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Find individual courses here or browse the curricula of our graduate and executive programmes.
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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Israel-Palestine Conflict

Course-ID: GRAD-E1474

Abstract

The course aims to foster a deeper understanding of the intricate conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, exploring the contested nature of various aspects within it.

We will delve into several key areas:

Firstly, the course extensively examines pivotal moments in the history of the conflict, offering diverse perspectives on events spanning from Zionist immigration to the present day.

Secondly, we will explore concepts commonly employed to characterize or analyze the conflict, such as Apartheid, Genocide, Terrorism, or Antisemitism, whose usage is frequently subject to debate.

Thirdly, the course investigates the discourse surrounding the conflict, often termed as "the conflict over the conflict," scrutinizing why actors worldwide engage in discussions about a conflict in which they may not have direct involvement.

Lastly, we will analyze policy considerations, assessing the array of international strategies adopted by various stakeholders in addressing and managing the conflict both historically and in the present day.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Climate Policy

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1020

Abstract

This course offers an introduction to the policy process. It equips students with a solid understanding of foundational insights from comparative politics, economics and policy analysis, enabling them to navigate the politics of complex domestic policy processes throughout their careers. The first half of the course introduces the main steps in the policy cycle: Problem formulation and agenda-setting & seeding; normative and positive perspectives on policy formulation; decision-making; policy implementation; and policy evaluation & learning. The second part introduces the international level, discusses differences between democracies and autocracies, challenges from right-wing populism, and social change. Please note that this course does not offer a comprehensive introduction to climate policy – for this, attend my second-year elective “Advanced Climate Policy”. Note also that this course requires reading substantial amounts of academic literature and features extensive lectures, interspersed with in-class discussions. Students work on individual regional climate policy case studies in several assignments throughout the semester.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Digital Governance and Social Media Governance

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1027

Abstract

This course aims to give students an introduction into public policy, policy analysis and the policy process. Public policies are the instruments with which the state attempts to exercise control over the public domain. Policy analysis deals with choosing the best means to obtain a specified end. The policy process focuses on the capacity of political actors to decide about these instruments.

While the theme of the course is the policy process, the examples used in the course are taken from digital governance and social media governance. As states become more digitized increasingly governments are trying to influence digital transformation. On the one hand, digitization is strongly connected to economic growth. On the other hand, digitization also has important social and political consequences, many of which are considered to challenge political stability and democracy. This course focuses on the development of a European approach towards co-regulating social media platforms in an effort to stabilize democracies in Europe.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Employment and Welfare

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1013

Abstract

This course aims to give students an introduction into public policy, policy analysis and the policy process. Public policies are the instruments with which the state attempts to exercise control over the public domain. Policy analysis deals with choosing the best means to obtain a specified end. The policy process focuses on the capacity of political actors to decide about these instruments.

While the theme of the course is the policy process, the examples used in the course are taken from labour market and employment policies. Welfare and employment are a key concern of industrialized and industrializing political economies, both in terms of efficiency and equity. High employment levels of formal employment indicate an efficient use of human resources and skills. Formal employment is a central factor for the distribution of wealth in modern societies.

The course is divided into four parts:

1.    Problem definition: Following an introduction into the main elements of the policy process, this part aims at communicating the defining characteristics of policy issues. What is a policy problem? Why and how does it emerge (or why not)? What role do ideas and policy paradigms play in their framing? What types of tools may we draw upon to solve various problems?

2.    Policy Instruments: Political actors have a set of tools they can employ for problem-solving. Suitable tools depend on the nature of the policy problem as well as on the government capacity.

3.    Actors and institutions: This part starts by exposing students to a focus on actors and stakeholders, including their rationales. In the subsequent sessions, the perspective will then be enlarged to include actor constellations, institutions and the broader context, within which policies are developed, shaped and implemented by the stakeholders.

4.    Case presentations: The last part of the course is dedicated to the presentation and discussion of a set of policy analysis papers prepared by groups of students (see assignments). The preparation of these sessions, including the suggestion of readings, will be part of the group assignment. The last session is designed to provide a systematic comparison of the cases and hark back to the concepts and issues introduced in the first part.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Leadership in Local Government

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1030

Abstract

“Local solutions to global problems” is not just a slogan. In 2024, all politics is local. In an increasingly complex and dynamic world of multiple and overlapping crises, local authorities often find themselves at the eye of a perfect storm. It has become vital to tackle global issues, including questions of growth, the climate crisis, socio-economic inequalities, public health, and the digital transition, from the local perspective. This course helps you to think about these questions like a Mayor and aims to create a learning platform to explore and understand the principles, strategies, and best practices of public policy.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Urban Policy

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1031

Abstract

The course offers an introduction to public policy, the policy process and core concepts of policy analysis, drawing on applications to urban policy and politics. Policy analysis (or research) seeks to “find out what government do, why they do it and what difference it makes” (T Dye). Policy analysis studies how governments (and non-governmental actors) seek to address societal problems  – for example, which policy instruments to use (i.e. rent control to address rising rent prices) ; how these policies are put into practice (implementation) and which impact and outcomes, including unintended they generate (evaluation). Policy process research brings the political into policy analysis, raising issues such as power, interests, collaboration and conflict.

 

Urban spaces are magnifying glasses for societal problems and conflicts – and for policy and governance innovations. With an ever-growing urban population, the urban context is critical for solving complex policy issues – such as climate change, mobility, inequality, security. Many actors with different ideologies and interest – political parties, citizens, activists, local and global companies – seek to shape what city governments do (and what not). Usingexamples from cities around the globe, including Berlin, we will explore urban policy and politics through the lens of the policy process perspective. Students will learn the analytical tools and perspectives of policy analysis and policy process research through the application to urban policy and politics issues. We will explore the dynamics of agenda-setting, questions of political representation and power, and the influence of different socio-economic groups on urban policy making. Using case studies on urban transport, planning & development, and housing, you will apply policy analysis concept to exercises of policy design, evaluation, implementation and stakeholder analysis. You will also get the opportunity to work on a case of your choice.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Political Economy of World Trade

Course-ID: GRAD-E1229

Abstract

The international trade environment is changing rapidly. Great power politics, a competition of ideas and systems, cold and hot conflicts as well as wars threaten to divide the world into new blocks – large autocracies on one side and liberal democracies on the other – and many countries in the middle. Trade is more and more seen from a security lens: as a source of national vulnerabilities on one hand side, and as coercive, strategic instrument on the other. This will massively impact trade flows, accelerating the re-regionalization and re-nationalization of value chains, which started a few years ago and gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic, also fueled by the power competition between the United States and China. At the same time, the WTO, which is already fragile, is threatened to be weakened even further – at a time when a strong institution is more important than ever.

 

“The Political Economy of World Trade” aims at providing a hands-on approach to the analysis of international trade relations. This course has a strong policy orientation, using current issues and challenges in trade policy-making as the starting point of each session. Economic research and theoretical elements will be studied to come to concrete policy options. Our class features five sections: 1. drivers of world trade; 2. the political economy of trade policy-making; 3. the multilateral trading system; 4. preferential trade agreements, 5. a critical look at trade.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Politics of Food

Course-ID: GRAD-E1368

Abstract

The questions of how and what we eat has become a key topic for public debate. Indeed, the issue of food manifests itself in different forms that are often vehicles for new understandings of the self, the nation, the environment and/ or the planet; just take the rise of consumer and farmer movements that oppose industrialised food production and worry about the future of agricultural sustainability or take the growing focus on food and cuisine in the media and other cultural industries.

Drawing on a number of disciplines, this course places food production, distribution and consumption at the centre of scrutiny. Like many other areas of life, it takes the world of food to be a world of politics and power—a world in which policy-makers, economists, environmentalists, agribusinesses, scientists, consumers, and social justice groups, all holding vastly different views, seek to influence the food system and related policies. Hence, the world of food and the way our food systems work and worked offers important insights into the interplay of power, politics and identity—including relations between developing and developed countries, between genders as well as people and the natural world.

It is through the lens of food that this course will hence explore some of the major global challenges of our time, like: food, self and identity; food and cultural heritage; food and migration; food and the nation; food, the media and popular culture; the political economy of human-environment relations; food and the consumer society; food poverty and the politics of food waste; state policy and the healthy body politic; food and the 'moral economy'; the future of food production and consumption.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Science and Ethics of Intelligent Technology Policy

Course-ID: GRAD-E1461

Abstract

All technology impacts human intelligence – what we can know, what we can do, and how these may be linked. Similarly, laws of computation determine or at least limit what is knowable when, regardless of whether we are discussing individuals, societies, or their machines. This course examines the scientific undergirdings of both ethics and policy, as well as how ethics and policy might inform and impact each other, with particular emphasis on communications and inteligence technologies (AI). Topics include the evolution of intelligence, sociality, ingroup-outgroup dynamics, polarisation, cooperative and competitive behaviour, inequality and extremism, historic interpretations of ethics, and impacts of surveillance. Marks are determined by quiz, in-class discussion, and a final exam.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Treasure or Trouble: Managing Mineral Wealth

Course-ID: GRAD-E1400

Abstract

This course explores the opportunities and challenges associated with countries’ mineral wealth and extractive industries from a policy perspective. Mineral resources are a large part of our everyday life - the spoon we use, the phone we hold, the tooth that gets filled - but go unnoticed by most of their users and ignored in public debate outside of the mining countries themselves - unless a major disaster happens. Yet, our societal choices – in terms of policies and management practices – matter profoundly for mining countries’ economic, social, and environmental health, as well as in terms of peace, integrity, and institutional stability. As the world is embarking on massive climate-change driven transitions, the mineral intensity of most clean energy technologies has brought renewed attention to the “treasure and trouble” associated with the extractive industries and their related facilities. Students will take a journey through the A-Z of what policymakers and the industry can do – and need to be mindful of – in creating policy options and shaping management approaches for building economic, social, and environmental wealth based on – and perhaps despite – the mineral resources they own and work with.

Throughout the course, students will get to explore and understand the context and rationale for the often-different paths taken by countries and corporates. Using practical examples from around the world, across the 70+ mining countries, the course will cover 12 main topics associated with Mineral Wealth and Extractive Industries: (1) Economic Development, Poverty Reduction, and Revenue Management; (2) Shared Value and Local Social Development and Alliances; (3) Water; (4) Energy; (5) Corruption & Integrity; (6) Labor Relations and Human Rights; (7) Gender Dimensions in Mining Policies and Management Approaches; (8) Mining Companies and their Organizational Challenges; (9) Small-Scale Mining; (10) Mine Closure and Industrial Re-Structuring; (11) ESG Principles and Standards across Countries and Industry Players; (12) Accountability and Complaints Mechanisms. It will include in-person discussions with a senior manager who has for many years led the World Bank’s Mining Practice and possibly with a NGO representative (TBC).

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Understanding and Influencing the Legislative Process

Course-ID: GRAD-PDC1090

Abstract

This course provides participants an in-depth and practical understanding of national legislative bodies. Through a comparative approach that utilizes both the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag as case studies, this workshop is a holistic and interactive offering for prospective practitioners interested in influencing the policymaking process. The curriculum incorporates complementary lectures, simulations, and discussions with a focus on drafting legislation and amendments, committee hearing and voting procedures, legislative negotiations, lobbying, parliamentary coalition agreements, and the impact of elections and campaign contributions. Participants will also garner a stronger aptitude for analyzing contemporary political trends and their effects on democratic institutions. After participating in this workshop, students will be able to: • Draft legislation and amendments and utilize key legislative procedures;

• Negotiate legislation and coalition agreements with ideologically diverse actors;

• Understand the intersections between politics and policy and the role public and private institutions play in influencing the policymaking process;

• Develop strategies to shape legislation to ensure one’s preferred policy outcome.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

World Order Models in Theory and Practice

Course-ID: GRAD-E1443

Abstract

If there is one thing world leaders today can still agree on, it is the shared assumption that the world has entered a decisive decade, in which the future international order will be shaped. Joe Biden often refers to “a significant inflection point in world history.” Olaf Scholz has spoken of a “Zeitenwende”, a watershed. Vladimir Putin sees the world at a crossroads, entering the “most dangerous decade” since the end of World War II. According to Narendra Modi, “the world order is taking a new shape.”

Building on various theoretical approaches to understand “order” on the global level, this course discusses the contemporary crisis of the international order, its causes and its consequences: What are the main principles of the contemporary international order? Which intellectual traditions inform the debate about world order today? Why is there a crisis of what has been called the liberal international order? Who is contesting which elements of the order? Can it be reformed – and if so how? What are the fundamental alternative visions discussed today? Which of the visions of a new world order will shape the future? What could a peaceful and sustainable global order look like?

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