Public institutions
Description
Institutional analysis, in its various forms, is the bedrock of contemporary research in public administration and much of the social sciences. There are a number of institutionalist approaches used in public administration today. These are some of the questions they aim to answer: What are institutions, and how are they different from other social phenomena? What effects do institutions have on the behaviour of actors? How can institutions overcome collective action problems? Can institutions change the preferences of social actors? How do institutions change and when do they remain stable? Is rapid institutional change possible, and under what conditions?
These are some of the questions which we are going to discuss during the sessions of this course. This course will deal with recent theoretical developments in institutionalist theories, with an emphasis on their application in public administration research and analysis. We will address institutional development, stability and change. The course will provide an overview of the contributions and shortcomings of institutional analysis to understanding governance and public life in general.
This core course provides a common foundation for all students entering the master’s programme in public administration. For students coming from other degrees and disciplines, it provides a foundation of the most important and complex analyses and approaches in institutionalist thinking. For students already familiar with institutionalist approaches, it aims to bring their understanding to a higher level by discussing classical, original texts formulating or applying institutionalist approaches.
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should have attained:
a broad understanding of the multiple effects institutions exert in public life
a broad understanding of the differences and similarities of different institutional approaches
a broad understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different institutional approaches (historical, rational choice and normative institutionalisms)
a broad understanding of the type of collective action problems which institutions aim to resolve
the capacity to identify and analyse, with the help of the most relevant institutionalist approaches, processes of institutional design and change in the context of the state
the skills to apply institutional reasoning to the analysis of real-world problems, especially to questions relevant to public administration and public policy.
Timetable
Lecture:
Thursday 6-9-2012 10:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.06
Thursday 13-9-2012 10:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.06
Thursday 18-10-201210:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.06
Working group 1
Thursday 20-9-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SH K.VOORHOUT
Thursday 27-9-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 4-10-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 11-10-201211:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Working Group 2
Thursday 20-9-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SH BEN.HOUT
Thursday 27-9-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Thursday 4-10-2012 11:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Thursday 11-10-201211:00 13:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Working group 3
Thursday 13-9-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 20-9-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SH K.VOORHOUT
Thursday 27-9-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 4-10-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 11-10-201213:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Thursday 18-10-201213:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Working Group 4
Thursday 20-9-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SH BEN.HOUT
Thursday 27-9-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Thursday 4-10-2012 13:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Thursday 11-10-201213:00 15:00 CDH-SCHOUW A2.01
Mode of instruction
This seminar will combine lectures and group discussions to stimulate the students to engage with the material and to guide them in analyzing the set of articles and papers selected as literature for the course.
Assessment method
The grade will be based on weekly assignments and final paper. Course material is also obligatory for the assignments and paper as far as it is set out in sheets, handouts and other information media.
Reading list/Literature
Selected articles and papers
Blackboard
Instructors use Blackboard. This page is available from approximately ten days before the start of the course
Registration
Via USIS
Contact information
Dr. Maarja Beerkens
Dr. Antoaneta Dimitrova
Remarks / Preparation for first session
Students need to sign in working groups via usis before the first session. We will set a limit of 25 students to a working group. Students that have not signed in will be assigned to a working group by the lecturers in the first week. The choice of working group and time slot will be on a first come, first serve basis. We will not deal with requests for changing groups or time slots.