Admission requirements
Students admitted to the Public Administration Master, regardless of track affiliation. GofS-students enrolment via study coordinator(s). Students from the LIACS-programme, see other Prospectus page of this course.
Description
New concepts try to grasp the way the public realm is working with big data, such as the ‘Data Readiness Concept’ and ‘Digital-era Governance’. They are built on the assumption that data- and technology-driven innovations in government need an infrastructure for creating value from data and closely linked to the e-government idea of technologies transforming government towards being more responsive and accountable. The course will unravel these more recent concepts and connect them to the existing concept of evidence-based policymaking and the literature on e-government and new public management. Taken together, these approaches to data-based policymaking carry different labels, but they converge on several themes. First, the idea that government entities require the capacity, skills and data culture to deal with this type of evidence. Second, the role of big data in policymaking, where government uses various information policy instruments for reaching policy goals. Finally, the idea that this data is used by government to engage citizens and digitise public services. These themes will be addressed throughout the course.
Course objectives
Putting the data movement in policy into the theoretical context of various existing research streams as well as contrasting the data-based promises with the reality of making data-driven decisions in the public sector by looking at concrete examples from the areas of infrastructure, climate change and healthcare. Analyse the opportunities and limitations of data in different policy sectors.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the e-Prospectus you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
The course contains a mixture of lectures, guest speakers, in-class group assignments and discussions. Interaction and discussions during class are based on the assigned readings that must be read in advance of the class.
Seminars: 12 hours
Self-study: 128 hours
Assessment method
Essay (30%)
Final Paper* (70%)
- there is an additional, technical component to this assignment for LIACS students.
Partial grades for this course can be compensated; the average of all partial grades for this course together must be at least 5.5.
Partial grades are only valid in the current academic year; partial grades will not remain valid after the exam and the resit of the course.
Reading list
Literature and additional information will be available on Brightspace two weeks before the start of the course.
Registration
*Please note, the registration for block 4 electives will be organised by the OSC in a different way from the regular course registration for semester 2. More information will follow in the second half of February.
Contact
Prof. Sarah Giest s.n.giest@fgga.leidenuniv.nl