Public Administration: Multi-Level Governance
Introduction and target group
This minor targets third year Bachelor level students who have a broad interest in the functioning and improvement of the public sector in all its facets. This necessitates attention for the interactions between public and private actors at various levels of governance, and requires an understanding of how research is conducted in public administration. At the same time, students should be open to and get acquainted with multiple disciplines in order to be able to benefit from the insights other related academic disciplines offer for a better understanding of the functioning of the public sector. As such, this minor program consists of courses that enable students to analyze complex governance problems in a national and international context. The public sector is increasingly a multi-level system, with interactions between public and private actors on the national, sub-national (provinces, regions) and international (e.g. EU, OECD, UN, WTO) level and various public, semi-public and private organizations that perform public tasks. In this minor students pay attention to decision-making processes in and interactions between and within those levels and organizations. The minor addresses a broad range of topics. We discuss which organizations the public sector actually consists of and what the relationships are between organizations and levels. Contemporary problems and developments are discussed, such as decentralization to municipalities, ‘good’ governance, privatization of public tasks, Europeanization, and the role of international organizations in forging multi-lateral agreements. Ethical argumentation and normative questions are also discussed. Moreover, the minor enables students to assess and conduct proper social scientific research to critically investigate public administration and to offer solutions to current and future challenges of governance.
Programme and structure
This minor is taught in two consecutive blocks of 8 weeks each. In block one, students will become acquainted with some basic building blocks of the discipline, with an introductory course on Public Administration, a course on management and performance and on the skills you need to be successful in the every-day practice of public administration. In Block two, students will go in-depth into several sub topics of the discipline where they also have a choice (choose 3 out of 4). Here, the research component can be taken with an online course, mixed with face-to-face elements. This course is especially useful (mandatory!) for students who wish to continue in a Master’s program in Public Administration but who do not have a social science background (see also next tab Imporant Information). In addition, there are courses on international administration and on normative and ethical questions of governance. The latter course is also taught online with some added face-to-face elements. All courses are worth 5 ECTS.
Block 1 (semester 1)
Introduction to Public Administration (level 200, 5 ECTS).
Management and Performance (level 200, 5 ECTS).
Professional skills for Public Impact (level 200, 5 ECTS).
Block 2 (Semester 1) (Choose 3 out of 4 courses)
Research in Public Administration (level 200, 5 ECTS). NB: this course is essential for students who wish to continue in the Master program of Public Administration without having to follow a pre Master – see next tab Important Information). This course is taught mainly online combined with face-to-face elements.
Public Values & Ethics (level 300, 5 ECTS). NB: This course is taught mainly online combined with some face-to-face elements.
European Union Politics and Policy (level 200, 5 ECTS).
International Administration (level 300, 5 ECTS).
A selection of 15 ECTS elective courses
Parts of the minor can be followed as a program of three elective courses. These courses, once passed, will be shown as electives on your diploma but do make up a coherent program of 15 ECTS of Public Administration. It concerns the following courses:Introduction to Public Administration (level 200), block 1, semester 1
European Union Politics and Policy (level 200), block 2, semester 2
International Administration (level 300), block 2, semester 2
Working group attendance
Minor students also attend working group sessions. The minor has its own schedule and its specific minor working groups, identifyable by the M or Minor-exch. Students have to register themselves in uSIS. The activity code for registration is published in the Schedule on the right side of this page
See next tab 'Important Information' for:
Level of the minor program
Continuing with a Master in Public Administration without a pre Master
Examination Regulations and retake exams in January
Retake policy
Schedule
The link on the right side of this page leads to the schedule 2017. The schedule 2018 will be published asap.
Location
All classes will take place in The Hague.
Contact
Questions on the minor in relation to one’s own main study and or questions on personal circumstances and planning can be directed at the Study advisors BSc Public Administration
Questions on content and coherence of the program can be directed at the program coordinator, Dr. V.E. Pattyn