Theories of Public Policy

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Understand how public policy is shaped, implemented, and evaluated—and develop the frameworks to analyze real-world policy challenges. This course is designed for learners interested in government, governance, public administration, policymaking, and social impact who want to build a strong foundation in public policy. Explore the fundamentals of public policy and distinguish it from public administration and public management. Learn how different policy types influence governance, how government and non-governmental actors shape policy decisions, and how the policy cycle moves from issue emergence and agenda setting through formulation, implementation, evaluation, and termination. Go deeper into major public policy theories and frameworks, including institutional, group, elite, rational choice, bounded rationality, incremental, game theory, Multiple Streams, Advocacy Coalition, and Punctuated Equilibrium approaches. You’ll also examine behavioral science, nudge theory, policy transfer, ethics, budgeting, and decision-making styles. Build the analytical perspective to understand complex policy issues and engage more effectively with public policy challenges. Enroll now to strengthen your public policy knowledge and develop practical frameworks for understanding how policies are designed, implemented, and shaped.