FREE
en
MOOC
FREE
Andrea Römmele, Henrik Schober, and Eva Savinova
Governance & Policy Advice: How Political Decisions Come to Life
- MOOC
- Self-Paced
- English
- Political Science
About this course
Course Summary
We know that political decisions are made by governments and/or parliaments. But who provides these bodies with the information they need and shows them the strategic options they have? Who frames political action before the wider public even takes notice of the issue? How does political agenda setting work and what do certain policy outcomes tell us about the future of the issue at stake?
This course is designed to outline key features of policy advice and political consulting and their impact on governance. We will observe the key players on the spot as well as those behind the scenes and we will analyze their patterns of interaction. Moreover, we will provide insights regarding essential questions to which there are no single right answers: What role does policy advice play in different democracies? What is good policy advice? What makes an expert? In sum: Whom do (and should) politicians and society listen to, and what do (and should) they make of the advice they receive?
What will I learn?
By the end of the course, students will know the key concepts of policy advice as well as the main actors in the field and their patterns of interaction. They will understand how and by whom a certain political decision is framed, shaped and implemented. And they will be able to apply this knowledge to a given political event which may affect their own professional or personal life. So, first and foremost, they will be able to ask the right questions.
What do I need to know?
The course is designed to cater for students and professionals interested in decision-making, political communication, policy advice and consulting. Course participants are expected to follow current politics and be keen on looking at the matter from different (and sometimes unusual) perspectives. Basic knowledge in political science would be an asset.
Course Structure
Chapter 1: Introduction and Course Overview
Convener: Prof. Dr. Andrea Römmele, Professor for Communication in Politics & Civil Society, Hertie School of Governance
Chapter 2: Truth to Power? Scientific Advisers Seeking Truth, Decision-Makers Seeking Power?
Convener: PD Dr. Martin Thunert, Senior Lecturer, Heidelberg Center for American Studies, University of Heidelberg
Chapter 3: Political Communication and Political Consulting
Convener: Prof. Dr. Andrea Römmele, Professor for Communication in Politics & Civil Society, Hertie School of Governance
Chapter 4: Economic and Financial Policy
Convener: Prof. Dr. Thomas König, Chair of Political Science, University of Mannheim
Chapter 5: Social Policy
Convener: Prof. Dr. Kent Weaver, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Professor of Public Policy and Government at Georgetown University
Chapter 6: Foreign and Security Policy
Convener: Dr. Nicole Renvert, Research Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP – Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik)
Chapter 7: Energy and Environment
Convener: Prof. Dr. Karen Smith Stegen, KAEFER Professor of Renewable Energy and Environmental Politics, Jacobs University, Bremen
Chapter 8: Policy Advice and International Cooperation
Convener: Katharina Hübner, Senior Manager, Division Good Governance and Human Rights, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Chapter 9: Citizens’ Involvement in Policy Advice
Convener: Henrik Schober, Head Editor, Zeitschrift für Politikberatung (Journal for Political Consulting and Policy Advice), Hertie School of Governance
Chapter 10: Best Practices: Guidelines for Policy Advice?
Convener: Prof. Dr. Andrea Römmele, Professor for Communication in Politics & Civil Society, Hertie School of Governance
Workload
Approx. 3 hours per week, not including exam preparation
Course instructors
Henrik Schober
Course Coordinator and Instructor
Henrik Schober is head editor of the Journal for Political Consulting and Policy Advice. In addition, he holds positions as Coordinator of Customised Education and as Research Associate for Communication in Politics and Civil Society at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
Henrik obtained a Master’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Heidelberg and was appointed Democracy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research focusses on political communication, participatory governance and democratic innovations; his latest publication is the edited volume “The Governance of Large-Scale Projects – Linking Citizens and the State” (Nomos, 2013, co-edited with Andrea Römmele). He has also served on expert commissions of government bodies and think tanks.
Eva Savinova
Course Coordinator
Eva is a Coordinator at the Executive Education unit and a Research Associate at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. She obtained her Master's degree in European Studies and Politics from the University of Konstanz (Germany) and University of California, Berkeley (USA).
She also holds a Diploma in Sociology from the Russian State University for the Humanities and was a Research Scholar at the Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany).
Prior to joining the Hertie School of Governance, Eva gained work experience in different international organisations, such as the United Nations’ headquarters in New York and several international marketing companies in Switzerland and Russia. Her research interests are in the fields of international and transatlantic relations, foreign policy, European integration and democracy promotion.
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