Module POL3228 for 2020/1
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3228: From the Shadows into the Light: Political Advisers and Policy Making
This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.
Module Aims
The main aim of this module is to provide you with the full conceptual skills to critically engage with the research scholarship on the policy roles of political advisers across countries, as well as across political and administrative traditions: a) Westminster (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK); b) Napoleonic (Belgium, France, Italy, Greece), c) European continental and Nordic (Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands); d) the USA; e) Supranational institutions (European Commission and European Parliament). In so doing the module also aims to provide you with the skills to critically reflect upon stereotypes and images of political advisers, created by the media and advisers’ own accounts. Although political advisers enjoy a share as central players in the policy making process, their advent in the central political stage has come along with important challenges. Concerns are being raised due to advisers’ growing numbers, their lack of accountability, the way they operate (spin-doctoring), their policy influence, as well as the opacity of their status. The fundamental question the module will address is whether political advisers are pillars of responsive and good governance, or incompetent and non-accountable dark princes. Moreover, is there convergence, or divergence in the use and roles of political advisers across systems and why? In addressing such issues, a complementary aim of the module is to make you aware of the professional and ethical values pertaining to the job of political adviser.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the concepts and theories on political advisers and their policy making roles . 2. Apply the appropriate concepts and theories in order to explain and critically appraise the role of political advisers in policy making across countries over time. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Find, use and critically analyse a range of material, including empirical and theoretical studies published in scientific journals, books and conference papers; policy reports and guidelines published by governments, administrations and international organisations; news and internet items. 4. Critically analyse both empirical and theoretical material by applying theoretical arguments to empirical case studies. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Communicate ideas effectively both formally during presentations and informally during class discussions. 6. Communicate ideas effectively in a given number of words in written form. 7. Work independently and in groups. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
PART I: Advisers and their institutional habitat
- Who is a political adviser? Delimiting the subject of study. The concept of political adviser
- Where do political advisers work? The institutional habitat of advisers - Administrative traditions in comparison
- What is the profile of political advisers? Educational and socio-demographic background of the adviser elite.
- Why are advisers employed? Politicization and policy capacity
PART II: Advisers and policy making
- What do political advisers do? A classification of advisers’ substantive policy roles
- What is the dimension of advisers’ work? Working with civil servants, other advisers and stakeholders.
- What is the content of political advisers work? Content of policy advice, policy analytical tools and use of knowledge by advisers
PART III: Advisers and their relationship with civil servants and politicians
- How do political advisers interfere with the civil servants? From the traditional binary political-administrative relationship to a “menage a trois”.
- How do advisers interact with politicians and how much influence do they have? Advisers and the circles of trust surrounding politicians.
PART IV: Advisers and accountability
- From the shadows into the light, are political advisers accountable and to whom?
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 |
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44 | 256 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 44 | 22 x 2 hour seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 88 | Reading set texts and wider reading |
Guided Independent Study | 3 | Preparing for guest speakers |
Guided Independent Study | 40 | Conducting research and preparing for the short answer questions |
Guided Independent Study | 100 | Conducting research and writing the essay |
Guided Independent Study | 24 | Preparation for individual presentation in class |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).