PERb1108 European Union Public Policy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Professor John Frederick Wilton, B.A. (Hons), M. Soc Sc, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Professor John Frederick Wilton, B.A. (Hons), M. Soc Sc, Ph.D.
Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
TYP_STUDIA(B) && ! VPLb1155 European Union Public Policy
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The students will understand (1) the principles underpinning E.U. public policy, and (2) the process of EU public policy-making in the perspectives of agenda setting, policy formulation, policy decision-making, and policy implementation. The students will learn about different models of analysis at different levels within the EU and different stages of the policy process. They will learn how to use some of the selected approaches of policy analysis.
Learning outcomes
Identifying and explaining the different theoretical models of the political process, and writing an essay on the factors of public policy integration in the EU.
Syllabus
  • Lecture 1. The basis of, and principles underpinning, E.U. public policy: harmonization, mutual recognition and convergence?
  • Lecture 2. Agenda-setting: role and purpose, fragmentation and the absence of effective policy coordination
  • Lecture 3. Policy formulation: the policy communities and policy networks model, policymaking uncertainty, expertise, and epistemic communities, multiple policymaking ‘venues’
  • Lecture 4. Policy decision-making: institutional analysis
  • Lecture 5. Policy implementation: implementation as a complex and multifaceted process, inter-organizational behavior and implementation analysis, characterizing implementation in the E.U.
  • Lecture 6. a) A case study of the E.U. policy process: Welfare, b) The ‘Europeanisation’ of public policy
Literature
    required literature
  • The policies of the European Union from a Central European perspective. Edited by András Osztovits - János Bóka. Miskolc: CEA Publishing, 2022, 279 stran. ISBN 9786156474063. info
  • HIX, Simon and Bjørn Kåre HØYLAND. The political system of the European union. Fourth edition. London: Bloomsbury academic, 2022, xiii, 434. ISBN 9781350325470. info
  • BUONANNO, Laurie and Neill NUGENT. Policies and policy processes of the European Union. Second edition. London: Red globe press, 2021, xxiii, 361. ISBN 9781352009859. info
  • OLSEN, Jonathan. The European Union : politics and policies. Seventh edition. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021, xxix, 314. ISBN 9781138340329. info
  • Handbook on society and social policy. Edited by Nicholas Ellison - Tina Haux. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020, 1 online. ISBN 9781788113526. URL info
  • Policy-making in the European union. Edited by Helen S. Wallace - Mark A. Pollack - Christilla Roederer-Rynning - Ala. Eighth edition. Oxford: Oxford university press, 2020, xxxiii, 58. ISBN 9780198807605. info
  • CINI, Michelle and Nieves PÉREZ-SOLÓRZANO BORRAGÁN. European union politics. Sixth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, xxv, 532. ISBN 9780198806530. info
  • The Routledge handbook of European public policy. Edited by Nikolaos Zahariadis - Laurie Buonanno. First published. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018, xxii, 390. ISBN 9781138927339. info
  • The institutions of the European Union. Edited by Dermot Hodson - John Peterson. Fourth edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017, xxix, 465. ISBN 9780198737414. info
  • European Union : power and policy-making. Edited by J. J. Richardson - Sonia Mazey. Fourth edition. London: Routledge, 2015, xiv, 503. ISBN 9780415715522. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussion, reading.
Assessment methods
Essay assessment addressed to answers to the following questions: (1) What are the benefits and problems that arise from the processes of agenda-setting and policy implementation at the beginning and end of the European Union public policy cycle? (2) Can European Union public policy making be described as ‘Europeanised’? (3) Identify benefits and problems within the E.U. public policy process in one public policy area in respect of the principles of harmonisation, mutual recognition and convergence.
Language of instruction
Czech
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2025.
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