Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3195: The Politics of Regulation: Risks and Regulatory Failures

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

The course will aim to: provide you with a good grasp of the most important debates and approaches to regulation; enhance your understanding of the challenges and trade-offs involved in regulatory policy; develop your ability to apply key insights to a variety of regulatory fields; advance your understanding of risk and the role of regulators and businesses in anticipating and managing risks.

To illustrate theoretical approaches, the course will draw on extensive empirical examples of regulatory policy in various domains (ranging from utilities, to financial or social regulation), with an emphasis on UK, EU and US examples.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate understanding of key theoretical debates and approaches to the study of regulation
2. demonstrate understanding of both generic regulatory issues as well as specificities of regulating key regulatory domains
3. demonstrate critical awareness of the challenges and trade-offs involved in anticipating and regulating risks and the limits of regulation
Discipline-Specific Skills4. apply key theories, models and concepts within the discipline
5. draw on and apply key theoretical insights and frameworks to specific empirical examples
Personal and Key Skills6. demonstrate advanced skills in written and oral communication, research and critical analysis
7. digest and dissect complex information and to build and present rigorous, adequately supported arguments