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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

Introduction to data science

Year 2 | Elective course (E1339 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Simon Munzert

Abstract

This course will introduce you to the modern data science workflow with R. In recent years, data analysis skills have become essential for those pursuing careers in policy advocacy and evaluation, business consulting and management, or academic research in the fields of education, health, and social science. We will cover topics like version control (Git) and project management; data collection, wrangling, storage, and visualization; model fitting and simulation; advanced workflow issues, debugging, automation; and data science ethics. The course is intended for students with some experience in working with R.

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

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Machine Learning

Year 2 | Elective course (E1291 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Slava Jankin, PhD, Dr. Hannah Béchara

Abstract

Machine learning is a core technology of artificial intelligence and data science that enables computers to act without being explicitly programmed. Recent advances in machine learning have given us, inter alia, self-driving cars, AlphaGo, Amazon and Netflix. This technology has also allowed us to predict armed conflict and post-electoral violence, detect fake news, develop targeted provision of care and public services and implement early policy interventions.

This course provides a hands-on introduction to machine learning. By the end of this course students will have a sound understanding of the key concepts of machine learning, the ability to analyse data using some of its main methods and a solid foundation for more advanced or more specialised study. The course covers topics in supervised and unsupervised learning, including the most common learning algorithms like regression, classification, random forests, clustering, and dimensionality reduction. Students will learn the fundamental concepts underlying machine learning algorithms, but we will equally focus on the practical use of machine learning algorithms using open source frameworks.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Making sense of messy data: Analysing government responses to Covid-19

Year 2 | Elective course (GRAD-E1388 , 6 credits )
Module: 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective
Instructors: Svanhildur Thorvaldsdottir

Abstract

In this course, students will work directly with the CoronaNet Research Project, one of the world’s largest Covid-19 policy trackers. You will learn how these type of data are collected and prepared for analysis and how they can be used to answer questions such as: How effective are these policies? How and why do they vary? What can we learn for the future from the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic?

You will gain hands-on experience with data collection and coding, as well as learn strategies for analysing incomplete and often messy data to answer relevant and timely policy questions. In the process, you will also gain insights into the management and coordination of such a large-scale data collection project.

This seminar will be very hands-on and requires students to spend significant amounts of time working with raw and incomplete data. In addition, the class will also examine existing literature on Covid-19 policies with an eye to how analyses might be enhanced with new or different kinds of data. The literature and policies investigated will depend, in part, on student interest and the final output will be in the form of a written paper or policy memo with accompanying data analysis.

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

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Natural language processing with deep learning

Year 2 | Elective course (E1347 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Slava Jankin, PhD, Dr. Hannah Béchara

Abstract

Natural language processing (NLP) is a key technology of the information age. Automatically processing natural language outputs is a key component of artificial intelligence. Applications of NLP are everywhere because people and institutions largely communicate in language. Recently, statistical techniques based on neural networks have achieved a number of remarkable successes in natural language processing leading to a great deal of commercial and academic interest in the field. This course provides an overview of modern data-driven models towards richer structural representations of how words interact to create meaning. We will discuss salient linguistic phenomena and successful computational models. We will also cover machine learning techniques relevant to natural language processing. In this course, students will gain a thorough introduction to cutting-edge research in deep learning for NLP. Through lectures, assignments and a final project, students will learn the necessary skills to design, implement and understand their own neural network models.

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Social media, democracy and stability

Year 2 | Elective course (E1249 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Security & Sustainability Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Daniela Stockmann, PhD

Abstract

The adoption of market mechanisms and new technologies in media around the world has brought about tremendous change in government, business, research and many other areas of everyday life. Debates about the consequences of making use of market-based and new media usually center around claims about their revolutionising effects, deepening democracy and destabilizing existing power structures; others argue that the market or technology may strengthen control and authoritarianism without offering much capacity for political change. This course examines the consequences of changes in the media landscape within different political systems. We will attempt go beyond highlighting the utopian and dystopian effects and instead identify which arguments have yielded the strongest evidence.

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

Nonprofit organisations: Management and policy

Year 2 | Elective course (E1316 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 6. Governance & Management Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Helmut K. Anheier, PhD

Abstract

The increased importance of non-profit organisations – as service providers, vehicles of developmental or humanitarian assistance, policy advocates and social innovators, as well as instruments of government reform and privatisation – has moved this set of institutions closer to the centre of policy agendas. The course will provide an introduction to the conceptual background, examine the various theories that have been proposed, look at aspects of organisational governance and performance, and, for the most part, deal with management models and policy frameworks. The course is interdisciplinary and comparative in the sense that we will examine non-profits from different theoretical as well as national and international perspectives. The course uses a variety of instructional formats, e.g., lectures, seminar-type discussions, in-class presentations, as well as guest lectures.

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

 

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Philosophy and public policy

Year 2 | Elective course (GRAD-E1386 , 6 credits )
Module: 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective
Instructors: Chrysostomos Mantzavinos

Abstract

The objective of the course is to provide the link between contemporary political philosophy and public policy. Participants will examine diverse areas of public policy, both domestic and international, from the point of view of moral and political philosophy. The course will combine a systematic discussion of normative questions with an evaluation of specific policy proposals. Participants will be trained in the use of relevant terminology and will develop their skills in advancing and assessing normative arguments critically reflecting upon the different conceptions of political philosophy and applying them to policy issues in carefully selected case studies.


How should our political community be organised? How can politicians and public officials gain support for the policies they pursue unless they represent them as legitimate? What is the relationship between legality and legitimacy? Are there any normative ideals that can provide ultimate justification for certain policy making procedures? Do we need elaborate ideal conceptions in order to organise our political life or is a comparative approach which focusses on real existing alternatives more suitable and operational to real world politics? How should we weigh fundamental values like liberty, equality and welfare and at what level? When we want to improve the institutions under which we live, should we reform parts of a given whole or entirely redesign them? Are democracy and free markets interdependent or not? How should a public official decide in a fundamentally uncertain environment in which the future will not necessarily look like the past?

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

Policy advice: Organisation and actors

Year 2 | Elective course (GRAD-E1288 , 6 credits )
Module: 6. Portfolio Elective | 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective | 6. Governance & Management Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Thurid Hustedt

Abstract

It is one of the truisms in public administration and policy studies that policymaking relies both on available knowledge and values and that governments across the globe receive policy advice from a wide variety of sources. Yet, while all governments receive advice, advisory channels are often less obvious, knowledge is contested and sometimes ignored. The course introduces students to recent debates and findings in the study of policy advice across a range of jurisdictions.

The course is organised into two parts: Part I will introduce key theoretical and conceptual approaches in the study of policy advice (session 1-6). Part II will explore organisational arrangements and actors in policy advice across a range of jurisdictions (including the international level) (sessions 7-12).

Main learning objectives:
At the end of the course students will have acquired:

  • A solid understanding of the core conceptual and theoretical debates in advisory scholarship
  • A firm knowledge of the advisory landscape (actors and organisations)
  • Analytical skills to analyse advisory roles across a range of various actors.

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

 

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

Economics of media

Year 2 | Elective course (E1367 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Arianna Ornaghi, PhD

Abstract

The media exert an important influence on politics and policy. In this course, we will discuss classic and recent research in economics that explores the role played by traditional and social media. We will begin by looking at how the media influence politicians’ behavior, voters’ choices, and policy outcomes. We will also discuss the determinants on content choice (e.g. slant), including the role played by market structure. Then, we will turn our attention to the emergence of social media and what their features imply for political outcomes, collective action, and news production. The last sessions of the course will be devoted to recent developments in the area such as misinformation. We will approach these issues through the discussion of empirical research papers in economics. As part of the course, students will improve their understanding of state-of-the-art techniques for causal inference and learn to critically evaluate empirical research in economics.

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

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

Power and influence: Leadership in action

Year 2 | Elective course (E1142 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective | 6. Governance & Management Elective
Instructors: Prof. Johanna Mair, PhD

Abstract

In a world in which most organisations, communities, and societies face enormous challenges, leadership is critical. This course gets to the core of leadership and getting things done. 'Power and influence' is a course for those of you who want to make things happen, despite the obstacles that might stand in your way. It is about understanding power dynamics and learning to use them as effective tools for analysing your surroundings and achieving your goals. During the course we intend to unearth your implicit theories and feelings about power and influence. These have a profound impact on how you perceive problems and opportunities and subsequently, how you decide upon particular courses of action.

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

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

Psychology for policy analysis and implementation

Year 2 | Elective course (E1353 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Policy Analysis Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective | 7. Portfolio Elective | 6. Governance & Management Elective
Instructors: Prof. Ruth Ditlmann, PhD

Abstract

The course covers how basic concepts from behavioural research in social psychology and judgment and decision making can shape policy formulation and implementation. Central themes include a detailed analysis of human judgment and decision making, and how a variety of motives and situational forces can affect people’s choices and behaviour. Combined, these topics have important implications for policy design that affects individuals as well as the functioning of the organizations that determine those policies. Lecture material is drawn from basic psychological research and from behaviourally-informed policy analysis. Students work with the instructor and each other to identify the relevance of this material for policy and management through discussion and a final paper.

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

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Master of International Affairs Master of Public Policy

Public sector innovation

Year 2 | Elective course (E1351 , 6 credits )
Module: 5. Management & Organisation Concentration Elective | 6. Portfolio Elective
Instructors: Prof. Dr. Kai Wegrich

Abstract

Innovation is the new buzzword in public sector reform policies across the globe. Its promise is to deliver a way out of the twin problem of increasingly wicked problems that public organisations have to address under ever-tighter resource constraints. “Public sector innovation” tries to use cross-boundary collaboration (across organisations, sectors, professions) and new methods such as design thinking, agile working methods and behavioural insights to conceive, adopt and implement changes in the way public organisations operate and deliver services. Digital technologies play an important role in collaboration and the ‘co-creation’ of innovations. Another proposition of the new trend of public sector innovation is to strengthen ‘experimentation’ in government and nurture a new culture of ‘failure tolerance’ in the public sector as a precondition for the creation of innovations. The course introduces the key concepts, tools and promises of the new public sector innovation agenda and critically reviews its track-record in different policy and country contexts. We will discuss conceptual foundations in the first section of the course, explore key tools (or methods) of public sector innovation in the second part and analyse the track record of public sector innovation in a comparative perspective in the third section of the course. Participants will gain a grounded understanding of the key characteristics and tools of public sector innovation strategies, their underlying assumptions about bureaucracy, politics and organisational change and the challenges in designing, implementing and evaluating innovation.

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

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