Prof Martin Lodge

Dr Stefano Merlo

This course is available on the MSc in Development Management (Political Economy), MSc in Development Management (Political Economy) (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Development Studies, 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. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

How to apply: To apply for a place on this course, please submit a short statement of no more than 200 words via LfY. Your statement should outline your reasons for applying and explain how the course will support your academic and/or career goals. If applicable, you should also demonstrate how you meet any pre-requisites listed in the course guide. If the course is compulsory for your programme, no written statement is required.

Priority for places on Government (GV) courses will be given first to students for whom the course is compulsory. Where applicable, priority will then be given to students on the Department of Government programmes listed in the ‘Availability’ section of the course guide, followed by students on other programmes listed in that section. Students on all other programmes will be considered next, where a course is available as an outside option. You should ensure that you meet any pre-requisites listed in the course guide before applying. Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed. Where a course is oversubscribed, places will be allocated based on programme priority and the written statement.

Deadline for applications: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 25 September 2026. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 28 September 2026. 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.

This course has a limited number of places and access cannot be guaranteed. Priority will be given to students on the programmes listed above.

The course offers an intensive introduction into key areas of public management with reference to both developed and lesser developed world contexts. Topics include administrative doctrine, implementation, organizational change and inertia, capacity building, performance-management, leadership, institution creation, transparency and risk management. Public management is treated as an interdisciplinary field of study, with a particular emphasis on the administrative practices and change as well as the critical analysis of practical arguments about Public Management.

10 hours of lectures and 13.5 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

Essay (1500 words) in Autumn Term Week 8.

Blog post.

As part of small study-groups, students will be asked to submit a number of short blog posts (approx 500 words) to aid seminar discussions.

Students are expected to complete the formative essay and contribute to the blog posts.

M Barzelay, Public Management as a design-oriented profession discipline, 2019; C Hood, The Art of the State, 1998; C Hood and M Lodge, Politics of Public Service Bargains, 2006; D Honig, Mission driven bureaucrats, 2024; A Hassel and K Wegrich, How to Do Public Policy, 2022.

Blog post (40%, 1000 words) in Autumn Term Week 11.

Essay (60%, 2500 words) in Winter Term Week 2.