Obiettivi formativi
The course aims at providing the students with a wide knowledge of major public policies pursued at the EU and national levels. For the different policies, the course will analyse the key institutional structures and policies pursued, as well as changes in these, comparing across polities and over time. The course will also analyse how different national systems adapt to supranational and international developments.
Prerequisiti
BA in political science or related field
Risultati di apprendimento attesi
Knowledge and understanding:
The course will offer key theoretical tools to compare public policies. This course provides advanced knowledge and analytical resources that will enable students to understand the processes, content and consequences of different policies across countries, their similarities and differences in the
context of European and international developments.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
The students will be able to:
• apply institutionalist models to cross-national comparative case studies of policy making such as economic policy, alteration of governance structures and Europeanisation;
• examine major public policies through comparing across countries in Europe as well as the EU level
• look at how institutions shape, constrain and enable policy making, including policy change and inertia
Making judgements:
We expect students to be able to analyze public policy and governance models to demonstrate an indepth, critical understanding of the scope and challenges of public policies.
They are expected to be able to discuss and evaluate key policy initiatives and development in the EU and its member states.
Throughout the whole course, students will be invited to critically analyse when, how and why certain policies are pursued.
Communications Skills:
This course will give the students the possibility to acquire and understand major terms and concepts in order to communicate their ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning in the field of public policy in the most effective and appropriate way.
Learning skills:
This course will contribute to empower learners giving them the tools to determine why certain public policies are followed and others are not and to evaluate explanatory the models in an independent way.
Contenuti Del Corso
The course focuses on the reality of several public policies in several European countries, offering information about the current discussion in the literature on public policy analysis at different levels of government (European, national, regional and local) and its mutual relationships and interactions. It looks at their types, dynamics, external and internal determinants, change and reform, outcomes and its changing contents in issues like economic, social or environmental policies across several countries. Major issues will include ‘rationality’ in public policy making, why policies are changed or persist and the interactions between the EU and national levels of policy making.
Testi Di Riferimento
Dodds, A (2nd ed 2018), Comparative Public Policy (Macmillan)
Schmidt, VA and Thatcher, M (eds) (2013), Resilient Liberalism in Europe’s Political Economy
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Most readings are available via LUISS on-line subscriptions. Other articles and papers in the
syllabus will be uploaded on the course’s web page.
Metodologie Didattiche
Lectures and presentations on relevant empirical issues. Students’ participation during lectures is strongly encouraged and will be considered in the final assessment.
The exact timing of student presentations and debates may be varied according to the size and needs of the group
Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
30%- mid-term written exam;
20% presentations and following discussion
20% in debate and participation in class discussions
30%- final exam- an unseen exam, at the end of the course covering
the whole course programme and if appropriate, oral discussion.
Students not attending the course will have to answer 3 exam questions.
Debate and presentation groups and topics will be assigned. The presentation will be made at the following class or the one after as set out in the syllabus above (e.g. the presentation in week 7 refers to the topic examined in class in week 6, while that for week 6 refers to the class topic of week 4 CHECK THE PRESENTATION TOPIC LIST ABOVE AND ASK THE TA IF ANY DOUBTS.
Criteri per l’assegnazione dell’elaborato finale
28 or higher in this course and others; suitable topic and clear research question
Settimana 1
Introduction to the course and key concepts Different approaches to comparative public policy
Key readings
Hall P. A. and Taylor, R. C. R. (1996) ‘Political Science and the Three New Institutionalisms’. Political Studies 44(4): 936-57.
Dodds, A (2nd ed 2018), Comparative Public Policy (Macmillan), chs 4-6 for overview of institutions, interests and ideas as explanations
VA Schmidt (2008), ‘Discursive Institutionalism: The Explanatory Power of Ideas and Discourse’, Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 11, pp. 303-326
Further reading
Kamkhaji, J and Radaelli, C (2022), ‘Don’t think it’s a good idea! Four building sites of the ‘ideas school’’, West European Politics 45(4): 841-62
Di Maggio, WW and PJ Powell (1991), 'Introduction' and ‘The Iron Cage Revisited’ in Powell, WW and Di Maggio (eds) The New Institutionalism in Organizational analysis.
Orfeo Fioretos, Tulia G. Falleti, and Adam Sheingate (2016), ‘Historical Institutionalism in Political Science’, in The Oxford Handbook of Historical Institutionalism, Edited by Orfeo Fioretos, Tulia G. Falleti, and Adam Sheingate
Iversen, T and Soskice, DW (2019), Democracy and Prosperity: The Reinvention of Capitalism in a Turbulent Century (Princeton University Press)- a big book, so read what you can
Schmidt, VA (2009) ‘Putting Politics Back into the Political Economy by Bringing the State Back in Yet Again’, World Politics 61(3): 516-548.
Smith, Andy (2016) The Politics of Economic Activity – OUP, esp chs 1, 2 and 5
Hall, PA (1986), Governing the Economy (Oxford: Polity), chs 1,9 and 10
Settimana 2
Class discussion: Can the spread of neo-liberalism be explained just by the personal interests of politicians and large firms? 1 group for and 1 against
Topic of lectures and debates: What is neo-liberalism and how does it differ from social democracy
Key readings:
Schmidt, VA and Thatcher, M (eds) (2013), Resilient Liberalism in Europe’s Political Economy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)- chs 1 and 14
Jessop, B (2014): A specter is haunting Europe: a neoliberal phantasmagoria, Critical Policy Studies, DOI: 10.1080/19460171.2014.944368
Dodds, A (2nd ed 2018), Comparative Public Policy (Macmillan), ch 8
Further reading
For national debates, Moreira Ramalho, Tiago, Tom Massart and Amandine Crespy. 2024. “ Resilient Austerity? National Economic Discourses Before the Pandemic in the European Union.” Politics & Policy 00 (0): 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12618.
Crouch, C (2011), The Strange Non-Death of Neo-liberalism (Cambridge: Polity) ch 1
For brief discussions of key concepts, Matthew Eagleton-Pierce Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts, Routledge 2016
Settimana 3
Topic of lectures and debate: State ownership, privatization and the spread of liberal institutions
Class discussion: Has the spread of privatization in Europe been driven mainly by ideas? (1 group for, and 2nd against)
Key reading
Feigenbaum, H and Henig, J (1994), 'The Political Underpinnings of Privatisation. A Typology', World Politics 46(2), p.185-208.
[NB use mainly for the typology- the empirical material is now dated]
Clifton, Judith; Comín, Francisco; Díaz Fuentes, Daniel (2006), Privatizing public enterprises in the European Union 1960-2002: ideological, pragmatic, inevitable? Journal of European Public Policy, 13(5): 736-756
Cumbers, A., Traill, H. (2021). Public Ownership in the Pursuit of Economic Democracy in a Post-Neoliberal Order. In: Arestis, P., Sawyer, M. (eds) Economic Policies for a Post-Neoliberal World. International Papers in Political Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56735-4_6
Further reading
On SOEs- Andrea Colli (2023) ‘State Capitalism in Western Europe’ in Wright, Mike et al (eds), The Oxford Handbook of State Capitalism and the Firm, Oxford Handbooks (2022; online edn, Oxford Academic, 19 Dec. 2022), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198837367.001.0001
Noemí Peña-Miguel and Beatriz Cuadrado-Ballesteros (2020), Political Determinants of
Privatisation Reforms: A Comparative Analysis in Europe’ Political Studies Review
2020, Vol. 18(2) 204–227, DOI: 10.1177/1478929919868071
Obinger, H, Schmitt, C and Zohlnhöfer, R (2014), ‘Partisan politics and privatization in OECD countries’, Comparative Political Studies, 47(9): 1294—1323
Simmons, B and Elkins, Z. (2004). ‘The Globalization of Liberalization: Policy Diffusion in the International Political Economy’, American Political Science Review, 98/1: 171–89.
Thatcher, M (2007), Internationalisation and Economic Institutions (Oxford: OUP), Introduction and chs 1 and 13
Fabio Bulfone (2024): Selling the jewels: patient capital, state-
business relations, and the privatization of strategic utilities in Italy and Spain, Review of
International Political Economy, DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2023.2284323
Settimana 4
Topic of lectures and discussion: Delegation to non-majoritarian institutions and Independent Regulatory Agencies (IRAs)
DEBATE
The spread of IRAS in Europe has occurred due to mimetic, normative and coercive isomorphism
Student presentation: comparing the privatization of two major industries or firms in the same industry in two countries
Key reading
Thatcher, M and Stone Sweet, A (2002), -‘Theory and Practice of Delegation to Non-Majoritarian Institutions, West European Politics 25(1)
Key reading
Thatcher, M -‘Delegation to Independent Regulatory Agencies: Pressures, Functions and Contextual Mediation’, West European Politics 25(1), pp.125-47.
Rangoni, B., & Thatcher, M. (2023). National de-delegation in multi-level settings: Independent regulatory agencies in Europe. Governance, 36(1): 81-103, published online https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12722
Martino Maggetti, Fabrizio Di Mascio and Alessandro Natalini(2022), ‘Introduction to the Handbook of Regulatory
Authorities’, https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/1887439/1/Introduction%20Handbook%20Regulatory%20Authorities.pdf
Further reading
Mattia Guidi (2016), ‘Do parties matter in delegation? Partisan preferences and the creation of regulatory agencies in Europe’, Regulation and Governance 10, Issue 3: 211–229
Gilardi, F. (2005) ‘The Institutional Foundations of Regulatory Capitalism: The Diffusion of Independent Regulatory Agencies in Western Europe’. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 598: 84-101
Settimana 5
Topic of lectures and debate: The regulatory state
Class discussion: why did the regulatory state model develop in Europe? – 1 group for the interests of key actors and 1 against
Student presentation: comparing the creation of one major Independent regulatory authority in two countries
Key reading
Majone, G (1997), ‘From the Positive to the Regulatory State: Causes and Consequences of Changes in the Mode of Governance’, Journal of Public Policy, 17(2), 139-68
Cyril Benoît (2019), ‘The new political economy of regulation’, French Politics17:482–499 [overview of approaches to economic regulation]
Guidi, M., Guardiancich, I. and Levi‐Faur, D., 2020. Modes of regulatory governance: A political economy perspective. Governance, 33(1), pp.5-19.
Caporaso, J.A., Kim, M.H., Durrett, W.N. and Wesley, R.B., 2015. Still a regulatory state? The European Union and the financial crisis. Journal of European Public Policy, 22(7), pp.889-907
Further reading
Levi-Faur, D. 2005. The Global Diffusion of Regulatory Capitalism. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 598: 12–32.
Tomic, Slobodan and Heims, Eva Maria (2022) Regulatory
Reform and the Regulatory State in the Post-COVID 19 World. Fulbright Review of
Economics and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1108/FREP-10-2021-0062
Baldwin, R, Cave, M, and Lodge, M (2012), Understanding Regulation, ch 4
Stigler, G.J. (1971) ‘The Theory of Economic Regulation’, Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science 2(1): 3-21.
Peltzman, S (1976), ‘Towards a more general theory of regulation’, Journal of Law and Economics 19: 211-40
Settimana 6
Student presentation: compare two key elements of Majone’s regulatory state model with outcomes in 2 polities (the EU can be one)- can use the Governance 2020 special issue if useful for cases
Topic of class and discussion: Independent central banks- creation and independence
Debate: the creation and independence of independent central banks is driven by ideas
Key reading
Literature overview - Fernández-Albertos, J (2015), ‘The Politics of Central Bank Independence’, Annual Review of Political Science, 18: 217-37
McNamera, K (2002) ‘Rational fictions: Central bank independence and the social logic of delegation’ West European Politics 25(1) (e-journal) or: for longer treatment McNamera, K (1998) The Currency of Ideas: Monetary Policy in the EU. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Further reading
Mabbett, Deborah and Schelkle, Waltraud (2019) Independent or lonely? Central banking in crisis. Review of International Political Economy, 26 (3). pp. 436-460
Tesche, T. (2023). Trustee strategies, politicization and de-delegation: The case of the European Central Bank. Governance, 36(1), 125–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.1275
Marcussen, M (2005), ‘Central banks on the move’, Journal of European Public Policy 12(5): 903-23
Moschella, M., 2024. Unexpected revolutionaries: how central banks made and unmade economic orthodoxy. Cornell University Press. Esp Introduction, chs 1 and 5
Jones, E. (2013), ‘The collapse of the Brussels-Frankfurt Consensus’ in Schmidt and Thatcher, Resilient Liberalism.
Settimana 7
Student presentation: Comparing the creation of two ICBs in different polities
Topic of lectures and discussion: Varieties of capitalism
Debate: can European countries maintain different varieties of capitalism in the face of globalisation?
Key reading
Hall, PA and Soskice, DW eds. (2001) Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ch 1 by Hall/Soskice.
O’Sullivan, M (2005), ‘Typologies, ideologies and realities of capitalism’, Socio-Economic Review 3: 547-558
Richard Deeg and Gregory Jackson (2007), ‘Towards a more dynamic theory of capitalist variety’, Socio economic Review 5: 181-196
Geoffrey T Wood and Matthew MC Allen (2020) ‘Comparing Capitalisms:
Debates, Controversies and Future Directions’, Sociology
54(3) 482–500 [overview of the development of debates]
Further reading
Hall, PA (2018), ‘Varieties of capitalism in light of the euro crisis’, Journal of European Public Policy 25:7-30
Hancké, R, Rhodes, M and Thatcher, M (2007), Beyond Varieties of Capitalism (OUP 2007), esp Introduction
Howell, C (2003), ‘Varieties of Capitalism. And then There was One?’ Comparative Politics October: 103-24
Gregory Jackson & Richard Deeg (2012) ‘The long-term trajectories
of institutional change in European capitalism’, Journal of European Public Policy, 19:8,
1109-1125 (and for specific countries, other articles in the special issue)
Settimana 8
Review class
Mid-term exam
Settimana 9
Student presentation Student presentation looking at the extent to which ONE polity fits the VoC typology
Topic of lectures and discussion: Industrial Policy
Debate: Have European states lost the ability to undertake industrial policies?
Key reading
- Thatcher, M (2014), ‘From old to new industrial policy via economic regulation’, Revista della Regolazione dei Mercati 2 (2014): 6-22. (NB see comment/debate article- Tullio Fanelli ‘Politica industriale e regolazione in margine al saggio di M. Thatcher, From old to new industrial policy via economic regulation’, Revista della Regolazione dei Mercati (2015: 2): 269-287
Bulfone, F (2019), ‘The State Strikes Back: Industrial policy, regulatory power and the divergent performance of Telefonica and Telecom Italia’, Journal of European Public Policy 26:5, 752-771
Bulfone, F (2023), ‘Industrial policy and comparative
political economy: A literature
review and research agenda’,
Competition & Change 27(1) 22–43 [literature review]
Further reading
Ben Clift & Cornelia Woll (2012) ‘Economic patriotism: reinventing control over open markets’, Journal of European Public Policy, 19:3, 307-323
Jonah Levy (2017), ‘The return of the state? France’s response to the financial and economic crisis’, Comparative European Politics, 15, Issue 4, pp 604–627
Settimana 10
Student presentations: compare public policies towards promoting former national champion in the same sector in 2 major European countries, followed by discussion and debate
Network industries and internationalization
Debate: liberalization and privatisation have not stopped governments supporting former monopolists in network industries
Key reading
Clifton, Judith - Diaz-Fuentes, Daniel - Revuelta, Julio (2010), ‘The political economy of telecoms and electricity internationalization in the single market’ Journal of European Public Policy 17(7): 988
Andrea Colli, Sergio Mariotti & Lucia Piscitello (2014) Governments as strategists in designing global players: the case of European utilities, Journal of European Public Policy, 21:4, 487-508
Mariotti S and R Marzano (2019), ‘Varieties of capitalism and the internationalization of state-owned enterprises’, Journal of International Business Studies 50: 669–691
Further reading
Bulfone, F. (2020), ‘New forms of industrial policy in the age of regulation: A comparison of electricity and telecommunications in Italy and Spain.’ Governance 33(1): 93-108 OR Bulfone, F., 2023. Selling the jewels: patient capital, state-business relations, and the privatization of strategic utilities in Italy and Spain. Review of International Political Economy, pp.1-24.
Marco Di Giulio & Francesco Niccolò Moro (2016) The Internationalization of Network Industries: A Comparative Policy Analysis of Italian Railways and Utilities, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 18:1, 21-37
Settimana 11
Student presentation: compare policies towards aiding two major former monopolists to internationalize in the same network sector in two different countries, followed by discussion and debate
Debate: the main factor in the growth of CH protection is nationalism
Topic of lectures and discussion Cultural Heritage policies in Europe
Key reading
Thatcher, M (2018), - State production of cultural nationalism: political leaders and preservation policies for historic buildings in France and Italy’, Nations and Nationalism 24 (1), 2018, 64–87.
Swenson, A 2018, Historic Preservation, the State and Nationalism in Britain, Nations and Nationalism 24(1)
Mark Thatcher & Monica Garcia Quesada (2023): Differentiated
implementation and European integration: the development of EU food quality labelling, West
European Politics, DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2023.2202586
Further reading
J Pendlebury (2015), ‘Heritage and policy’,- The Palgrave handbook of contemporary heritage ., 2015 – Springer, available at http://orcp.hustoj.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ebook-2015-The-Palgrave-Handbook-of-Contemporary-Heritage-Research.pdf#page=450
Marco Causi, Culture and economy after COVID-19: selected topics for public discussion, in "Economia della Cultura, Rivista trimestrale dell'Associazione per l'Economia della Cultura" 1/2021, pp. 77-86, doi: 10.1446/101670
Swenson, A. 2013. The Rise of Heritage. Preserving the Past in France, Germany and England, 1789–1914. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Settimana 12
Student presentations: Compare the development of one major piece of legislation to protect historic buildings after 1945 in two European countries (for the whole group)
Lecture- reconsideration of neo-liberalism
Debate
Do neo-liberal ideas remain dominant in policy making in Europe today?
Key reading
Schmidt, VA and Thatcher, M (eds) (2013), Resilient Liberalism in Europe’s Political Economy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)- ch 14
Vivien Schmidt (2022), ‘The power of ideas in capitalist transformations: Is the resilience of neo-liberalism finally coming to an end?’, Stato e Mercato 40(1): 3-29
Further reading
Ramona Coman & Clara Volintiru (2021): Anti-liberal ideas and
institutional change in Central and Eastern Europe, European Politics and Society, DOI:
10.1080/23745118.2021.1956236
Carnevali, E. and Pedersen Ystehede, A., 2023. Is socialism back? A review of contemporary economic literature. Journal of Economic Surveys, 37(2), pp.239-270