Big issues of governance today and tomorrow - Lecture Series, Fall 2013

How do big issues emerge and travel to the top of the agenda? To understand this, we need a multilevel governance perspective and a long term view. This course deals with the dynamics of attention shifts from one big issue to the next and considers the conditions under which new issues may dominate the political agenda of tomorrow. Issues rise and fall not only because of alarming news headlines, but also because stakeholders from society, business and politics compete over which matters to prioritize. This is a fundamental feature of politics and policy making for which the lecture series provides an approach with much relevance to practice.

How do governments and international institutions deal with big problems of governance? When do these policy making organizations become alert, how long they ignore information about new problems, or transfer problems in some way to a different level of policy making? How do focusing events trigger attention, and how long lasting is the effect of such events? The aim of the lecture series is to explain the dynamics of agenda setting on big governance issues of today and tomorrow. The series will also address in what ways policy-making institutions can prepare themselves for detecting issues and organize an effective response.

This course will provide with an insight in the conditions promoting or hindering an issue to reach the governmental agenda and become prominent in policy making. After this series, the participants will have a better sense of the issues that will be central in attention in the time to come. This includes a better understanding of the role of old and new media, organizations lobbying for influence, and the way in which policy-making institutions process all kinds of information about policy problems. The participants will be able to identify the ways in which governments handle the infinite number of problems arriving within their scope. Further, they will engage in real-world and pluralistic discussions during the lectures, as this course is open to bachelor and master students from all universities in the Netherlands, as well as professionals and public in general interested in the topic.

The theoretical line of the course is based on the politics of attention to issues. The programme combines lectures on policy topics as well as on policy venues in order to provide a comprehensive approach.

On the one hand, policy problems have different dimensions (e.g. economic, social, etc.) that are in constant shift, which may promote in the future their linkage to other issues or to new properties of the ‘same’ problem. On the other hand, depending on the actor involved, there are different perspectives to look at a problem and at the dynamics of attention paid to it.

To illustrate this, besides the theoretical framework, three policy issues and three arenas are included in the programme. They were deliberately selected and associated in pairs for didactical reasons, but in reality all are independent of each other.

All seven lectures are on Wednesdays from 18:30 to 20:30. Please note that the lectures are in English. Location: The Hague.

The course is open to students from all Dutch universities, as well as to professionals. They may obtain a certificate from the Montesquieu Institute, provided that they attend at least 6 lectures. Students may also obtain ECTS, if they fulfill the following 3 requirements: attend at least 6 lectures and both work group sessions, as well as submit the requested assignments. Please note that the registration period is closed.

For more information, please send an email to info@mi-cdh.nl.