sampling and Selection
Unit 5A Interviews, Focus Groups and Surveys
- 5A.1 Introduction to the Interview
- 5A.2 Types of Research Interviews
- 5A.3 Administration of Interviews
- 5A.4 When to Use Interviews
- 5A.5 Designing Research Interviews
- 5A.6 Conducting Interviews
- 5A.7 Recording and Transcribing Interviews
- 5A.8 How Do We Know the Informant is Telling the Truth?
- 5A.9 Analysing Interview Data
- 5A.10 What is a Questionnaire?
- 5A.11 Types and Administration of Questionnaires
- 5A.12 Constructing Questionnaires
- 5A.13 Coding Questions
- 5A.14 Pilot-Testing Questionnaires
- 5A.15 Ethics in Questionnaire Research
- 5A.16 Data Analysis
- 5A.17 Conclusion
Unit 5B Introduction to Data Analysis I
- 5B.1 Introduction to Data Analysis
- 5B.2 Probability Distributions
- 5B.3 Hypothesis Testing
- 5B.4 Conclusion
Unit 6A Fieldwork and Observation
- 6A.1 What is Ethnography? An Overview
- 6A.2 The Emergent Nature of Research Design, Data Collection and Analysis
- 6A.3 Identifying the Research Topic and Conducting Fieldwork
- 6A.4 Roles and Relationships in Field Observation
- 6A.5 Note-Taking and Types of Research Notes
- 6A.6 Analysing Data and Writing Ethnographic Accounts
- 6A.7 An Overview of Action Research
- 6A.8 What is Participatory Action Research?
- 6A.9 Conducting Participatory Evaluation
- 6A.10 Data Analysis in Dissemination of Results in PAR and Participatory Evaluation
Unit 6B Introduction to Data Analysis II
- 6B.1 Non-Parametric Analysis
- 6B.2 Simple Tests for Categorical Data
- 6B.3 Multivariable Analysis – Correlation
- 6B.4 Multivariable Analysis – Simple Linear Regression
- 6B.5 Conclusion
Unit 7 Validity and Reliability
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Threats to Internal Validity
- 7.3 Threats to External Validity
- 7.4 Threats to Validity in Qualitative Research
- 7.5 Triangulation as a Solution to Validity Threats
- 7.6 Examples
- 7.8 Conclusion
Unit 8 Writing and Presenting Research
- 8.1 Writing Research Proposals
- 8.2 Writing Research Reports
- 8.3 Ethics in Reporting Research
- 8.4 Evaluating Your Research Report
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Welcome to this module looking at The International Monetary Fund and Economic Policy. The module covers an extensive range of issues and, in the next eight weeks, you will study a wide spectrum of topics associated with the relationship between the IMF and macroeconomic stabilisation. Because the subject matter is vast, I have tried to focus on some of the key themes and provide some indications as to where this subject matter can be studied in greater detail if or when you have time to do so.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed this module, you will be able to do the following:
- identify who pursues stabilisation policies, and why
- distinguish between countries that seek to stabilise on their own, and those that seek help in doing so
- outline and discuss the role, function and operations of the IMF and its approach to stabilisation
- discuss the influence of the financial sector in precipitating instability
- explain the prevalent stabilisation theories and assess their appropriateness in differing circumstances
- identify and discuss the major criticisms and controversies that the IMF's approach has elicited
- explain the particular problems and prescribed remedies for low-income countries seeking to stabilise their economies.
Tuition and assessment
Students are individually assigned an academic tutor for the duration of the module, with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session.
You are required to complete two Assignments for this module, which will be marked by your tutor. Assignments are each worth 15% of your total mark. You will be expected to submit your first assignment by the Tuesday of Week 6, and the second assignment at the end of the module, on the Tuesday after Week 10. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. In addition, queries and problems can be answered through the Virtual Learning Environment.
You will also sit a three-hour examination on a specified date in September/October, worth 70% of your total mark. An up-to-date timetable of examinations is published on the website in July each year.
Study resources
- Study guide: The module study guide is carefully structured to provide the main teaching, defining and exploring the main concepts and issues, locating these within current debate and introducing and linking the assigned readings.
- Readings: Throughout the module you will be directed to study a selection of readings, including journal articles, book extracts and case studies that are of particular relevance and interest to the topics covered in the module.
- Virtual learning environment: You will have access to the VLE, which is a web-accessed study centre. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums. The VLE also provides access to the module Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals available on the University of London Online Library.
Study calendar 2022/23
Core module | S1 25/10/22 15/01/23 |
S2 24/01/23 02/04/23 |
S3 21/04/23 18/06/23 |
S4 20/06/23 27/08/23 |
---|---|---|---|---|
The IMF and Economic Policy (M413) | Not running | Running | Running | Running |
Study calendars are subject to change.
Module overview
Unit 1 Macroeconomic Stabilisation and the Role of the IMF
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 The Character of the International Monetary Fund
- 1.3 The Articles of Agreement
- 1.4 Three Key Functions Performed by the IMF
- 1.5 Organisational Structure of the IMF
- 1.6 The Executive Board, Constituency System and Advisory Organs
- 1.7 The Departmental Structure of the IMF
- 1.8 The Process Followed in Negotiating a Financing Arrangement with the IMF
- 1.9 Types of IMF Lending
- 1.10 Types of IMF Conditionality
- 1.11 Conclusion
Unit 2 The IMF's Approach to Stabilisation
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Trends in the Use of IMF-Supported Stabilisation Programmes
- 2.3 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
- 2.4 A Model to the Rescue? Mundell-Fleming
- 2.5 Scenarios Using the IS-LM-BP Schedules
- 2.6 The Theoretical Framework For IMF Stabilisation Policies
- 2.7 The Financial Programming Approach – Four Key Identities
- 2.8 Moving from Identities to Behavioural Assumptions
- 2.9 Key Questions and Issues – Jamaica 2010
- 2.10 Conclusion
Unit 3 Alternative Approaches to Stabilisation
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Key Shortcomings and Criticisms of the IMF Financial Programming Approach
- 3.3 Further Issues in Evaluating the Financial Programming Approach
- 3.4 How Can the IMF Programming Approach Be Improved?
Unit 4 Stabilisation and the Financial Sector
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Capital Flows and Stabilisation Policy
- 4.3 The Emerging Market Crisis
- 4.4 The Global Financial and Economic Crisis
- 4.5 Conclusion
Unit 5 Stabilisation Policy and Financial Sector – Institutional Responses to Recent Crises
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Financial Sector Crises – the Role and Responses of the IMF
- 5.3 Developing International Standards and Codes
- 5.4 The IMF's Role in Crisis Prevention and Resolution
- 5.5 Financial Crises – Other International Responses
- 5.6 Conclusion
Unit 6 Stabilisation and the Financial Sector – Some Challenges and Controversies
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 Capital Account Liberalisation
- 6.3 Capital Controls
- 6.4 Criticisms of IMF Stabilisation Policies
- 6.5 Criticisms of the IMF's Response During the EME Crisis
- 6.6 Criticisms of IMF Policy During the Global Financial Crisis
- 6.7 Conclusion
Unit 7 Stabilisation and Low-Income Countries
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 IMF Concessional Lending to Low-Income Countries
- 7.3 The Economic Development Document
- 7.4 Debt Relief
- 7.5 Emergency Lending
- 7.6 IMF Technical Assistance (TA)
Unit 8 Challenges for Low-Income Countries
- 8.1 Introduction
- 8.2 Quotas and Voting Shares of Low-Income Countries
- 8.3 Access Limits
- 8.4 Additional Challenges for Developing Countries
- 8.5 Social Safety Nets
- 8.6 Conclusion
Module samples
Disclaimer
Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules
Teaching and learning
The MSc Public Policy and Management is made up of six modules. Each module lasts for 10 weeks. You can only take one module at a time, but each module is typically available in at least two of the year's study sessions.
This gives you the flexibility to plan your studies throughout the year, allowing you to fit your studies around your professional, family and personal commitments.
Online academic tutor
You will be individually assigned an online academic tutor for the duration of each module with whom you can discuss academic queries at regular intervals during the study session. You will also have a named administrator providing you with help and advice throughout your studies.
For each module, you will be provided with access to all necessary materials from a range of appropriate sources.
Virtual Learning Environment
To make your experience as a distance learning student more complete and rewarding, you will have access to the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which is a web-based learning environment. Via the VLE, you can communicate with your assigned academic tutor, administrators and other students on the module using discussion forums.
The VLE also provides you with access to the module's Study Guide and assignments, as well as a selection of electronic journals.
Exams
For each module, you will sit a 3-hour examination, held on a specified date in September/October, and complete two assignments during the module study session. Assignments are submitted and feedback given online. Examinations and assignments are weighted 70:30.
Key dates and calendar
To find out when a particular module is running, please view the study calendar on each individual module page.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees 2022/23
MSc | Single module |
---|---|
£10,920 | £1,820 |
Fees are inclusive of all required resources. Whilst we incorporate all of the costs into your module fees, depending on your country of residence, you may incur local costs such as: fees paid to local examination centres for sitting your examinations.
Fees may increase each year, therefore may be higher in subsequent years of study. See online and distance learning fees for further information.
Pay as you learn
Our distance learning programmes can be paid in full at the time of enrolment or on a pay as you learn basis. Pay as you learn means you only pay for the module you are enrolling on.
Postgraduate loans
If you have been a resident in England for 3 years you may be eligible. See postgraduate funding and finance for more information.
- Look through the postgraduate scholarships available.
Employment
As graduates of MSC Public Policy and Management, you will be well equipped for high positions in:
- national and sub-national government sectors
- international organisations
- regional development and aid agencies
- NGOs
Recent graduates have been hired by:
- Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
- Citi
- Deloitte
- Ernst & Young
- Euro Monitor International
- Financial Times
- HM Treasury
- Huaxia Bank, China
- International Rescue Committee
- Investec
- JP Morgan, Chase & Co
- KPMG
- Nomura
- Oxfam
- Publicis Media
- Santander
- UBS
- University of Oxford
- Western Securities Co. Ltd
- White & Case LLP
- World Food Programme
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