Policy Process and Negotiation
Instructors
MATSUURA, Masahiro
SHIROYAMA, Hideaki
Credits / Language / Semester
2Credits / English / Winter
Objectives/Overview
This course provides an introductory overview of analytical methods and strategic planning tools on policy processes.
Keywords
政策形成過程,政策過程,政策分析,政策科学,交渉,アジェンダセッティング,フレーミング,合意形成
Schedule
Its first part deals with key ideas for analyzing policy processes. It starts with an overview of canonical theories on policy processes, such as incrementalism, agenda setting, implementation, and bureaucracy. In a class we will also discuss about the variety of policy process depending on the cultural and institutional contexts and the role of knowledge in the policy process. This course will cover recent trends, such as policy transfer and new public management, as well. In order to put these theories in a context, the course will discuss policy-making processes, such as bureaucracy and recent reforms, in Japan as well from comparative perspective. This segment of the course is structured around pre-class readings and in-class discussions. Students are asked to present a synthesized summary of their assigned readings in the class.
The latter half of the course will deal with strategic policy-making techniques. It starts with an overview of negotiation theory as the foundation for the strategic management of stakeholders. Then students are asked to engage in case-based exercises to improve their communication and policy design skills. In the last part of the course, each student prepares a specific policy proposal including his/her implementation and institutionalization strategies.
Teaching Methods
Class participation is crucial. Each student is asked to review the assigned article/chapter (total number of articles to review per each student depends on the class size) and present its summary in the class, and lead the discussion. The instructor will provide follow-up discussions so that everyone in the classroom will have the basic theoretical understanding of theories for public policy processes and negotiation. Each presenter is asked to prepare power point slides and present them, lead the student discussion, and the instructor will provide a follow-up talk.
At the end of the semester, students will be asked to submit an essay (approx. 5 pages) that reflects on actual cases using the literature reviewed in this course.
Grading
Class participation, in-class presentations, and term paper.