Course summary

The Essex Master in Public Policy is designed to give you, our future leaders, extensive knowledge of how actors in the public and private sectors formulate, decide and implement public policy. It introduces key concepts and theories for understanding the foundation of public policies, incentives and constraints governing the process of policy making, as well as the political realities faced by private and public sector institutions. The Essex MPP introduces you to all aspects of the policy process, including policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. It showcases the role of interest groups and civil society in all stages of this process and helps you analyse the politics that underlie policy adaptation. The course covers a wide range of policy areas, including: Education Health Environment The role of taxation In an increasingly complex world, our graduates can expect to acquire the analytic and data literacy skills which are indispensable building blocks for careers in making, implementing or shaping public policies in the public sector, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, both nationally and globally. Our Department of Government is one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began.