Week 1

Introduction

This is an introductory week that aims to orient you to the approach the Unit takes to the study of public policy. The emphasis is on the processes of policymaking in contemporary Australia rather than a description or analysis of particular policy areas in a technical way. Politics is at the heart of our subject, but understanding political processes can show what is common to all policy areas and what a policy actor must know in pursuing 'technical' objectives.

Week 2

The Roles of Government

Are there services that should only be delivered by government? Is there a satisfactory demarcation line between the public and private delivery of services? Can accountability be adequately retained with outsourced delivery of services? What considerations might apply in choosing between public and private service delivery? Why has privatisation happened almost everywhere? Are there services that should only be delivered by government? Is there a satisfactory demarcation line between the public and private delivery of services? Can accountability be adequately retained with outsourced delivery of services? What considerations might apply in choosing between public and private service delivery? Why has privatisation happened almost everywhere? The advance of privatisation throughout the world is often presented as a result of the quest for "efficiency" in government, and that is no doubt part of the story (whether or not specific cases of privatisation lead to efficient outcomes). But privatisation can also be seen as just the most recent and leading case of ongoing political struggles around the constitution and activities of "the state". In the lecture and exercises this week we consider the nature of "the state", and see it from a variety of theoretical perspectives. The aim is to give a broad context to our study of public policy, casting doubt on the idea that there is "one best way" to do things in policy-making. This does not mean that everything is equal or the same: policy can be done "better", but our theoretical framework is what will give meaning to such a term.  

Week 3

The Abbott Government  – a progress report using the “Policy Cycle”

We look at the policy-making activities of the Abbott Government in the light of the policy cycle model presented by Althaus, Bridgman and Davis. Is it a descriptive or a normative model - or a satisfactory blending of both? How useful is it to the study of public policy? We look at some of the criticisms of the model and consider whether there might be more useful ways of analysing and explaining or modelling public policy processes.  

Week 4

Agendas and Decisions - Policy Development, Issue Identification, Interest Groups/Lobbying/Think Tanks

What are pressure groups? interest groups?  think tanks? lobbyists? Are think tanks different to lobbyists? Might some interest groups be considered to be altruistic? 

Week 5

The Political Executive and Parliament

Who administers policy for the government? In recent times there have been marked changes to the management of the public service that have abolished the old machinery (such as the Public Service Boards) that guaranteed certain terms and conditions of public sector employment. Contract employment, performance indicators and powers of termination in political hands now mark the public service. Has the capacity of the public service to serve elected ministers of all persuasions been affected? How is accountability to be understood now? Have the Australian public service(s) become "politicized"? 

Week 6

Bureaucracy - The Public Service

Has ‘reform’ of the Australian public service led to the politicisation of the senior ranks of the bureaucracy? If so, is this a necessarily undesirable development? How are the bureaucracy held accountable? Are the mechanisms of accountability effective? What changes might improve accountability without impeding the development of good policy? 

Week 7

Implementation

This week we are looking at the stage of the policy cycle concerned with implementation. This has often been neglected in favour of other more glamorous stages of the policy cycle, but practitioners and scholars are increasingly aware of the importance of planning and managing effective implementation. This week we will consider the necessary features of successful implementation, and will explore the ways in which politics can interfere. We will focus on the example of the ceiling insulation program which was poorly implemented by the Rudd government, and is now the subject of a Royal Commission inquiry instigated by the Abbott government.

Week 8

Evaluation; Policy Instruments

What types of evaluation are there and what tools are available to implement policy? Policy Evaluation: we look at a short history of evaluation - its technical and political approaches. Is policymaking an art or a science? Of course the practice of policymaking has elements of each, as a study of evaluation shows. On the one hand, evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of specific policies can draw on scientific methods of research, including quantitative methods, and much of the work of individual analysts and the private companies considered in an earlier week proceeds in this way. On the other, many sceptics claim that political values determine the evaluation of policy and even that scientific approaches are merely a cloak for hidden biases and personal preferences. In this week we attempt to see beyond these simple dichotomies, suggesting that policy evaluation is a meaningful activity if the shifting weight of "science" and "value" is specified in specific contexts.   

Week 9

Case Study: Indigenous Policy-making

This week we are looking at a key policy problem in the area of Indigenous school education, school attendance. This is a priority area for the Abbott government, and has also received considerable attention in recent years under the Council of Australian Government’s Closing the Gap policy agenda. We will consider this issue in terms of competing problem definitions, and the different types of evidence which have been used in formulating policies at the Commonwealth and Northern Territory levels of government. We will look at the challenges of implementation and evaluation in a contested policy environment where policies are arguably working at cross purposes.

Week 10

Case Study: Domestic Environmental Policy; Uranium Policy 

What is so special about environmental policy-making? In what ways does environmental policy-making conform to the usual patterns and exhibit the usual problems inherent in public policy? The history of environmental policy making extends over many years, but the language of environmentalism, in particular, is relatively recent and new issues have emerged to challenge the assumptions of established actors in the policy system.

Week 11

Participation - Consultation; CIR; Open Government

 What are the ways in which citizens can participate in their government? Can citizens effectively participate in the development and implementation of public policy? We look at some instances where citizen participation has brought about some undesirable consequences and ask whether greater citizen participation in public policy decision-making is a desirable development.

Week 12

Successful and unsuccessful policy-making

How can determined individuals make a difference in policy formulation? Are there limits to the activities of policy entrepreneurs? Can useful rules be formulated as a guide to future policy entrepreneurs? 

Week 13

Review 

We review the content of the unit in this final week and pose a set of questions that underpin the final assessment exercise.