| Number of credits | 15 |
| Course offered (semester) | Spring |
| Schedule | Schedule |
| Reading list | Reading list |
Language of Instruction
English
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to;
- Understand, and demonstrate knowledge about public administration in the Scandinavian countries,
- Critically discuss and analyze differences and similarities between countries and administrative levels, changes and reforms over time both regarding the internal as well as the external organization of the public administration
- Provide an insight to various institutional, organizational, historical and external processes that affect the development, maintenance and change of public administration.
Contact Information
studieveileder@aorg.uib.no
Course offered (semester)
Spring
Exam offered (semester)
Spring
Language of Instruction
English
Course Unit Level
Master
Department
Department of Administration and Organization Theory
Access to the Course Unit
The course is open for students who have been accepted to the Master´s program at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory. Erasmus students can attend the course, if they fulfill the recommended requirements.
Aim and Content
The aim of this course is to provide the students with an understanding of the structures and processes of public administration in the Scandinavian countries. Both the external and internal organization of the public administration will be addressed by focusing on public administration as core element in democratic governance in Scandinavia. The course will have a focus on central government but will also apply a multi-level governance approach to public administration focusing on the relationships between different levels of administration ¿ local, regional, national and supranational. The mixture of markets, hierarchy and networks as organizational forms will be discussed and the Scandinavian tradition of corporatist arrangements and citizens¿ participation will be focused on. Administrative reform policy and institutional change will be addressed by focusing on bureaucratic systems, neo-Weberaian models, and New Public Management as well as post-NPM reforms.
Theoretically the course will apply an organization theory based institutional approach and discuss the importance of deliberate choice, structural constraints, historical traditions and culture as well as external pressure to understand how public administration in Scandinavia develop, change and work in practice.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to;
- Understand, and demonstrate knowledge about public administration in the Scandinavian countries,
- Critically discuss and analyze differences and similarities between countries and administrative levels, changes and reforms over time both regarding the internal as well as the external organization of the public administration
- Provide an insight to various institutional, organizational, historical and external processes that affect the development, maintenance and change of public administration.
Recommended previous knowledge
An undergraduate degree including courses in political science, public administration, and/or organization theory equaling a minimum of 1.5 years of full-time studies.
Teaching Methods
10-15 lectures including 3-4 workshops
Compulsory Requirements
The students will also be required to present a draft of their paper in a workshop and to comment on another student¿s paper. The workshops are mandatory.
Assessment methods
Paper approximate 4500-5500 words ( approximate 15 pages)
Grading Scale
A-F
Course Unit Evaluation
The course is evaluated every third year.
Contact Information
studieveileder@aorg.uib.no