An overview of public affairs masters programmes - 中欧社会论坛 - China Europa Forum

An overview of public affairs masters programmes

Authors: Nancy Favre, Pierre Kilchenmann

Date: 2007

Published by IDHEAP Swiss Graduate School in Public Administration

Since the end of the second world war, a large number of public affairs programs have been proposed by higher education institution around the world. These programs are continuously evolving and it is difficult to have a global view of what is offered. Just at the master’s level, you can find masters in public administration, public policies, public management, public governance and public affairs, offered by universities on a full time or part-time basis, at executive or non-executive levels, etc. The Institute for a new reflection on governance (IRG), is a forum for international and intercultural debate on governance, based in Paris, France. Its aim is to stimulate exchange between scholars, journalists, professionals from civil services and from international organisations, civil society, etc. In 2006, this Institute decided to launch a study to identify and compare the various public affairs programs on a worldwide basis. Pilot studies were launched for Latin America, China, Europe and the United States, by different research teams. IDHEAP has been commissioned to conduct the European pilot. To this effect a data base was created using the wikimedia technology. Its aim is to facilitate the collecting and syndicating of study data and to facilitate their consultation for anyone, through a website. This database can be viewed at the following URL : chaires.idheap.ch/mpsi/efap. In Europe, for the first phase of the study, this pilot concentrates on selected public affairs programs in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. For each program, a detailed description is given, based on a series of descriptive fields (such as content, curriculum, students profiles, admission’s requirements, etc…). These data were gathered through desk research (brochures, websites) and detailed interviews of the relevant program directors. This project is similar to the NASPAA data base of public affairs programs in the United States (www.globalmpa.net). It has however a larger geographical scope and the ambition to bridge the cultural differences which exist in various regions of the world regarding the teaching of public affairs at a master’s level in diverse environments and languages. The paper aims at presenting the project and its pilot result in terms of comparative analysis of the public affairs programmes in Europe.

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