COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN DEMOCRATIC STATES

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
PIR 362	B	6	4	0	0	4	6

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Dr. Endrit Shabani eshabani@epoka.edu.al , Wednesdays 11:00 to 12:00
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:	11:45 to 15:30
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	75%
Course Description:	This graduate level course will cover the essentials of contemporary public administration in democratic states. The course covers a wide variety of topics, from the way in which public administration is organised, to the strategies of increasing its efficiency and effectiveness. The course starts with basic knowledge on how to understand and study public administration, to recap what students’ have learned before on the topic. The course moves to public policy, unpacking the policymaking process and exploring the power relations that underpin government’s preferences and explain its decision-making process. It also covers issues related to organisational culture, values and social norms that guide day-to-day decisions. This course ends by exploring the importance of performance evaluation and the ways in which public service can be improved to promote accountability and strengthen democracy.
Course Objectives:	This course aims to enable students to feel confident in scrutinising public policies and evaluate the work done by public administration in democratic countries. By the end of this course, students students will have a better grasp of the policymaking process, and a deeper understanding of the factors that influence the decision-making of the public administration. They will have gained a broader understanding of the essentials of public administration and be able to distinguish key differences between the role played by civil servants vis-a-vis elected officials in a democratic government.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

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COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Defining Public Administration - In the first week we will cover various definitions of the public administration: political, legal, managerial and occupational. Then we will discuss essential elements of Public Administration by taking an historical overview of how it has evolved to this day and age.
2	The policymaking process - In the second week we will unpack the policymaking process, focusing on agenda setting, decisionmaking, policy implementation and evaluation. The lecture covers the separation of three powers, the system of checks and balance, and the key differences between presidential, semi-presidential and parliamentary democracies
3	The machinery of government - In the third week we will explore the machinery of government, by focusing primarily on democratic countries. We explore the sources of tension in public administration, by discussing the different roles played by civil servants and elected officials. We discuss different theories on how to organise an efficient modern bureaucracy. The lecture ends by discussing the topic of privatisation of public assets and services.
4	Governing without government - In the fourth week we will look at the public administration at the international landscape. We discuss the impact of globalisation and the emergence of integrated forms of governing at the international level. We make references to federalist states and regional cooperation, by focusing on the example of the United States and the European Union
5	Strategic Management - In the fifth week we will cover core concepts of strategic management in a democratic government. We will explore a wide variety of management tools that can be utilised to achieve strategic goals of the government
6	Public Financial Management - In week six we will dwell on economic policy, by taking a closer look at the management of public finances. We will discuss various theories on budgeting, which will be illustrated through real-life examples from all over the world. We will also discuss the problem of public debt and ramifications of budget manipulation.
7	Mid-term examination
8	From E-Commerce to E-government - In Week eight we will move to public administration and governance in the age of internet, by focusing on the incremental political impact of social networks and the new media. We will discuss the new managerial revolution and its impact in empowerment of citizens and creation of new opportunities for entrepreneurialism.
9	Organisational behaviour - In Week nine we will focus on the behaviour of public servants and the social norms that encourage a ruling consensus over important political decisions. We will also explore group dynamics, the hierarchy of needs, the impact of personality, incentives and motivations that explain institutional behaviours.
10	Personnel Management - In Week ten we will cover management of human resources in public administration. We will move through from the recruitment and merit selection, to training and performance management. We will also discuss the impact on performance of privatisation, patronage or spoils system
11	Leadership - In Week eleven we will discuss the impact of leadership in the performance of public administration. We will analyse the advantages and drawbacks of different leadership styles, focusing on values that they promote and foster in their institutions. We will also discuss the need for a balanced approach to management, and ramifications that come along with micromanagement or overmanagement.
12	Honours, Ethics and Accountability - In Week twelve we will cover the culture of organisation, by focusing on Codes of Conduct that regulate behaviour within public administration. We will move on to discuss the issue of corruption and whistleblowing, by illustrating the theoretical knowledge through empirical examples.
13	Social Equity - In Week thirteen we will focus on equality and fairness of public administration. We will discuss the challenge for equality and elimination of any form of discrimination. We will explore the advantages and benefits of having a diverse workforce in public administration and the importance of affirmative action and gender quotas in institutional performance
14	Performance and Evaluation - In the last week we will focus on performance of public administration and evaluation mechanisms. We will explain the mechanisms that are in place to monitor, audit and evaluate the work of public administration, and foster accountability of public administrators.

Prerequisite(s):	There is no prerequisite knowledge required
Textbook(s):	Shafritz, J., Russell, E. W., Borick, C., & Hyde, A. (2017). Introducing public administration. 9th Ed. London: Routledge. Guy, M. E., & Ely, T. L. (2018). Essentials of Public Service: An Introduction to Contemporary Public Administration. Irvine, CA: Melvin & Leigh Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-99923590-4
Additional Literature:	Heath, J. (2020). The machinery of government: public administration and the liberal state. Oxford University Press, USA. Cox III, R. W., Buck, S., & Morgan, B. (2019). Public administration in theory and practice. London: Routledge. Shafritz, J. M., & Hyde, A. C. (2017). Classics of Public Administration, 8th edition. New York: Cengage. ISBN: 9781305639034 Box, R. C. (2015). Democracy and public administration. Routledge. Peters, G., & Savoie, D. J. (2000). Governance in the twenty-first century: Revitalizing the public service. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP.
Laboratory Work:	no
Computer Usage:	yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Students will have a better grasp of essentials of public administration and the key difference between the role played by civil servants vis-a-vis elected officials in a democratic government.
2	Students will be able to have a better understanding of public policies and the policymaking process

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) Program
1	Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources.	5
2	Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches.	5
3	Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects.	5
4	Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions.	5
5	Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations.	4
6	Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently.	4
7	Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena.	4
8	Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones.	4
9	Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles.	4
10	Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge.	3
11	Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments.	3
12	Having consciousness about human rights and environment.	4
13	Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning.	4

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	25
Presentation	2	15
Project	1	20
Final Exam	1	25
Attendance		0
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	4	64
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	2	32
Mid-terms	1	15	15
Assignments	2	5	10
Final examination	1	20	20
Other	1	9	9
Total Work Load:			150
Total Work Load/25(h):			6
ECTS Credit of the Course:			6

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

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