European Public Policy (introduction)

Public policy is the language through which governments across the world communicate with their administrations and societies. This course will focus on public policy practices, specifically within a European context. Throughout the course, students will learn about the various ways in which government operates to provide solutions in the public sector (e.g. decision-making at central and regional level, implementation and evaluation of policy) and the critical aspects to pay attention to when assessing how policies perform. At the end of the course, students will have a good understanding of key public policy terminology and the ‘classical’ phases through which a policy comes to fruition. The course will conclude by exploring current challenges faced by government in the light of new technologies, like blockchain. Topics: 1. Introduction to Public Policy: key concepts. 2. Public Policy process (1): policy formulation. 3. Public Policy process (2): policy implementation. 4. Public Policy process (3): policy evaluation & iteration. 5. Understanding European policy making (1): legal and policy framework 6. Understanding European policy making (2): fiscal and financial framework 7. European Public Finance (1): budget & implementation (+simulation exercise) 8. The challenges of public policy in the technological era (block chain and artificial intelligence discussion).

Course leader

I. Burlacu
S. van der Laan
M.J. Feeney
S.M. Wagterveld

Target group

No special prerequisites needed. The course is not aimed towards a specific major, but it is relevant to a major in sociology, social work or social policy.

Course aim

• To introduce students to fundamental principles in public policy and how it works in the European Union; • To familiarize students with the main concepts and cycles of public policy; • To identify different practices and concepts across the EU (and the US), by exemplifying cases from their own countries; • To bring awareness towards different public policy practices and how these affect their community/country.

Credits info

4 EC
Maastricht Summer School awards academic credit (ECTS) for courses successfully completed during the programme. To include these credits in the curriculum of your degree, you need to obtain official approval from the responsible department at your home institution.

Upon completion of a course, the Maastricht Summer School issues a transcript. The transcript states the student’s name, student ID-number, the grade or Pass/Fail and the number of ECTS credits.

Fee info

EUR 800: This two-week course costs €800,-.