Governance and public policies

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

The in-class sessions will combine presentation of themes by the teachers, followed by students’ presentations and debate focused on the literature indicated for each topic of the program.
Student’s participation is encouraged through written preparation and presentation of theoretical and empirical work for in-class discussion. Outside the class, students develop autonomous research work under supervision of the teachers.
Additionally we resort to ad hoc participation of invited researchers and specialists with relevant experience to discuss topics of the program.  

Learning Outcomes

This course aims at furthering the understanding of governance and of public policy in a societal transformation context. State transformations, particularly in its relations with the economy and civil society as well as the meanings of these relations in new governance are analyzed. Socio-political regulation is approached from the concepts of governability and governance taking into account the current challenges for public policy.
The aim is to develop the following student’s skills:
Familiarity with fundamental concepts and theoretical and analytical models related to the set of issues that are fundamental to the sociological approach to governance and public policy.
Mastery of methodologies and tools of public policy and new forms of governance sociological analysis.
Skills of critical analysis and reflection on actors and processes related to the current transformations of the forms of political regulation.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The themes that make up the structural theoretical and substantive reference of this course are:
 The parameters of the traditional political regulation
   Political regulation and governabilitty
   Theories of the state and of public policies
 The meaning of the new forms of governance for state/society relations
   Meanings and theories of new governance
   Concepts of state and society in the new governance
   The social constitutionalismThe heterogeneity and the selectivity as sources of political regulation
   The tension between the rule of law, the penal state and the welfare state
   Exception as governance model

Public policies in the context of complexity
   Complex social problems and public policy
   Political reforms and the simple state.  

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Research work: 50.0%
Synthesis work: 50.0%

Bibliography

ARNAUD, A.J. (2014), La gouvernance. Un outil de participation, LGDJ – Lextenso éditions.
BEVIR, M. (2010) The SAGE Handbook of Governance. Sage.
ENJOLRAS, B. e Bozzini, E. (org.) (2011), Governing Ambiguities: New Forms of Governance and Civil Society.
Baden-Baden: Nomos.
FERREIRA, A. C. (2014), Política e sociedade: teoria social em tempo de austeridade. Porto: Vida Económica.
FERREIRA, S. (2012), "Observando a indecidibilidade da participação do terceiro setor na complexidade da
governação em rede", Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais, 97, 107-132.
FISHER, F, Miller, G.J e Sydney, M.S. (2007), Handbook of Public Policy Analysis - Theory, Politics, and Methods, New York: Taylor & Francis.RODRIGUES, M. L. e Silva, P. A. (org.) (2012), Politicas Públicas em Portugal, Lisboa: INCM
SANTOS, B. S. (2008), A gramática do tempo : para uma nova cultura política. São Paulo : Cortez.
JESSOP, B. (2015), The State: Past, present, future, Cambridge: Polity.