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Find individual courses here or browse the curricula of our graduate and executive programmes.
For the PhD programmes, please find more information here.

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

Data science and decision making

Year 2 | Elective course (E1354 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Advanced Tools Elective
Instructors: Dr. William Lowe

Abstract

This course is about decision making in theory and practice. Our theoretical framework will be classical decision theory, informed by the literature on human and machine cognitive performance and bias. Our discussion of practice will also be informed by invited speakers who are chosen to be people whose jobs require them to make decisions in a technical context, e.g., to run election campaigns, evaluate government programs, or drive sales.

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Democracy promotion and demotion

Year 2 | Elective course (E1107 , 6 credits )
Module: 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective
Instructors: Prof. Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, PhD

Abstract

'Autocratization Turns Viral', an influential report proclaimed in 2021. This marked the end of a widespread illusion that arose after 1989, that the fourth wave of democratisation would continue until it was embraced by the entire world. Not only have China and North Korea managed to survive but Turkey and Russia, which had once seemed poised to consolidate their democracies, slipped back to autocratic regimes. The Arab Spring revolutions also produced more civil wars than successful transitions. However, in many countries around the world, neither economic recession nor the pandemics thereafter managed to destroy democracy, even if many of its aspects – political communication and representation – are undergoing the most important changes in generations.

This class covers literature on the birth and the demise of democratic regimes – in other words, on the continuous transformation of political regimes – and asks what factors lead to the appearance and disappearance of democracies. Furthermore, we ask to what extent such transformations are determined by domestic versus international factors and to what extent human agency (in the form of democracy promotion, international aid or trade) can influence the political transformation of a regime. Students will learn how to diagnose, measure and explain democracy and the quality of democracy. What theories of change exist that explain the birth and the breakdown of democratic regimes? What can we learn from previous democratisations and breakdowns of democratic regimes? How well have the US and the EU democracy-promotion machines functioned for the past decade and how should they adjust to the new context? Both group and individual work will be assigned, covering all continents and a variety of cases, offering ample choice both for those who are interested in quantitative analysis as well as for those who are passionate about history and qualitative methods.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Democracy protection and democracy promotion

Year 2 | Elective course (GRAD-E1391 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective
Instructors: Sebastian Hellmeier

Abstract

Liberal democracy is facing considerable challenges these days. Authoritarian regimes extend their spheres influence, and several democracies experience backsliding. According to some scholars, we are currently witnessing a global wave of autocratisation. This course focuses on the role of international factors that contribute to democracy promotion or upholding dictatorship. We will critically investigate international efforts to promote democracy and ask, among other things, the following questions: How to deal with authoritarian regimes at the international stage? Which policies help spread democratic norms, and what are their (unintended) consequences? The course investigates how democracy can be promoted abroad, taking into account politics at the international level and the inner structures of authoritarian regimes. We will also analyse the recent shift from democracy promotion to democracy protection in the practitioners' community in response to current autocratisation tendencies that have affected established democracies like Poland and Hungary. The course draws on cutting-edge studies from International Relations and Comparative Politics with an emphasis on quantitative methods. During the course, we will explore existing data sets on democracy and international politics using R.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Development economics: Theories, policies, practices

Year 2 | Elective course (E1356 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 3. Economics II | 2. Economics II/Statistics II

Abstract

Development economics is truly a meta-field of economics, covering issues and methods relevant to low- and middle-income countries' economic features and challenges. These span analysis and policy across macro and micro domains and include growth, fiscal and monetary issues, inequality and poverty, trade, innovation, human development, and sustainability. The course offers an advanced exposure to development-economic models and issues, with a special attention to those that are an essential part of the development-practitioner's toolbox and underpin policy interventions. Development is also a practice, with its record of successes and failures; the course will blend in the actual experience of practitioners, introduce the literature on assessing aid, discuss some spectacular cases of success and failure, and ask students to hone diagnostic and policy-advisory skills on their chosen country cases.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Development, political transition and stability

Year 2 | Elective course (E1276 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Daniela Stockmann, PhD

Abstract

International aid often operates in authoritarian contexts, as the vast majority of developing countries are non-democratic or in political transition. While some countries are in the mould of predation and rule by repression, others have developed sophisticated mechanisms of market economics and maintaining social order without overt violence or repression. We will examine the variations of authoritarian rule, their origins and the underpinnings of their persistence: Coercion, (re)distribution of economic benefits, legitimation, quasi-democratic institutions and the role of digital technology. We will also challenge the notion that authoritarianism and democracy are incompatible and explore political dynamics during periods of political transition.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Economics and policy of healthcare

Year 2 | Elective course (E1331 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 3. Economics II | 2. Economics II/Statistics II
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Mujaheed Shaikh

Abstract

Healthcare is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world. It is also one of the most complicated sectors to manage given the uncertainty of healthcare demand, the fiduciary nature of the doctor-patient relationship, and frequent government intervention. This course presents key theoretical concepts in economics as they apply to healthcare markets, and complements them with empirical findings from the health economics literature. In doing so, the course focuses on demand uncertainty, determinants of healthcare demand, and demand for health insurance. It also pays close attention to the supply side and focuses on medical school capacity, service provision (hospitals and physicians), and the pharmaceutical industry. A significant portion of the course will be dedicated to market failures in healthcare by adopting both a public and a private industry lens.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Educational policy in global perspective

Year 2 | Elective course (E1355 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Lukas Graf

Abstract

Education and training are key elements of societal and economic development. Questions of educational reform and the provision of high-quality training play an increasingly salient role for policy makers worldwide. This course critically reflects on how educational systems are structured and governed, how they are embedded in diverse political contexts and, crucially, how they are changing due to megatrends such as digitalisation, online learning, globalisation and Europeanisation. We will also consider the key role of international nongovernmental organisations (e.g. the OECD and the World Bank) in shaping educational policymaking. The course enables students to analyse how educational policymaking and the governance of education and employment systems is changing in different world regions. This includes in-depth analyses of the relationship between education and social policy and social inequalities, but also the impact of ongoing privatisation processes. Furthermore, we will study the conditions for educational governance in the Global South as well as challenges and opportunities related to cross-national policy transfer. Students will be acquainted with key strategies for policy analysis in the field of education. The course will allow students to transfer relevant concepts and methods to other, related policy fields such as labour markets and innovation systems. Students will acquire a thorough understanding of the fundamental elements of educational policymaking at the local, national and global levels.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Emissions pricing

Year 2 | Elective course (E1287 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Finance & Trade Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Lion Hirth, Prof. Dr. Christian Flachsland

Abstract

Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and others) being emitted into the atmosphere. The fact that such emissions are not priced is “the greatest market failure that the world has seen”, as Lord Nicholas Stern put it. In addition, emissions of local pollutants (SOX, NOx, particular matter) rank high on the list of most pressing policy problems in many parts of the world, in particular in many of the megacities in fast-growing developing and emerging economies. Economists have long advocated for putting a price tag on emissions as an efficient means to address emissions. However, putting emissions pricing into practice has turned out to be difficult. The purpose of this class is to understand why and how robust emission pricing policies ought to be designed.

This class provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and, more importantly, the political practice of pricing emissions. This is an advanced course that provides a deep-dive in a narrow but technical and complex topic. The objective of this class is to equip students with the analytical and empirical understanding needed to implement, assess and advance carbon pricing schemes in governments, companies and civil society.

First of all, students will be introduced to the environmental economic theory of externalities, such as climate change. We will discuss the two principal types of pricing externalities, taxation and cap-and-trade. Then, we will turn to specific topics of real-world emissions pricing: The intertemporal nature of trading schemes that requires governments to earn investors’ trust, the political economy of initial allowance allocation and revenue recycling, international and inter-sectoral carbon leakage, and the (im)possibility of implementing sensible national emission policies for countries that are part of international trading schemes. During the last third of the course, we will study concrete emission pricing policies, most importantly the EU Emission Trading Scheme.

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

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

Energy economics

Year 2 | Elective course (GRAD-E1378 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 3. Economics II | 2. Economics II/Statistics II | 7. Portfolio Elective | 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Lion Hirth

Abstract

Energy Economics is an introduction to the technology and economics of energy systems, power markets, and electricity networks. The economics of wind and solar energy, the cornerstones of low-carbon energy systems, lie at the heart of this course.

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Enforcing environmental policy: A global comparative perspective

Year 2 | Elective course (E1352 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Kai Wegrich

Abstract

Implementation is the crucial stage of policymaking and in environmental policy in particular, the gap between policies, laws and regulations on the one hand and the reality on the ground is wide. Implementation gaps and enforcement deficits are a global phenomenon and this course explores the causes, consequences and potential for improving implementation from a global comparative perspective. The course first introduces the political, societal and administrative causes of implementation failure - and success. Secondly, on the basis of existing scholarship on the politics of enforcing environmental, labour and consumer protection policy, in Latin America and Asia in particular, students will carry out their own (small) case studies on (environmental) policy enforcement. Key elements of comparative case study research design will be introduced and applied by you in empirical mini-projects. Guest speakers will provide insights into select aspects of global environmental policy.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Erosion and resilience of democracy

Year 2 | Elective course (E1364 , 6 credits )
Module: 6. Portfolio Elective

Abstract

Illiberalism and authoritarianism have become major threats to democracy across the globe. The titles of the 2019 editions of the reports of the major democracy research institutes are therefore rather gloomy, from 'Democracy facing global challenges' and 'Democracy in retreat' to 'Polarisation and repression increase'. In 2019, a third of the world’s citizens lived in countries where the quality of liberal-democratic institutions had declined over the previous 10 years. The decline even strongly affected well-established democracies such as the United States. Semi-democratic right-wing populist parties had also been on the rise in many countries by 2019.

The main contemporary challenge to democracy is not sudden regime breakdown in the form of military coups or regime collapses as they occurred in 1989, but it is a gradual demise after illiberal or authoritarian-leaning political leaders come to power in elections. These trends towards illiberalisation and autocratisation are eroding our democracies from within.

Nevertheless, these trends are not unstoppable. In many European countries, in Canada and New Zealand, democratic institutions continue to be strong. Democratic political parties still win elections. Nevertheless, we have empirical evidence that citizens’ belief in the legitimacy of these institutions is continuing to decline. Therefore, we need to draw our attention to questions which help us to recognise the institutions and practices which strengthen or weaken the democratic quality of political regimes in our times. In the course we want to work on both concepts – 'democratic erosion' and 'democratic resilience' – and apply them to empirical cases and countries. 

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

Espionage and diplomacy

Year 2 | Elective course (E1253 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective | 5. International Security Concentration Elective
Instructors: Dr. Gil Murciano

Abstract

Intelligence and espionage affairs are often treated as intriguing yet anecdotal parts of diplomatic history. Nevertheless, a closer look at key junctures of international relations in the last two centuries exposes the central role strategic intelligence plays in international politics. The fate of nations has often been decided on the basis of their ability to gather, understand and act upon information about the international system that surrounds them. In addition, the world of strategic intelligence provides a distinctive setting for international interaction. From the joint efforts to decipher the enigma codes during the Second World War, through the espionage competitions of the Cold War, to the current contexts of the “war on terror” and cyber-espionage, intelligence affairs have been both a key arena for international conflict as well as a platform for international co-operation. In the last two decades, the political importance of discussing intelligence’s role in foreign policy is underscored by the moral and practical dilemmas the practice of global espionage presents to political leaders in democratic societies. Dilemmas about the methods and scope of intelligence gathering often reflect on the delicate balance between civil liberties and national security, as well as demonstrate the strategic interface between technological capabilities and global power.


The course examines the role of strategic intelligence as distinct component in the process of foreign policy making by focusing on two distinct dimensions. First, it focuses on intelligence as a source of information shaping the national leadership’s policy choices. We will explore the manner in which intelligence information and assessments influence the strategic decision-making process of leaders and nations. From Pearl-Harbor, through the Berlin 1961 Crisis and to the 9/11 attacks, we will analyze the interface between the intelligence analyst and the political leader and its effect on strategic choices nations make in times of conflict and peace. Second, the course investigates the political usage of intelligence as an instrument of influence in international relations. We will investigate how nations utilize covert information and intelligence capacities as active means to promote their foreign policy goals. We will examine the practices of disinformation and deception operations and allocate specific emphasis to the key developments in the field of Cyber Warfare.

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

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