93278 - Political system and policy making process

Learning outcomes

The main goal of the course is twofold. On the one hand, it is committed to present both the essential concepts and theoretical frameworks of public policy and the fundamental elements to understand the dynamics of a political systems. On the other hand the course offers the analytical tools to reconstruct and analyze the policy dynamics according to the characteristics of the political systems where it develops over time.

At the end of the course students:

• have acquired a fine-grained knowledge of the main theoretical and methodological constitutive elements of public policy
• know the main characteristics of Italian political system
• an critically analyze policy process and how it develops according to the features of the related political system

Course contents

The first part of the course (12 hours) will be devoted to present the constitutive elements of teh concept of political systems (with empircal evidence from the Italian case). The political system is considered as the context in which public policies are developed. Then, the second part of the course (24 hours), is devoted exactly to introduce the theoretical pillars of Public Policy, that is the specific approach of political science that focuses on those processes and actors' interactions through which solutions to collective problems are pursued. The third part (24 hours) will present how the Italian political system has dealt with some relevant policies in teh last twenty-five years

Readings/Bibliography

• Cotta, M. e Verzichelli, L. (2016). Il sistema politico Italiano, Bologna, Il Mulino (only the chapters suggested by the instructor during the course)
  

• Bobbio, L., Pomatto, G., e Ravazzi, S., 2017, Le politiche pubbliche, Milano, Mondadori

• Capano, G. e Natalini, A. (a cura di), Le Politiche Pubbliche in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2020

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures

Assessment methods

The final grade will be given by two written examinations (one scheduled in the mid of the course and di other one just at its end). Each exam will consist of 5 open-ended questions and will last 50 minutes.

Answers will be evaluated taking into account: a) the knowledge of course topics; b) the ability to master an appropriate scientific language; c) clarity and critical reasoning.

No further examination is required for students who pass both written tests. Otherwise, they will have to take a full exam. The full exam is written, it consists of 6 open-ended questions and will last 60 minutes. Evaluation criteria are the same as those followed for the two intermediate tests.

Grades:

• <18: failure

• 18-22:fair

• 23-26:good

• 27-29:very good

• 30 e lode:excellent

Teaching tools

Power point (moderate use) and Web resources

Office hours

See the website of Giliberto Capano