Module POLM009M for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM009M: Regulation and Reform: Analysis and Policy
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
The aims of this module are to provide advanced postgraduate level introductions to and analyses of different types of regulatory reform, suitable for policymakers and public managers. Empirically, the focus will be on the recent wave of 'better regulation' reforms in developing and developed countries. A student completing this module will have firm grasp of the costs and benefits of regulation, and will be familiar with the various policymaking tools used to evaluate and redesign regulations.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Critically examine the theoretical foundations of different approaches to regulatory reform and the diffusion of the better regulation movement using political science and administrative law; 2. Identify the theoretical and empirical manifestations of better regulation, by using theory and comparative evidence across the OECD countries and beyond; 3. Identify examples of success and failures in better regulation experiments across nations; 4. Explain the political dynamics of adoption and implementation of better regulation packages; 5. Explain how the tools of better regulation work and appraise them empirically and normatively; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 6. Appraise and critically evaluate government reports, public policy, and OECD-EU-World Bank documents; 7. Synthesise and comment critically on a corpus of academic literature; 8. Link public administration concepts and theories to real world examples; |
Personal and Key Skills | 9. Undertake independent/self-directed learning (including time management) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment; 10. Work as a participant or leader of a group and contribute effectively to the achievement of objectives; and 11. Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will include the following topics in the order indicated:
1. Different tides of regulatory reform. Regulatory reform strategies
2. The rise of the better regulation agenda: history and diffusion patterns. Better regulation as public policy
3. Theoretical expectations about better regulation: public choice and administrative-constitutional legal scholarship
4. The better regulation toolkit - overview
5. Regulatory impact assessment
6. Comparative analysis: the EU and the USA
7. Comparative analysis across OECD nations
8. The case of developing countries
9. Regulatory indicators and the management of better regulation
10. Why better regulation is adopted and not implemented: empirical evidence and theoretical considerations
11. Appraising better regulation: normative analysis
12. Conclusions
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
18 | 182 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 10 | Ten Lectures (1 hour) |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 6 | Three Group Work sessions (2 hours each) |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 5 | Two Workshops (2.5 hours each) |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 3 | One Guest Presentation (3 hours) |
Guided independent study | 82 | Reading, thinking and preparing for lectures and workshops |
Guided independent study | 94 | Assignment preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Participation in Group Work and Workshops | Teaching week | 1-11 | Verbal feedback |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
80 | 0 | 20 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Web-based review of set text | 20 | 800 words | 1-11 | Electronic feedback via ELE within one week of submission |
Coursework Essay | 60 | 2,500 words | 1-11 | The Essay is returned individually in the week following the module with detailed feedback |
Reflective Learning Log | 20 | 80 words | 10 | Electronic feedback via ELE within one week of submission |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Web-based review of set text | Web-based review of set text (800 words) | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
Coursework Essay | Coursework Essay (2,500 words) | 1-11 | August/September reassessment period |
Reflective Learning Log | Reflective Learning Log (800 words) | 10 | August/September reassessment period |