F1GD 4150 - Policy-Making in Action (New)

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

This course introduces students to policy-making from a practitioners’ perspective. Taught by two former policymakers with extensive national and international experience, it examines what policy is, how evidence and foresight are used, who makes policy, and how public action is shaped across national and international arenas. The course then applies these concepts to policy design, contemporary megatrends, long-run policy change, and the policy cycle. Through short written assignments, in-class presentations and peer evaluation, an in-class policy-chain exercise, and a final collaborative application to a current crisis or issue, students learn how to analyze policy problems and formulate practical policy responses.

Learning Outcomes

● Acquire a foundational understanding of policy-making, including public action and inaction, policy instruments, actors and levels of governance

● Understand how evidence, information, data, indicators and foresight shape policy choices and policy debate

● Understand how social and technological megatrends affect contemporary policy environments

● Understand policy change as a dynamic process, from policy cycles to long-run trajectories

● Develop the ability to connect policy analysis to current political crises and real-world decision making

Professional Skills

● Learn how to formulate a policy research question and define a tractable policy problem

● Learn how to map policy actors, interests and institutions

● Learn how to interpret evidence critically and communicate it clearly

● Learn how to write short analytical assignments and a policy memo

● Learn how to present policy arguments, evaluate peers, and contribute to collaborative problem solving

None

Lecture sessions include ample time for Q&A. Session 4 is an in-class policy-chain exercise in which each student rotates through five sequential roles (background, proposal, nay-sayer, policy-maker, responder). In Sessions 5 and 6, students upload a one-pager on Moodle one week before class; in each session, 6 students present and 6 students evaluate/respond on the spot, with immediate instructor feedback. In Session 10, students upload a second one-pager and work in 5 groups of 5 to assess each other’s papers, followed by an in-class discussion. Written assignments submitted through Moodle receive feedback through class discussion and instructor comments. Session 11 is a collaborative application exercise, and Session 12 concludes with final synthesis and exam feedback.

● Group peer-assessment (Session 10): not graded

● In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

● Reading and Preparation for Class: on average 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester

● Research and Preparation for Assignments and Presentations: 54 hours a semester

● Research and Preparation for Final Exam / Collaborative Exercise: 24 hours a semester