GV477 Half Unit
Comparative Public Policy Change
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Michael Lerner
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Public Policy and Administration and MSc in Regulation. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: to apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals. Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed in the ‘availability’ section of the course guide. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
The course is capped at 2 groups.
Requisites
Additional requisites:
Students should normally be taking GV4E9 Approaches and Issues in Public Policy and Administration or already have a good knowledge of comparative public policy. Waiving of these requirements will be at the discretion of the course teachers.
Course content
Why and how does public policy change? In this course, we investigate how institutions, interests, and ideas shape, constrain, and enable reform. In the first half of the course, you will receive foundational instruction in core analytical frameworks, descriptions, and explanations of policy change, as well as comparative research methods. In the second half, you will apply these tools to understand policy change for protection, empowerment, transformation, and innovation. This course equips students with the skills to propose and critically assess explanations of policy variation, stability, change, and convergence.
Teaching
2 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Video
Essay plan
Students will be expected to submit formative assessment in the WT.
Indicative reading
There is no single textbook but the following are particularly useful introductions:
Dodds, Anneliese. (2018), Comparative Public Policy (2nd ed.) Macmillan International Higher Education.
Weible, Christopher M., and Paul A. Sabatier (eds) (2023). Theories of the Policy Process. Taylor & Francis Group. 5th edition.
Hall, Peter (1997). "The role of interests, institutions and ideas in the comparative political economy of the advanced industrial state" in Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture and Structure (Mark I. Lichbach and Alan S. Zucker, eds.). Cambridge University Press. Chapter 7.
Hacker, Jacob S., Paul Pierson, and Kathleen Thelen. (2015). “Drift and conversion: Hidden faces of institutional change” in Advances in Comparative-Historical Analysis (James Mahoney and Kathleen Thelen, eds.). Cambridge University Press. Chapter 7.
Breetz, Hanna, Matto Mildenberger, and Leah Stokes (2018). "The political logics of clean energy transitions." Business and Politics, 20.4: 492-522.
Brummer, Chris and Yesha Yadav (2019). “Fintech and the Innovation Trilemma.” Georgetown Law Journal, 107.2:235–308.
Assessment
Video (20%) in Spring Term Week 2
Research paper (80%, 3000 words) in Spring Term Week 2
Students will create up to two 4–6 minute video blog posts interpreting a recent event through the lens of course material (one must be uploaded in the first half of term, and one in the second half of term), of which one will be submitted for assessment.
The research paper will have a word limit of 3,000 words.
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Keywords: public policy
Total students 2024/25: 24
Average class size 2024/25: 12
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Communication