MSSc in Public Policy (MPUP)

Through equipping students with knowledge of major concepts, models and theories of public policymaking process, this course aims to enhance the ability of students to understand and analyze public policy problems. The course consists of the following key components: foundation of public policy making process and policy environment, competing models of policymaking, major policymaking actors and institutions, critical factors and stakeholders in major stages of policymaking. Case studies and real-world examples are used to illustrate how the theories are put into practice.

This course aims to study the relationship between public policies and the values and ethics underlying them. It is the basic contention of this course that the making of public policies cannot be divorced from moral and political values. These values provide justification for the legitimacy of policies. The course is divided into two parts: The first part introduces major political theories and theoretical frameworks for students to understand the meaning and importance of values from different moral perspectives. Values discussed cover rights and obligations, justice and fair procedures, freedom and democracy, community and citizenship, and the proper relation between personal and social responsibilities. The second part focuses on case studies.

This course introduces the application of methodological and statistical techniques in policy research, with a focus on the evidence-based approach to assess public policies and social programmes. It covers basic concepts in research designs, data collection techniques and statistical analyses. Discussions include both qualitative and quantitative approaches towards measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and public accountability that define good public policies and social programmes. Special attention is given to the influence of the political environment and the competing interests among stakeholders. Real-world examples are used to illustrate practical skills in policy research.

The course objective is to provide students with the economic tools to perform a cost-benefit analysis of public policy. It covers economic theories concerning how individuals, firms and government interact. Applications of relevant economic theory to public policy areas in housing, health, labour, transportation, welfare, and environment are examined.

This course examines how policies of national government are shaped by the super-state institutions such as the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank, and how these can be related to the social problems existing in world cities, such as poverty, income disparity, marginalization of labour, etc. The course also explores the limits and possibilities of social policies of national governments in alleviating such problems.

Through discussing key questions in public organization theory and public management, the course examines how different aspects of public organizations, including their structure, environment and culture, can have an enormous impact on various stages of policymaking and policy outcomes. Emphasis of the course is on the understanding of the general theoretical frameworks of the field and the ability to apply them to the context of real-world problems and issues. Examples and cases from Hong Kong, China and major Asian and Western countries are used for linking up the theory and practice.

This course examines the political, social and economic importance of NGOs in view of the theoretical discussions derived from a variety of empirical research in Western countries and the practical experiences faced by NGOs in Hong Kong. The juxtaposition of theory and practice constitutes the major theme of the course. International and local NGOs such as interest groups, community groups, social movement organisations, and social service organisations will be studied. Emphasis is placed on the interactions between these entities and the government, political parties and other social groups in the local and international contexts.

The course identifies and analyzes the objectives and policies pursued and developed by the Government in managing the economy and how policies are implemented to achieve objectives. It will explore the Government’s assumptions about approaches to the economy and its development, as well as its monetary, fiscal, industrial, trade and investment policies. In addition to the Hong Kong Government serving as the primary case, examples are also taken from the Financial Secretary’s office, the HK Monetary Authority and Bureaus of Commerce and Economic Development and Financial Services, and the Treasury.

This course analyses the relationship between public policy and governance in a rapidly changing world. It gives a general picture of contextual challenges confronting contemporary governments in forming and implementing public policies and discusses the ways in which governments have attempted to cope with these contextual changes and challenges, and how governance theories in public administration and more broadly political science have been developed to study the evolving modes of policy-making since the early 1990s.

The course objective is to explain policy outcomes of different political units, including national or sub-national governments. Fundamental issues concerning the approaches, scopes and methods of comparative public policy will also be discussed. The course is divided into two parts: fundamental concepts, conceptual definitions and the underpinnings comparative public policy; cases in major policy areas including Hong Kong, China and major countries around the world. The above cases will be examined by the concepts and theoretical frameworks introduced.

This course discusses theories and applications of crisis management and governance in the public sector. It will focus on how professional public relations practitioners help their clients in everyday situations to reduce risks, get prepared, respond to and recover from crises.

(applicable to students who enrol the course in 2025-26 and thereafter)

(applicable to students who enrol the course in 2024-25 and before)

The course covers a wide range of topics to systematically train students on climate and, more broadly, environmental policy analysis. It starts with an introduction to environmental externalities and the Environmental Kuznets Curve. It then focuses on analytical tools, including environmental valuation, carbon accounting, decomposition analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. The course also explores environmental justice and politics. Various climate/environmental policy instruments will be examined, including environmental impact assessments, voluntary agreements, emission taxes/fees, emission trading, and command and control regulations. The final module focuses on environmental governance, addressing climate change control, and culminates in a mock climate conference. Throughout, the course balances theoretical concepts with practical applications, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of climate policy analysis and environmental governance.

Throughout the course, different theories of planning and urban design are outlined, investigated and discussed in relation to current issues in Hong Kong and China. Urbanization, generic cities, the production of space, political planning, architectural culture and urban evolution will provide a contextual framework for the (re)vision of future environments in a critical and sustainable manner.

The purpose of this course is to analyze both short-term and longterm flows of capital across borders. It also looks at the patterns they assume and the forces that drive them. We will examine the resulting benefits and costs/risks, the instruments developed by private agents to maximize their effectiveness, government efforts to minimize the disruption caused, and the institutional architecture which is emerging as a by-product of their rapid expansion.

The course provides students withunderstandingof policy and government landscape and analysis of how organizations which operate across geographic boundaries can develop a consistent approach to Government Relations and Partnership Agreement strategies while ensuring the approach adopted is in accordance with the nuances of the different structures and processes on the ground. The course also will examine theories and case examples of political and regulatory advocacy projects to help students develop strategies and skills to organise and implementcampaigns.

With regard to Hong Kong as major case, the course will focus on the policy rationales and arguments put forward by the government, and the interaction between the administration and other stakeholders, including legislature, NGO, media and political parties. The course will also discuss the rising difficulties of the government in getting policy consensus from the general public and Legislative Council by illustrating intensive disputes of institutional reform, poverty problem, environment issues, and housing policies in Hong Kong.

This course provides an in-depth analysis of important topics in public policy and government administration. Examples of topics involve democratic governance, political sociology, social policy & welfare in Hong Kong & East Asia, political & economic transition in China, program evaluation, etc. The topics of the course may vary according to the area of expertise of the instructor and the interest of the class.

Research on an approved topic under individualized guidance and supervision of a Programme teaching staff, culminating in an individual research paper. The paper is usually expected to be based on a research project that integrates the theory and practice of public policy, with the use of appropriate research methods. Students taking this course should first obtain the teacher’s consent.

The course offers students an opportunity to explore the important themes of human rights and constitutionalism in Greater China. As the only region without a regional human rights regime, Asia has relied more completely on domestic constitutionalism and legislative enactment to articulate and implement human rights commitments. This has often made human rights debate a matter of local politics. In this respect, China has had a noteworthy engagement with some of the central themes in the human rights debate, relating human rights to culture, to the political economy of development, democratization, international relations, and civil society. The course will explore these rich Chinese themes and efforts.