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Making Leaders out of Ordinary People Family investments affected by the credit crunch; a relative facing the privatisation of the dockyard; concern about the environment; anxiety about the future of the labour market; campaigns against poverty ... or against illegal migration ... for or against divorce or abortion; contesting a seat on your local council. Most people hold an opinion about these and other public issues, but have no idea how public affairs are shaped, how policies are made, what forces and institutions and processes are at play, what their rights and obligations as citizens are. In Public Policy, we teach you about these things and more.
You can learn about – • Institutions, such as Parliament, the Cabinet, the World Bank, the European Commission;
• The role of ideas in the life of society – the common good; rights; citizenship; competitiveness; welfare;
• The forces shaping our future – markets and governments; elites and political parties; sub-national and supra-national government; civil society associations such as Oxfam, or the Hospice Movement, or unions ... and business associations, such as the Federation of Industries or professional associations, such as the Institute of Engineers.
We will show you how decisions are made and implemented, how public affairs are planned, how public policies are analysed and evaluated, how major projects are funded and organised.
Above all, perhaps, we aim to equip you with vital life-skills – the ability to think deeply and strategically; to engage in long, complex debates; to analyse issues using the many arts and sciences that public policy draws upon; to play a role in the formulation and implementation of policies ... as a policy analyst or a corporate executive, a campaigner or a politician, a thinker or a doer.
What sort of jobs and careers can you look forward to? There is no set pattern, since the keynote of public policy is its adaptability and flexibility. Many of our graduates find a role in some kind of public service – in regulators such as the MCA or the MMA, in the Prime Minister’s Office or the civil service. But you can aspire to other fields: you might be interested in journalism, or take a position in a think-tank such as Competitive Malta, or work in one of the European institutions. Some graduates have chosen political careers, others are working on development projects in far-away countries such as Fiji and Ethiopia. You might, if you were really ambitious for yourself and for your country, aspire to become the leader of a major political party. After all, we make leaders out of ordinary people!
I invite you to browse our website to discover more about the learning opportunities that the Department of Public Policy offers. Who knows: we may have the pleasure of helping you to grow as a leader in public affairs! Dr. Edward Warrington Head of Public Policy
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23 May 2012
http://www.um.edu.mt/fema/publicpolicy/welcomeletter
