| CODE | PPL1925 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Governing Institutions | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The modern state requires numerous institutions to operate: besides the traditional executive, legislative and judicial institutions, the contemporary state requires institutions of local or community government, diplomatic representation, regulatory authorities, independent scrutineers public enterprises and public-private partnerships to make and implement policy, to deliver public services and to maintain the integrity of public life. Furthermore, it interacts daily with a wide range of multilateral institutions, such as the World Trade Organisation and the International Monetary Fund, as well as supranational authorities such as the European Commission. This study-unit introduces the student to the panoply of governing institutions associated with contemporary states, and, taking a comparative approach explains the history and principles underpinning their design and interaction, and examines selected issues of good governance, including the coordination of policy-making, standards of conduct in public life, the growing interdependence of states and international governing institutions, and the blurring of traditional boundaries between public and private sectors, as well as state sovereignty. The study-unit also draws on examples from the governing institutions forming part of the Maltese state. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit: - Introduces students to the concepts associated with governing institutions, in a comparative context, as well as the history and principles associated with the design of such institutions; - Appraises contemporary debates about governmental reform and constitutional revision with reference to the sweeping changes and powerful forces that are transforming the traditional governing institutions of contemporary democracies; - Examines selected innovations in the design and operation of governing institutions, including the presidentialisation of the Executive, the separation of policy-making, regulatory activity and service delivery, and enhanced accountability mechanisms; - Draws on examples related to the Maltese Republic, such as issues related to Europeanisation in Malta. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain how the traditional branches of central government - legislature, executive and judicial - are configured and interact with one another; - Explain the complex three-cornered relationships involving sub-national, national and supra-national governing institutions, public and private agents of state action; - Comment critically on the institutional arrangements set out in a state constitution or in legislation such as the Public Administration Act, 2010; - Understand the forces impelling institutional development in the modern state, below and beyond it. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Write well-informed written appraisals of or commentaries on proposals for institutional reform; and - Debate the case for or against proposals for institutional reform with reference to the institution's history, its politics and commonly-accepted principles of good governance. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Core Textbook: - Hague, R & M Harrop. 2010. Comparative Government and Politics. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Additional reading: - Bertelli, AM. 2012. The Political Economy of Public Sector Governance. Cambridge UP. - Christiansen, T. (ed). 2012. International Handbook of Informal Governance. London: Edward Elgar. - Hurd, I. 2011. International Organisations. Cambridge UP. - Kopstein, J. & Lichbach M (ed). 2009. Comparative Politics. Cambridge UP. - Levi-Faur, D. (ed). 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Governance. Oxford: OUP. - Warrington, E. 1999. 'Efficiency first, political education second: Devising governing institutions for emerging polities', in Public Administration & Development, Vol 19(1999), 487-506. Selected reading on Maltese Governing Institutions: - Pirotta, G. A. 1996. The Maltese Public Service 1800-1940. Malta: Mireva. - Pirotta, G. A. 2006. Malta's Parliament: An Official History. Malta: House of Representatives. - Pirotta, G. A. & E Warrington. 2001. Guardian of the Public Purse. Malta: National Audit Office. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Marguerite Camilleri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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