SP60295: Digital public policy
[Page last updated: 26 October 2023]
| Academic Year: | 2023/24 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
| Credits: | 18 [equivalent to 36 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 360 |
| Level: | Doctoral (FHEQ level 8) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CW 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | Before taking this module you must take SP60290 AND take SP60291 |
| Learning Outcomes: |
As a result of the development of the above understandings, students will be able to:
1. Understand current digital policy issues and debates. 2. Critically examine digital governance ideas, objectives and documents. 3. Consider how the digital revolution has affected strategic political communications and policy. 4. Recognise the ways in which the digital revolution affects the policy landscape. 5. Develop solutions to address policy conflicts which may otherwise prevent optimum policy impact. |
| Aims: | The unit will provide students an understanding of:
1.The concepts, theories and scope of the digital world and its governance. 2.The politics of online information exposure and the strategic nature of online political communication. 3. New types of online data and data science methods and tools, and specific challenges in analysing virtual and digital environments. 4. Recent developments and setbacks in digital governance. 5. The social, economic and ethical implications of the digital revolution and their relevance for public policy. |
| Skills: | At the end of the unit the students will be able to:
1. Apply a systematic and coherent approach to critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of ideas, information and issues that is well-grounded in the existing research and literature on digital public policy and governance (intellectual skill); 2. Identify, conceptualise and communicate original and well-grounded insights and responses to salient issues of digital governance (professional, practical skill); 3. Identify appropriate online data sources and methods that can be used in their professional practice and scholarship (transferable skill). |
| Content: | The unit is divided into five broad sections, each of them covering two related topics.
ection I: Introduction 1. The digital revolution A brief history of the digital revolution, its trans-national nature and its public policy implications. Introducing the conceptual and methodological frameworks which will be used throughout the unit. Providing on overview of the unit goals and objectives and the way in which they are reflected in each of the subsequent topics. 2. Digital democracy Power and politics in the digital age. From representative to digital democracy. New publics, new forms of participation, co-creation, preference aggregation and formulation, policy demand formation. Changing incentives and strategic political considerations. Digital constraints and opportunities for democratic governance. Section II: Data and methods 3. Forms of data New forms of data and models of data generation, collection, aggregation and linkage. Big data and open data. Platforms and APIs. Overview of big data management systems. 4. Computational methods and tools Overview and working examples of the main data science methods and tools used in public policy data analytics - text analysis, network analysis, AI and machine learning, simulation, causal identification strategies, visualization. Section III. Politics in the online information environment 5. Political participation, mobilization and protest The effects of the online information environment on political preference formation, collective action and political interest articulation. The role of social media in political participation, public engagement and protest. 6. Digital politics The role of online and social media in electoral campaigns and political communication. Digital propaganda, fake news, junk news, bots, political polarization. Section IV. Digital governance 7. The digital state New models of governance and public management in the digital age. Overview of the digital transition in public service delivery and collaboration within government. Criteria and indicators for evaluating digital governance. 8. Open government and open data Models of open data, review and evaluation of open government data initiatives. Civic apps, citizen empowerment, open data and democracy. Section V. Digital policy and regulation 9. The ethical and economic implications of the digital revolution Digital dividends. Economic and social implications of AI and the future of work and organizations in the digital economy. Ethical implications of AI and algorithms. 10. Online privacy and security Overview of online privacy and cybersecurity issues. |
| Course availability: |
SP60295 is Optional on the following courses:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
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Notes:
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