The course reveals the discipline of “State and Municipal Governance” from a new perspective – the process of political decision-making.
About the course
Contemporary societies are undergoing a reform of political governance: they are moving from impulsive and often uncontrolled political leadership to a process of informed and publicly approved political decision-making. This approach reflects the modern understanding of democratization. It becomes the core of administrative reforms of public administration systems.
The political decision-making process is a series of successive stages, the main links of which are:
- selection from the whole multitude of problems of the highest importance,
- elaboration and adoption of relevant documents (plans or laws)
- Putting decisions into practice,
- Implementation of social control over the correctness of plans and documents, over their implementation in real actions and reforms.
Different actors take part in the process of political decision-making. The core of social innovation is the government, which initially (in the modern understanding of its role and responsibilities) is prescribed to improve the social order and improve people's lives.
Alternative actors in the political system are parties, non-profit organizations, the expert community, interest groups and the entire population of the country. For each actor there are opportunities to participate in political activities. They can initiate them, develop draft laws, and participate in their implementation in practice. In any case, an open and publicly discussed decision-making procedure predetermines everyone's understanding of the changes taking place and makes everyone a co-participant in innovations.
Modern society has developed a number of technologies of political decision-making. These include the introduction of "Open Government" and development of the so-called Performance management. Performance is a management method based on the obligation of a manager (governing bodies) to present goals and results of the management process to the public. Other technologies - lobbying for the interests of groups, activities of the expert community, practices of public influence on the Government.
A special role in the decision-making process is played by the media. They not only represent the field of discussion ("public arenas"), but can, with special professional skills, amplify the sounding of some problems while silencing others.
Format
Form of training by correspondence (distance learning). Weekly classes will include watching thematic video lectures, studying additional materials and performance of test tasks with automated checking the results, and testing on the material covered. To receive a certificate, you must complete all assignments, tests and write the final exam.
Requirements
Special knowledge and skills (other than general training) are not required, the course may be of interest to a wide range of students interested in the subject.
Course program
- Distinctive features of the modern mechanism of public administration
- Public policy decision-making as a modern embodiment of the trend towards democratization of society
- Theoretical preconditions for understanding the political decision-making process (organization theory and the discourse of “political system”)
- Bodies of state power as the initiator and core of making and carrying out political decisions
- Party as the most important alternative actor involved in political decision-making
- NGOs as form of organized public participation in social and political governance
- Forms of public participation in political decision making
- Role of mass media as institution of public opinion formation
- Lobbying as technology for implementation of group interests: two approaches to understanding its role in society
- Expertise as a Technology of Scientific Community Participation in Political Decision-Making
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will:
Be able to:
- analyze the processes taking place in the country and the world as a reflection of specific political decisions,
- give their civic assessment,
- practice their civic responsibilities (e.g., participate responsibly in elections, initiate new things, identify supporters, organize opposition actions)
Know:
- the major actors and the potential of their capabilities,
- the range of techniques of political decision-making,
- features of the American political system. Mastery:
- the basics of social diagnosis of decision-making,
- skills in analyzing institutions (using parties as an example),
- Civic behavior skills (writing policy briefs, conducting and participating in public hearings, developing and evaluating policy documents).
Competencies to be formed
- Mastery of general scientific and political science terminology, ability to work with original scientific texts and semantic constructions contained in them.
- Ability to generate innovative ideas, to propose independent hypotheses.
- Ability to characterize and evaluate individual political events and processes, identifying their relationship to the economic, social and cultural context, as well as to objective trends and patterns of development of the political system as a whole.