Master in Public Policy and Governance (MPPG) program is a 2-year master degree program in the Department of General and Continuing Education (GCE) at North South University. The program started in Fall 2008 semester, jointly with Department of Administration and Organization Theory of University of Bergen, Norway and Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA) of Tribhuvan University, Nepal. University of Peradeniya from Sri Lanka joined the partnership group around the end of 2008. This program is funded by NOMA (Norad’s Master Studies Program) as a part of the capacity building of the public sector management practitioners.
This program, the one of its kind in South Asia, aims to attract students from the South Asian region. The MPPG degree is designed to enhance academic competence and professional skills among practitioners, academics, researchers in government, non-government, higher learning and research institutions. The program aims to produce graduates with professional skills to map, analyze, and participate in matters related to public policy and governance drawing on the forefronts of research, practice, and pedagogy in these fields. The potential program participants are drawn initially from the professionals of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. However, a few participants are also drawn from the fresh graduates. Knowledge empowerment and knowledge transfer are facilitated through encouraging faculty members, young professionals and students to participate in research, publish research works, and disseminate findings.
The program is successfully running for almost two years with two annual intakes. A total of 44 master degree students in two batches are currently enrolled in the program. These students come from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and a majority of them are from the civil services (at the level of Senior Assistant Secretary). This program has gained popularity at home and the partnering countries.
| Dr. S.Tawfique M. Haque Director of MPPG Program Associate Professor Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS) Phone: +880 2 5566 8200 ext. 2162 Email: sktawfique@gmail.com, tawfique@northsouth.edu |
|
Structure of MPPG at a Glance
Eligible Students: MPPG Program is mainly directed to people already in job
|
Country |
Civil Servants |
NGO/ Civil Society Organization |
Academic/ Research Institutions |
Total |
|
Bangladesh |
12 |
2 |
2 |
16 |
|
Nepal |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
|
Sri Lanka |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
15 |
4 |
3 |
22 |
Medium of Instruction
Medium of instruction of the program is English.
Total Number of Courses
Number of courses to be taken by MPPG students:
Allocation of courses throughout the semesters
|
Semester 1 (9 credits) |
Semester 2 (9 credits) |
Semester 3 (9 credits) |
Semester 4 (9 credits) |
|
1. Theories and Approaches of Public Administration (Compulsory 3 credits)
2. Organization Theory and Behavior (Compulsory 3 credits)
3. Research Methodology (Compulsory 3 credits)
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4. Public Policy Analysis (Compulsory 3 credits).
5. Contemporary Issues in Governance and Public Management (Compulsory 3 credits)
6. Development Management (Compulsory 3 credits) |
7. Research Design Seminar (Compulsory 3 credits)
Elective Courses ( students choose 2 courses out of 5 courses - (3+3 Credits) 8. Theories and Process of Accountability 9. NGOs, Civil Society & Private Sector 10. Globalization and International Organizations 11. Fundamentals of Economics 12. Public Sector Financial Management |
13. MPPG Thesis (Compulsory 9 credits) 14. Dissertation seminar |
Course title: Theories and Approaches of Public Administration
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG501
Objectives
The objective of the course is to provide conceptual and theoretical understanding of Public Administration as discipline and practice, make an overview of the different models to analyze the administrative and managerial behavior of the public bureaucracy in the developing and developed countries in the light of institutional process and administrative culture, develop analytical skills and approaches to understand dynamics of public administration system and practice.
Contents
Theoretical models and approaches of public administration, different paradigms of public administration, public private partnership, decentralization and deregulation, down-sizing of government, improvement of service delivery, performance management, capacity building in the public sector.
Course title: Organization theory and Behavior
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG505
Objectives
The course reviews and discusses central positions and perspectives in organizational theory and behavioral approaches to management and institutional analysis. The major aim of the course is to help the students understand and analyze individual and organizational behavior in social and organizational contexts. It does so by emphasizing the broad approaches to the subject matter, and inventories of relevant organizational, institutional and behavioral theories. The central questions it asks are: What are the managerial and behavioral aspects of policy / decision making, planning and institutional design? How behavior and culture interlinked with management practices?
The goal is to develop analytical and critical skills among the students, so that they can evaluate theories, models, methods, and critically identify problems and areas for further research.
Contents
Model and approaches of organizational and administrative behavior, dynamics of people and organizational behavior, dimensions of culture and contingencies theory of organization behavior and management, organizational behavior across culture, management culture, managerial and leadership culture, interpersonal relationship, nature of Bangladeshi, Nepalese, East Asian, and the Scandinavian style of management and organization culture, and public administration ethos.
Course title: Research Methodology
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG510
Objectives
The purpose is to equip the student with multiple methodological and analytical skills to carry out empirical research on relevant problem issues in either his/her place of work or social issues in general. This is achieved through enhancing the student’s insight in different research strategies, critical issues in the philosophy of the social sciences, and the methodological basis for selecting scientific research. The course puts emphasis on qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches to social science research.
Compulsory Activities:
- Conducting interviews.
- Participation in Focus Groups seminar.
- Participation in quantitative data analysis workshop.
- Report of about 8-10 pages based on interviews and focus group research methods.
Non Credit: Workshop on Computer Appreciations
All participants of the program will have to attend a three day Compulsory Computer Appreciation Training cum Workshop to orient and refresh their computer skills in world processing, data analysis and processing and presentation.
Course title: Public Policy Analysis
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG515
Objectives
The focus of the course is on "what governments do, why they do it, and how they do it." The aim is to give the student an overview of different traditions, perspectives, problems, possibilities, and processes of public policy formulation, implementation, and analysis with emphasis on developing countries.
Contents
The course begins with a theoretical review and understanding of the dominant theories and models of public policy (Institutional Model, Process Model, Rational Model, Incremental Model, Group Model and Elite Model.). The course will also cover the fundamentals of the theories of public choice (preferences, voting behavior, realities of collectives), public goods and distributive justice, rationality and social demand (Pareto criteria, Kaldor Hicks Criteria) in the light of public policy formulation and analysis.
The course provides an examination of the broad approaches to the subject matter, and inventories of the relevant policy actors and factors (like political executives, public bureaucracy, interest groups and dominant stakeholders, third sector, international protocols and agreement, legal regimes), institutions (parliament, watchdog and regulatory bodies, international bilateral and multilateral aid agencies/ development partners) and instruments (program development framework/ matrix) that are involved in the public policy making, implementation, and evaluation/ analysis. Some tools for policy analysis like Force Field Analysis, Delphi techniques, Stakeholder Analysis, Risk Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis; Economic and Financial Rate of Return (ERR/IRR) are also taught. Students use such techniques to review and analyze selected public policies.
Course title: Contemporary Issues in Governance and Public Management
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG520
Objectives
The course will attempt to introduce different models, approaches of governance discourses. It will examine the major governance issues in the context of South Asia, drawing examples from other developed and developing countries. The course is concerned with how public-sector regimes, agencies, programs, and activities are organized and managed to achieve public purposes. In order to understand governance as a means of policy formulation and implementation, the course reviews new models of governance and its operational modalities.
Contents
Understanding governance and New Public Management - basic concepts, theories and principles. Concepts and practices of e-Governance; Role of the state, civil society and the private sector in governance; institutional and governance issues of local government with reference to South Asia, challenges of implementation of new modes of governance in the South-Asian and global contexts.
Course title: Development Management
Credits: 3
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG525
Objectives
The course attempts to analyze public sector reform and examines the institutional and organizational process of implementation. The course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of project management, the nature of change and innovations and organizational learning in public administration.
Contents
Models and approaches of development, different approaches and methods of strategic / development management in public sector, administrative/ civil service reforms, organization design, renewal, change and innovation, approaches and process of strategic planning and management, program design, program/project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation .
Course title: NGOs, Civil Society and Private Sector
Credits: 3
Course category: Elective/Supplementary course
Course number: PPG530
Objectives
The main objective of this course is to analyze the roles of NGOs, civil society and the emerging private sector in policy formulation, policy advocacy and implementation. It assesses the contribution and cooperation of such institutional actors in development.
Contents
Genesis and development of the third sector, their roles in implementing development policies, mobilizing resources, creating synergy and building network with civil society, private sector, government, and bi-lateral and multi lateral organizations with particular focus on reducing poverty, and enhancing local development. Public-Private partnership, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), NGO accountability.
Credits: 3
Course category: Elective/Supplementary course
Course number: PPG535
Objectives
The purpose of this course is to understand the factors and process of accountability - how it functions, and what implications and impacts it has on socio-economic and political development. This course is designed to assess the nature of economic, political and administrative corruption and dysfunctional bureaucratic behavior. The course will also attempt to understand and assess the role of ethics and ethical standards and norms in process of public sector management in South Asian context.
Contents
Theories and models of accountability; bureaucratic accountability and transparency; bureaucracy-citizen interface, bureaucracy-business interface, political accountability and transparency; politics-bureaucracy interface; politics-citizens interface and their relationships with bureaucracy; modes and models of ethics, local norms and standards of administrative behavior and accountability.
Course title: Globalization and International Organizations
Credits: 3
Course category: Elective/Supplementary course
Course number: PPG540
Objectives
The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the process and institutions of globalization and their impact on such issues as equitable distribution and access to goods and services. Globalization has many dimensions: economic issues of trade, international finance and international development; social issues such as poverty, the global environment, global public health etc.; security issues such as military intervention, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism; and political issues such as the challenges of the spread and strengthening of democracy and the protection of human rights.
Contents
The main concern of this course is how the various aspects of globalization affect, and are affected by public policy and the capacity for governance at the international, national and local levels. The course contents are threefold:
Overview and assess the analytic framework for mapping the development of globalization and its impact on democracy and sustainable development in such sectors as environment, education, health etc; highlights core concepts and its dynamics in relation to developing countries, and analyze how processes of globalization and international organizations affect public policy and governance.
Course title: Public Sector Financial Management
Credits: 3
Course Category: Elective/Supplementary course
Course Number: PPG 545
Objectives
The course attempts to analyze the financial management and the basics of financial and managerial control system geared to public sector management to address public policy and governance issues.
Contents
The course analyzes the role and size of the public sector, the rationale for public sector interventions; public resource mobilization via taxation, external resource mobilization, national income and expenditure policy, public budgeting, assessment of government safety net program; and fiscal decentralization and intergovernmental fiscal relations.
Course title: Fundamentals of Economics
Credits: 3
Course Category: Elective/Supplementary course
Course Number: PPG 550
Objectives
The prime objective of the course is to introduce the students to the core concepts and theories and principles of economics. The students get the preliminary knowledge of the principles of economics to understand the public sector management and policy issues.
Contents
Fundamental concepts of economics, Basic elements and applications of supply and demand; analysis of cost, market, and perfect competition; monopolistic competition, factor markets; overview of macro economics; consumption, savings, and investment; international trade and macro economy; money and banking; taxation and fiscal policy; and economic growth and policies.
Course title: Research Design Seminar
Credits: 3
Course Category: Compulsory course
Course Number: PPG 565
Objectives
The prime objective of the course is to prepare the student for writing a proposal for his/her master thesis. Each of the MPPG students will submit a research proposal (about 15-20 pages) to the Thesis Supervision Committee of the Program. Evaluation is based on the oral defense of the research proposal at the end of the semester. The research proposal that is not approved by the committee must be revised and resubmitted for approval. Grading of this course is based on pass (approved) and fail (not approved).
Contents
Background of the research issues/ topic, Statement of the Problem/ issue; Illustration of the problem/ issues (social/political/economic/cultural implications); Review of existing Research / Academic and professional works on the proposed problematic area (with a view to justify and curb out your space for the proposed research); Scope and Objectives of the Research; Prime Research Questions/ Hypothesis (if any) and operationalizing the variables; Specific objectives of the research; Significance of the Research; Theoretical framework/ Analytical framework to be used; Methodology (Broad methods to be followed and why, Sources of data, Data collection techniques to be used, Validation of data, Data processing & Analysis plan); Tentative Chapter Outline.
Course title: MPPG Thesis (Master Thesis)
Credits: 9
Course category: Compulsory course
Course number: PPG555
Objectives
In writing the thesis, each candidate is required to pursue independent scientific work in close cooperation with an assigned supervisor. In the thesis, the candidate demonstrates his ability to comprehend a social issue relevant to his place of work or society and analyze the issue using research methods and theories learnt in the Program. The thesis is based on empirical data collected by the researcher and analyzed in accordance with research objectives and hypotheses.
Contents
The MPPG Thesis highlights a topic / issue within public policy, governance, and organizational science. Probable topics may be education, health, governance, organizational/ administrative reforms, organizational learning, gender disparity, women empowerment, strategic and corporate management, leadership, poverty reduction programs, implementation of policies, and program evaluation, etc. The thesis or part of it is expected to be of publishable quality.
Examinations
The deadline for submission of thesis is 30th June each year. Oral defense and evaluation of thesis take place in July the same year.
A committee of three examiners—two internal and one external—evaluates the thesis.
Submission of thesis
Thesis is submitted to the Department of General and Continuing Education (GCE) in five copies. In addition, a copy must also be submitted as PDF or Word Document for electronic publication in the website of the MPPG Program.
Course title: Dissertation Seminar
Credits: 0
Course category: Individual course/Research seminar
Course number: PPG 560
Objectives
The aim is to assist student in writing thesis. This is achieved through presentation of thesis chapters by students. Each student is required to present twice and be opponents to their fellow students' thesis chapters twice. The objective is to learn from each other research work.
Contents
a. Presenting thesis chapters
b. Commenting on peers’ thesis chapters
c. Learning from each other's research work and improve the quality of thesis
Assessment / Examination Format
Form of examination:
There is no formal exam connected to this course. However, the student is required to do the following activities:
- Presentation of thesis chapters
- Comments to others' thesis chapters
- Active participation in the discussion
Thesis: