| CODE | PPL2046 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Ideas, Society and Public Policy | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Public Policy | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Life as we know it exists because of competition for scarce resources by and between individuals, and a socio-economic and political order is necessary if society is to function let alone exist. However, how well a society functions depends on many factors, not least the values and ideals that it promotes and the political arrangements to which they give rise. Economics has no morality when driven by the market but people do not live by bread, or indeed smart phone, alone. Society is characterised by complex relationships and their management gives rise to politics and policy-making. Should we care, for example, whether equality and or equity in particular, should be a society’s goals? Should we use the state as a mechanism to remedy inequalities in society? Should we ensure a level-playing field or allow for free and unfettered competition? Should the market be the basis for decision-making or should social aspects be the dominant consideration? Should human rights a central element in running society’s affairs or are they as Jeremy Bentham called “nonsense on stilts”? How we conceptualise society, therefore, becomes fundamental to the choices we make economically and socially. Politics is a derivative of such a process and does not just represent, as many in Malta think, what parties or party leaders say and do. This study-unit will seek to explore a number of these issues and the related theories and concepts which has underpinned the debate about them. Aims: This study-unit aims to: • help students trace and understand the ideas that currently drive the world of policy and how these in their turn impact on economic and social policy-making. Developments do not happen in a vacuum but are fashioned and conditioned according to current orthodoxies and past experiences. There is what is known as a political culture and this plays an important role in how people in society interact and conduct their lives. This political culture is the result of centuries of experience and ideas and provides the backdrop for policy-making. Democracy was first established in ancient Athens in 500 BC but since then has been reshaped to include a wider perception of rights and as to what good governance involves; • help students acquire a scientific mind, that is to provide them with the opportunity to explore contemporary issues within a conceptual framework by learning to ask the right questions and debate and evaluate options. Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • recall the historical background of contemporary ideas; • name the principal thinkers responsible for articulating these political ideas; • recognise how contemporary issues and ideas have impacted on the evolution of democratic realities today. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • relate contemporary debate to issues and challenges already experienced in the past when such ideas were expressed or implemented; • analyse whether the issues being debated strengthen or weaken the liberal-democratic process, especially within the framework of European values; • demonstrate the type of positive or negative outcomes that can be anticipated by the implementation of such ideas; • argue the case in favour or against ideas within the framework of European ideas of liberal-democracy; • formulate policies that give greater importance to such values. Reading List: Dunleavy, Peter and O’Leary Brandon, (1987) Theories of the State, UK. Goodwin, Barbara, (2014). Using Political Ideas, Wiley and sons, UK. Held, David. (1993). Prospects for democracy, North, South, East, West, Polity Press, UK. Holden, Barry (1975), The Nature of Democracy, UK. Galbriath, Kenneth, (1983), The Anatomy of power, Gorgi, UK. White, G.K.and Hoon, J.D, (2004), What is Political Theory? Sage UK. Farrelly, C., (2004) An Introduction to Contemporary Political Theory, Sage UK. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Luke Buhagiar |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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