Policies – defining aims, objectives and means to reach them – significantly impact the health of populations. This course will focus on EU and international health policy making, priority setting, and the role of partnerships and networks in a multilevel decision-making process. The perspectives of evidence-informed policymaking and Health in All Policies will be followed in this module. The students will learn to assess public policies relevant to health using qualitative and quantitative methods in policy analysis. 

The policy cycle and the policy triangle frameworks inspire the course structure. Each week of the course will focus on a different facet of health policy: 

1.       the concept of policy and the context of policymaking;

2.       policy problems;

3.       actors and stakeholders;

4.       agenda setting and advocacy;

5.       the content of policies;

6.       policy implementation;

7.       policy evaluation.

We will learn that policy problems must be carefully defined and that problem perceptions and problem framing influence decision-making. We will closely examine the role of scientific evidence in policymaking. Finally, we will reflect on the fact that policy analysis is always normative and that the interests and power of actors, institutions, and developments in the broader environment frame policymaking.

Supported by sessions from the four specialised competency lines, the course will develop your ability to work with policy documents, analyse existing policies, and draft policy recommendations. We expect that many of you will go on to work in policy-intensive environments, guiding policy development in or outside government. Beyond providing a primer in policy analysis, the course will also develop your ability to investigate and solve complex problems and write persuasively.

Expert

By the end of the module, the student:

E231. Tests and defends the use of health status measures in policies and written scientific output

E232. Evaluates and advances proposals to reduce inequalities in health status

E431. Evaluates and critiques health-related public policies at Member State and EU levels

E432. Compares and selects methods and theories for the evaluation of public and organizational policy processes and outcomes

E433. Recommends changes to public and organizational policies based on scientific, grey, and other relevant literature

E532. Investigates, analyses and compares policies that give structure to public health and health care systems in Europe

Investigator

By the end of the module, the student: 

I633. Synthesizes the implications of findings from secondary research for practice and policy contexts

I732. Estimates the impact of interventions based on insights from scientific literature

I831. Evaluates the quality and relevance of scientific evidence for public health policies and practice

I832. Argues coherently using a range of academic thinking skills and philosophical and ethical concepts

I932. Critiques EU research priorities in light of theoretical perspectives on public health policy processes and practices

I1032. Synthesizes very new (i.e. just-in-time) information into work process

Communicator

By the end of the module, the student:

C1131. Writes a policy brief on an issue of relevance for EU policy and health

C1331. Extrapolates research findings to an applied setting

C1431. Adapts models of public health causality and promotion to specific needs of diverse populations

C1531. Analyses policy advocacy case studies based on major theories of policy change and social entrepreneurship

Professional

By the end of the module, the student:

P1632. Reflects critically on strengths and weaknesses in his/her personal learning process and study performance

P1633. Behaves in a respectful, professional and reliable manner in tutor groups, practicals and group work

P1634. Recognizes and interrogates ethical dilemmas that are relevant to European Public Health

P1635. Acts according to ethical standards and norms

P1731. Contributes actively and positively within tutor groups and training tutorial groups

P1732. Contributes actively and positively within autonomous project teams

P1832. Synthesizes learning in the Bachelor programme with vision