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POLI-O410

European integration and Public Policy

academic year
2024-2025
2025-2026

Course teacher(s)

Joël FICET (Coordinator) and Amandine CRESPY

ECTS credits

5

Language(s) of instruction

english

Course content

INTRODUCTION: 
  • Starting Your Research in EU Policy Analysis
  • Mapping EU Policies
BLOC I: THEORIES OF EU POLICY-MAKING   
  • Theories of EU Integration in Historical Perspective
  • The EU Policy Cycle
  • Europeanization and Policy Transfers

BLOC II: CHANGES IN EU POLICY-MAKING: SECTORAL STUDIES   
  • Neofunctionalist Dynamics and Regulatory Governance: the Single Market Policy
  • Policy Learning and Paradigm Shift: The Common Agricultural Policy
  • Soft Coordination in Higher Education Policy
  • Policy Framing and Artificial Intelligence Policy

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

The objective of this course is to explain the main dynamics of policy making in the European Union. More specifically, it concerns specific knowledge of EU policies with theoretical and conceptual tools in the field of EU studies and public policy. The course looks at the contents as well as the politics of the EU's internal policies: historical developments, institutional procedures, content and effects of policies, contentious issues surrounding them. It also considers some key transversal issues such; 

At the end of the semester, the students must be able to:

  • explain the historical development of specific EU policy areas
  • connect specific EU policies with the different types of policy and decision making in the EU
  • analyse and discuss policy issues, including EU's current affairs
  • produce oral and written reports on policy issues

Teaching methods and learning activities

Lectures will be complemented by:

  • debates about policy issues
  • Q&A sessions about readings
  • small scale simulation games

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Recommended handbooks 

  • Michelle Cini, Nieves Borragan, European Union Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2022. 
  • Esther Versluis, Mendeltje van Keulen, Paul Stephenson, Analyzing the European Union policy process, Palgrave, 2014. 

Contribution to the teaching profile

This course complements the module on deicison making in the EU and other modules in specific policy areas by giving an overview of most EU policy areas and policy making processes, inlcuding horizontal perspectives e.g. Europeanisation.

Other information

Contacts

Joël Ficet: joel.ficet@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

  • Other

Other

Oral exam: 10 minutes preparation to prepare a brief presentation about one broad question, followed by a discussion and questions on other aspects of the course

Simulation game: small scale simulation game in groups, including a written report on how the game was prepared.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Exam: 50%
Simulation game (including written report): 50%

Language(s) of evaluation

  • english

Programmes