Ethics of Public Policy Module Details

Rationale 

This course is designed to expose students to the fundamental ideas, frameworks and debates associating public policy with ethics.  The course will look at different definitions of ethics and will discuss the roots of ethical rules. It will emphasise on the study of multiple aspects of ethical decision-making during the policy-making process, with the goal of identifying the moral norms that should drive public policy. During the course, students will attempt to address various ethical questions that arise and are related to public policy issues. Examples of questions that may be considered include whether the state should legalize drugs, permit abortions or allow the death penalty. The course will conclude with an examination of the role of policy analysis in the development of ethical policies while taking into account the ethical principles adopted by policy analysts as well as the variables that affect these and hence their work. Throughout the focus will be on the implementation of ethical thinking, allowing students to strengthen their skills in writing and oral argumentation so that they may better defend their ideas in debates with others.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:

(i)    Describe the relationship between ethics and public policy.
(ii)   Identify the primary decision-making models and frameworks, as well as the principles that distinguish each of them. 
(iii)  Define the role of democracy in public policy decision-making.
(iv)  Discuss if moral standards should influence public policy, and if so, which ones.
(v)   Define the nature of ethical argumentation and its significance in the study of politics.
(vi)  Identify essential ethical principles that should be incorporated in policy analysis.
(vii) Describe the factors affecting the policy analysts' (ethical) work.
(viii) Engage in clear verbal and written normative argumentation concerning issues in public policy.