78140 - Decision Making Models and Institutional Change

Learning outcomes

This course aims to provide students with an in depth knowledge on the variety of models standing across social sciences’ mainstream on decision making in order to enhance their capacity to investigate and master processes of change that take place in the institutions. An administrative reform, a policy to ensure an equal access to health care, a policy aiming to improve the quality of justice, a bargaining process unfolded within the United Nations Assemble, etc. all these phenomena might be interpreted on the basis of different models of decision making, i.e. models of rationality, and accordingly might be differently assessed and eventually improved.

Course contents

The course is structured in three parts: the first, methodological and analytical, presents and discusses the main theoretical frameworks developed in literature to analyze the decision-making processes involved in institution building and consolidation. In particular, these will be models of micro - macro analysis, comparative evaluation models of democratic institutions and models of impact analysis of the reforms in access to judicial and extra judicial mechanisms of disputes in civil and commercial matters. The second part of the course is devoted to the application of these models through the simulation of an institutional design process, carried out using the team work method. The third part consists in the preparation and discussion of the individual works of in-depth study that will be so thoroughly considered as material of the course.
There are 10 work sessions of 4 hours each divided into 2 meetings.
Session 1) The concept of decision and the concept of change
Session 2) Micro - macro
Session 3) Comparative Evaluation of Democratic Institutions
Session 4): Reform impact analysis models
Session 5): Rule making without Leviathan
Session 6): Democracies live, downstream of the economic crisis
Session 7): A court without a court of justice
Session 8-10) Individual work and discussion in class of preparation paths

Readings/Bibliography

Michel Crozier and Friedberg L’acteur et le système: Les contraintes de l'action collective, (Seuil, 1977).

Mary Douglas How institutions Think (Syracuse University Press 1986).

Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons, CUP, 1990.

Daniela Piana, Judicial Accountabilities in New Europe, Ashgate, 2010.

Each session will be based on materials and documents handed over before it. 

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures, experts interviews, team discussions.  

Assessment methods

Sessions 1-4: 1-9 marks

Sessions 5-7: 1-6 marks

Sessions of individual presentations and discussions: 1-15 marks

Teaching tools

Power point presentation, video, team work, role games

Office hours

See the website of Daniela Piana