| Introduction to Public Policy and Administration |
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PUAD A201
Introduction to Public Policy and Administration
| Introduction |  |
Welcome to PUAD A201 Introduction to Public Policy and Administration.
PUAD A201 Introduction to Public Policy and Administration provides a sound foundation in the meaning of public policy, the theoretical approaches used to examine public policy and the process of public policy formation. It also examines public administration and the profound changes that have occurred in this area.
This course is a compulsory full-year, 10-credit, middle-level course for Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) students seeking a Bachelor of Social Sciences and Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Public Administration. The course is designed for students without prior knowledge from OUHK courses.
The study units, readings, activities and self-tests will help you master the topics over a period of around 40 weeks.
Purpose of this Course Guide
If you have taken other courses through the OUHK, you should now be well aware of both the study skills required for distance learning and how OUHK courses are organized. It is still recommended, though, that you read this Course Guide thoroughly before looking at the study units or your textbook. If this is your first OUHK course, then please read this Course Guide very carefully.
The Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It suggests the amount of time you will probably need to spend in order to complete the course and it will give you a general idea when your tutor-marked assignments are due. For detailed information on assignments, however, please refer to the Assignment File and, for information on due dates and cut off times for work to be submitted, please refer to the Presentation Schedule.
In distance learning as practised by The Open University of Hong Kong, the study units are coordinated and prepared in the distance mode of education by your university professor. You do not need to attend face-to-face lectures. This is one of the great advantages of distance learning: you can read and work through specially designed study material at your own pace, times and places that suit you best.
Think of it as reading the lecture instead of hearing it from a lecturer. In the same way that a lecturer might set you some reading to do, the study unit will tell you when to read your textbook or other material. In the same way that a lecturer might give you an in-class exercise, your study units will have exercises (called by various names) for you to do at appropriate points. You are also likely to find review questions at the end of each unit. Do them all, as these exercises and questions give you the practice necessary to achieve the objectives of the course and to pass the examination. Even when you 'make notes' in a direct face-to-face lecture, you are advised to study those notes, and to read and to think about them in relation to your textbook. In the distance mode of education the course materials replace the live lecture notes and interactions.
Course aims
PUAD A201 aims to provide you with a sound foundation of knowledge in public policy and administration. It should enable you to recognize the theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand public policy and to examine the processes involved in formulating, implementing and evaluating public policy. It also aims to provide you with an understanding of the radical changes that have occurred in public administration.
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
Describe the various definitions of public policy and explain the main categories of public policies.
Discuss the main theoretical frameworks that have been used to study public policy.
Explain the factors and processes involved in problem identification, agenda setting, formulation and adoption of public policy, and policy implementation and evaluation.
Explain the relationship between policy makers and their environment.
Discuss the various definitions of public administration that are currently employed, and the specific features that set public administration apart from other forms of administration.
Compare the traditional public administration model with the new public management model.
Evaluate the core functions of public administration with regard to organization, public personnel administration, budgeting and decision making.
Analyse the role of regulatory administration in an era of privatization, contracting out and deregulation.
| Course overview | |
A shorthand version of the course is shown below:
Unit Title Weeks Assessment activity (end of unit) 1 The study of public policy 4 2 The policy-makers and their environment 4 TMA1 3 Agenda setting and policy formation 4 4 Budgeting, decision making and public policy 3 TMA2 5 Policy implementation and policy impact 4 6 Policy evaluation and accountability 4 TMA3 7 The study of public administration 3 8 Organization and public personnel administration 4 TMA4 9 Privatization and regulatory administration 4 10 Public administration and the public 4 TMA5 Revision 2 Total 40 The study units discuss key issues, explain the relevant concepts and examples, and comment on related readings. Each unit contains activities and self-tests to reinforce your learning of the issues under discussion. Moreover, the tutor-marked assignments will provide you with further feedback and will help you achieve the objectives of the course.
The course is structured so that each unit builds upon previous units. Each unit contains a variety of techniques to help you study, and you should be aware that the following points will help you to get the most out of the information presented:
Read each study unit carefully. This is like paying attention throughout a whole lecture.
Use the unit guide to help direct you in what to read in the textbook and when to read it.
Test your comprehension and analytical skills by working through the activities and self-tests that appear through the units. Don't skip ahead to find the answers -- you will learn better by doing the thinking yourself.
Complete the assignments on time.
Check out the other sources of information referred to in the unit. Those other sources might include Internet websites, videos, and so on.
Each unit has specific learning outcomes, subject matter, activities and self-tests, and a summary of the materials covered.
Unit 1: The study of public policy
The first unit provides you with an introduction to the study of public policy. It gives you definitions of public policy and outlines the relationships between the government, the state, the market and the community. Various political ideologies and their influence on policy makers are explored. The concepts of incremental and rational comprehensive policy processes are discussed. We also examine the relationship between public choice and democracy.
Unit 2: The policy makers and their environment
This unit looks at the context within which public policy is made. This involves both the international context and the institutions within a given state. The impact of globalization on the modern nation state will be covered as will the various policy actors -- both elected and non-elected. The interface between executives and legislatures will be discussed and the different workings of unitary and federal systems will be explored. The role of the mass media and public opinion in influencing public policy will also be examined.
Unit 3: Agenda setting and policy formation
Unit 3 focuses on how certain issues become the subject of policy formation. The identification of pressing issues and the role of public opinion in this process is scrutinized. The whole notion of 'agenda setting' processes will be studied. The role of non-state actors in the consultation process will also be covered. The notions of 'policy communities' and 'policy networks' will be analysed and the interaction of politics and ideology will be examined.
Unit 4: Budgeting, decision making and public policy
This unit examines the constraints that affect decision making and public policy, and how decisions are made. The role of policy analysis in decision making is explored, as are the effects of policy instruments and political culture. The relationship between economic policy and public policy in allocating resources is discussed. Lastly, various models of decision making in the policy process will be investigated.
Unit 5: Policy implementation and policy impact
Unit 5 looks at the way in which policy is put into effect and the impact that it causes. The processes involved in implementing policy will be examined. Problems in implementing policies, and the degree to which this involves policymaking as well as administration will be a key issue to be examined. How policy impact is assessed will be discussed and the relationship between ministers and bureaucrats will be explored.
Unit 6: Policy evaluation, change and accountability
This unit looks at how policy is evaluated, how policy change occurs and issues of accountability in public policy. The difficulties of determining methods of policy evaluation are discussed and mechanisms of accountability are examined. The role of legislatures in the accountability process is investigated as are the issues of reforming the accountability process and the problems that can occur when accountability mechanisms are absent, inadequate, or fail.
Unit 7: The study of public administration
Unit 7 introduces the study of public administration by looking at the traditional model of public administration first and exploring its strengths and weaknesses. Its eclipse by the new public management is then examined. The ideological basis of this new public management is analysed and its strengths and weaknesses are discussed.
Unit 8: Organization and public personnel administration
This unit focuses on the actual organization of those whose task is to put public policy programmes into effect. The structure and logic of traditional bureaucracy and the problems associated with it will be covered. The issue of the politicization of public servants will be examined. The changes in the methods of recruitment, promotion and payment of public servants will be examined. The stricter financial controls of public policy programs will also be observed.
Unit 9: Privatization and regulatory administration
Unit 9 examines the changing role of government and the reduced role of public enterprise within this context. The drive to privatize and 'contract out' tasks that were traditionally performed by government departments will be studied. The role of public regulation in this new environment will be analysed. The changing role of interest groups and 'policy communities' in response will also be a subject of inquiry.
Unit 10: Public administration and the public
This unit explores the relationship between the public, and public administration. Notions of what constitutes the 'public interest' and changes in public expectations of government will be discussed. The direct accountability between bureaucrats and the public within the framework of the new public management will be studied. Whether the public should be considered as clients, customers or citizens will be debated. The mechanisms that might protect the public -- ombudsmen, legislatures and the media -- will be scrutinized. Lastly, the role of local administration in a global world will be examined.
| Course materials | |
In addition to this Course Guide, please ensure that you have the following important course components from the OUHK.
There are ten (10) study units for PUAD A201 Introduction to Public Policy and Administration.
Don't panic if you haven't received all ten units in the first mailing you get from OUHK. It is normal to receive your study units in two, three, or even four separate packages.
Essential readings.
A Presentation Schedule.
- An Assignment File.
Printed materials
Set textbooks
There are two (2) required textbooks for this course and a set of readings produced by the OUHK. The textbooks are:
Howlett, M, Ramesh, M and Perl, A (2009) Studying Public Policy: policy cycles and policy subsystems, 3rd edn, Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Hughes, O E (2012) Public Management and Administration: an introduction, 4th edn, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Supplementary readings
There will be a small number of supplementary readings associated with each unit. These readings are very important as they provide alternative insights into the complex organizational and societal issues addressed in this course.
| Course assessment | |
The course assessment is designed to help you progress easily from the required readings in the study units through to the assignments and examination. You will be required to apply the information and techniques learned during the course when doing the assignments. The assignments must be submitted to your tutor for formal assessment in accordance with the deadlines stated in the Assignment File. The non-assessed self-test questions are not part of your formal assessment, but these should be done before progressing to the tutor-marked assignments.
Assignment File
Assignment details for this course are contained in your Assignment File. The nature of these assignments is described in the 'Tutor-marked assignments' section below. You are required to complete your assignments and send them by mail (together with a tutor-marked assignment form) to your tutor in accordance with the timetable provided in the Presentation Schedule.
Presentation Schedule
The Presentation Schedule for this course is contained in your course package. In this schedule, you will see the time for your tutor's receipt of your assignments. Please note that you must submit all your assignments in time to reach your tutor by the dates shown in the Assignment File.
Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
There are five (5) TMAs altogether. You are advised to study the unit(s), including the activities and self-tests (and their answers), before attempting to solve the problems or answer the questions in the TMAs. More specific instructions will be found in the Assignment File.
You are required to finish all five assignments for tutors to grade. Only the best four (4) grades obtained on your TMAs count for the continuous assessment portion of the course. Fifty per cent (50%) of your final grade will depend on your TMAs.
How to do your assignments
For each assignment, please read through the question, and the instructions accompanying the question, in the Assignment File. Please read each question carefully and make sure you understand what is required before attempting it.
Once you have completed each assignment, you must send it (together with your TMA form) to your tutor. Please make sure that each assignment reaches your tutor on or before the deadline. However, if you cannot finish your assignment on time, you must contact your tutor before the deadline to discuss the possibility of an extension. Your tutor may grant you an extension of up to seven days. If more time is needed, you must obtain approval from the Course Coordinator or the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences. No marks will be awarded for any late assignments without prior approval being obtained (i.e. unless the Course Coordinator or the Dean so approves).
You must be careful when you are using other references in the research for your assignments. Plagiarism is copying someone else's work or ideas without indicating the original source of the material. The OUHK takes a very serious view of plagiarism and any student who commits plagiarism will be penalized. This applies just as much to using work of other students as it does to authors of books. However, you may include parenthetical references to the works you cite e.g. (Hughes 2003, 88). You could include a section at the end of your assignment called 'References' where the full name, title, date and place of the publication appear. A way to cite a reference is:
Hughes, O E (2012) Public Management and Administration: an introduction, 4th edn, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
This citation technique is a normal and necessary part of science or social science. It is good training to learn to acknowledge your sources of information as you do your TMAs. This citation system is part of intellectual honesty and is most important in scientific literature. And, if you look at it another way, the fact that you say (write) something and someone else supports what you wrote (the work [person] you cited) adds power to what you have said.
Tutors and tutor-marked assignments
Your assignments will be marked and commented on by your tutor, who will keep an eye on your progress and assist you if you encounter problems during the course. Marked assignments will be returned to you as soon as possible.
It is a good practice to keep a copy of each assignment submitted for marking, so that you can always refer the queries to the tutor during a telephone conversation. Hence, please contact your tutor should the following arise:
You do not understand any part of the study units or the assigned readings.
You have any difficulty with self-tests.
You have a question or problem with the assignments, or with your tutor's comments or grading on an assignment.
Apart from self-study, tutorials will also be organized to assist you in your learning process. Details of the dates, time and location of the tutorials as well as the name and phone number of your tutor will be sent to you in due course.
It is strongly recommended that you attend all the tutorials, which will provide considerable assistance in your study of this course. Moreover, you will have the chance to meet fellow students and with other distance learners who are studying at the OUHK.
Assignment schedule (note when your TMAs occur)
TMA Focus Time 1 The study of public policy
The policy makers and their environmentAt the end of Unit 2 2 Agenda setting and policy formation
Budgeting, decision making and public policyAt the end of Unit 4 3 Policy implementation and policy impact
Policy evaluation and accountabilityAt the end of Unit 6 4 The study of public administration
Organization and public personnel administrationAt the end of Unit 8 5 Privatization and regulatory administration
Public administration and the publicAt the end of Unit 10
Marking scheme
Final examination and grading
The final examination for this course will be of three hours' duration and count for 50% of the total course grade. You should use the time between finishing the last unit and the examination to review the entire course. But, at the university level, it is wise to study in a planned, periodic way well before the final exam. Mature and hard-working students in the distance mode of education may need to be flexible in both study habits and times. You might find it useful to review your self-tests, tutor-marked assignments and your tutor's comments on them before sitting for the examination. You will be advised of examination arrangements after you send in your examination registration card.
The final examination covers information from all parts of the course and will be in a form you have already experienced in self-tests and tutor-marked assignments. Do not worry that the examination will contain tricky questions. That would not be consistent with the clear, open approach the OUHK takes in helping its learners succeed in their studies.
This tells you once again how the marks are allocated to the assessment items (assignments) and to your final examination. In order to pass this course, you must pass both the tutor-marked assignments component and the examination.
Assessment type Marks Five tutor-marked assignments - the best four counting
The five required TMAs will include case studies and essay writing.12.5% each * 4 = 50% Examination
The three-hour examination will comprise short questions and essay-type questions.50% Total 100% You must obtain a score of 40% in the continuous assessment component and a score of 40% on the final examination to pass the course; that is, you must pass both assessment components. The overall passing mark is 40% or greater.
| Student support | |
Tutors and tutorials
The Open University of Hong Kong prides itself on the support given to its distance learners. That means to you! While you may think you are studying on your own, it doesn't need to be that way. You can be in regular contact with your tutor and, once you've met them in the first tutorial, you can be in contact with your fellow students. Make a point, when you meet a fellow student(s) to exchange phone numbers and even email addresses. Then you are well on the way to developing a learning network of your own.
Tutorials and day schools
Twelve two-hour tutorials and two two-hour day schools will be provided in support of PUAD A201 Introduction to Public Policy and Administration. You will be notified of the dates, time and location, together with the name, phone number and telephone tutoring hours of your tutor, as soon as you are assigned a tutorial group.
Tutorials are not lectures. They are designed to encourage group discussion and interaction. They provide you with opportunities to discuss any problem you encounter in the study units with your tutor and colleagues.
Online support
For this course, the OUHK has provided a web-based online delivery system, the Online Learning Environment (OLE), to enhance your learning experience. Please refer to 'Introduction to the Online Learning Environment (OLE)' for details.
| Conclusion | |
The types of public policies and the way in which they are implemented have a profound impact on the lives of all citizens. Understanding how public policy are formulated, the actors involved in the policy-making process and the way policies are implemented (and their outcomes) should therefore be of concern to all. The changing role of government and the radical changes which this has led to in the nature and tasks of the public service make this subject even more topical.
In order to understand the content of this course, you must analyse the course materials and apply the concepts learned.
Good luck with the course. We think you will find it an interesting one that gives you a greater understanding of one important aspect of the society in which you live.
A note about the developers of this course
Dr Dennis Woodward obtained his BA(Hons) and PhD from the Flinders University of South Australia. He is currently Head of Politics at Monash University, Australia. He has previously held positions at Flinders University, the Australian National University, Canberra, and Chisholm Institute of Technology.
Dr Brian Costar obtained his BA, MA(QUAL) and PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia. He is currently in Politics at Monash University. He has previously held positions at the University of Queensland and Chisholm Institute of Technology.
Dr Nick Economou obtained his BA(Hons), MA and PhD from Melbourne University, Australia. He is currently in Politics at Monash University. He has previously held positions at Melbourne University, Swinburne Institute of Technology, Australia, and Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education, Australia.
Dr Ken Coghill obtained his BVSc at Melbourne University and his PhD at Monash University. He is currently Director of the Governance and Government Unit, Monash University. He was formerly the Speaker in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament.
Dr Jennifer Curtin obtained her BA and MA(Hons) at the University of Waikato, New Zealand and her PhD from the Australian National University. She is currently in Politics at Monash University. She has previously held positions at the Australian National University, the University of Canberra, Australia, and the Parliamentary Library, Canberra.
All of the course developers have all been involved in designing and teaching university courses in public policy and public administration. Dr Brian Costar was formerly Head of the School of Public Policy at Monash University. Dr Ken Coghill teaches postgraduate courses in public policy and public administration through distance education. Dr Jennifer Curtin currently teaches public policy at the undergraduate level, and both Dr Nick Economou and Dr Dennis Woodward have contributed to textbooks on public policy.
