The Politics of Public Policy
Overview
This Unit of Study is designed to provide students with a conceptual framework through which the formulation of public policies in Australia can be analysed. Online resources and exercises are designed to provide the theoretical and conceptual background to the subject while the seminars will provide students with an opportunity to further explore these ideas and concepts and to apply them to practical policy issues.
Requisites
50 credit points
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Examine and evaluate the key theoretical frameworks used to explain how public policy is developed.
- Analyse the roles and relationships between key policy actors, institutions, and processes central to contemporary Australian public policy making
- Reflect on the challenges facing policy actors in complex contemporary settings
- Evaluate public policy issues using primary and secondary sources.
- Use professional standard tools and approaches to develop an evidence-based written report addressing a specific policy problem.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture |
1.00 | 4 weeks (wks 1,2,5,12) | 4 |
| On-campus Class |
2.00 | 11 weeks | 22 |
| Specified Activities Various |
1.00 | 8 weeks | 8 |
| Unspecified Activities Various |
10.00 | 12 weeks | 120 |
| TOTAL | 154 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Individual | 15% | 2,3,4,5 |
| Briefing Report | Individual | 35% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Position Paper | Individual | 50% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
- The following Graduate Attributes are formally taught and assessed in this unit:
GA2 Communicating using different media
GA5 Information literacy
GA6 Technical Literacy
- Content:
This Unit of Study provides students with a conceptual framework for analysing the formulation of public policies in Australia;
Key political and policy institutions, actors and processes are critically examined;
Scenario-based policy exercises and case studies of policy success and failure are used to explore the complex nature of policy challenges and policy-making in Australia;
There is a strong focus on mixing theory and practice and on helping students to understand, develop and apply the relevant skills required to analyse complex policy problems and to develop and present policy solutions.
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.