Capacity Development Office - Online course

The Public Policy Process

This course provides a critical analytic and descriptive framework to analyse the different aspects of the policy process.

Institute
UNU-MERIT
Apply here

Please check the start date and application deadline on the online courses' main page

About this course

The world of policy and politics, governance and government can be murky with seemingly transparent and tangled connections. Who gets to define the agenda, what type of policy will come to the fore and who is accountable? This course sheds light on some of these concepts using the work of respected authors in the field. It allows learners to understand how a critical analytic and descriptive framework can help understand who is involved in the policy process, how it operates and ultimately leads to a discussion about who is accountable. The answers to these questions help lay a solid foundation for further exploration of policy analysis and formation in other courses

This is a great course for everyone who wants to learn more about how policies are made and how they influence our everyday lives. I loved watching participants learn more and more with each session and increase their ability to connect the different concepts, arriving at a solid understanding of the public policy process at the end of the course. -

Hannah Oettrich

Learning Goals

By the end of the course, students should be able to: 

  • Understand the distinction between policy and politics; government and governance.
  • Understand how the national political discourse affects policymaking and decision-making.
  • Understand the stages of the policy cycle and their interactions.
  • Be able to think critically about the actors in the policymaking process in their own country and the influences and motivations they may have in the policy process.
  • Be able to distinguish between outputs and outcomes, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Understand the importance and relevance of the policy process and all stages of the policy cycle, thereby laying an important foundation for the next course on the techniques for monitoring and evaluation.

 

Prerequisites

A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent). Candidates with any educational background are welcome to enrol.

The course instructions and all readings are given in English. Fluency in English, both reading and writing, is essential in both technical and common language.

 

Cost

600 EUR

 

Estimated Workload

The estimated workload is 60 hours including:

  • 10-15 hours per week.
  • 10-15 hours per assignment/oral exam.

 

Duration: 10 weeks

  • 1 week to access the platform and become familiar with the material
  • 4 weeks of coursework
  • 1 week to submit the final assignment and
  • 2 weeks for potential resits.

 

Certification

Participants that complete the course obtain an online educational certificate indicating the course has a 2 ECTS equivalence workload.

 

Application Process

You can apply for each course by using the online application form.

During the application process, you will need to upload the following documents:   

  • Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
  • A copy of your (valid) passport (PDF or JPEG)

After completing the application, you will receive a confirmation email along with the payment information. Once we receive the payment, we will register you as a participant for the course, and the Online Courses Administration Team will contact you. The administrative process typically takes an average of 5-10 working days.   

If you have any questions regarding the application documents or the application process or if there are any clarifications you need before applying, please feel free to reach out to the Capacity Development Office at the email address: onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu. 

 

Payment

By credit card: https://www.aanmelder.nl/173049/subscribe.

In case you cannot pay by online transfer, please send an email to onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu including your name, your preferred course and starting date. We will send you bank transfer information, and we will only register you upon receiving a bank transfer. This process will take longer to complete.

Please note that we are unfortunately not able to provide scholarships or tuition fee waivers for the online courses.

Refund Policy for Course Withdrawal

Full refund before registration deadline: Participants who withdraw before the registration deadline and before official registration in the university system are eligible for a full refund of fees paid. Administration costs are not refunded (15 EUR).

Partial refund after registration, until one week before the course start date: If a participant withdraws after the registration deadline but before one week of the course start, 50% of the tuition will be refunded. Administration costs are not refunded (15 EUR).

No refunds once course has begun: No refunds will be issued in case withdrawal happens one week before the course starts.

If a participant completes the registration and payment but is deemed not eligible for the course, the full tuition fee minus the administration costs (15 EUR) will be refunded. If you have doubts about your eligibility, please email us at onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu