30467 - LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY

This course focuses on the interaction between public law and public policy. For our purposes here, ‘public law’ includes the principles, rules and institutions that deal with collective and public interests and are, thus, more or less distinct from those governing the conduct of individuals and private bodies. Starting from some general premises concerning law and public policy, this course focuses on some issues that are particularly relevant for looking in particular at competition, environmental and digital policies.

Part I – European Public Law and Policy

• Rules, Actors and Procedures
• Democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights.
• The Sources of European Public Law

Part II – The Pillars of European Public Policies:

• The Public Policy Cycle
• Impact Assessment and Evaluation
• Competition Policy
• Environmental Policy

Part III - European Law-Making Process in Action

• Strategic Priorities
• Monitoring and Reporting
• Policy Implementation and Enforcement

• first and foremost, understanding the nature and the role of public authorities and the relationship with the private sector in performing public policies;
• second, understand how democratic values and the rule of law shapes European law and public policy;
• third, understanding the actors and procedures of European public policy and, specifically, to the European law-making process;

• This course will allow students to understand the process of European public policy and the most relevant areas in this field;
• Students will also acquire the ability to critically examine legal documents, regulation and policy and to explain and discuss their points of view, also within teamwork.
• The course will provide students with cases studies on European public policy, thus, encouraging the development of critical thinking skills.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Individual assignments

This is a course based on “law in action”. The class surveys approaches to understanding public law, seen in its interaction between public policies, in a range of settings.

• A variety of issues concerning legal principles and rules, as well as their underlying values, thus be considered, on the basis of the readings and materials that are available on the Bboard.
• The course is based on active teaching methodologies that aim at maximizing students’ participation. In addition to theoretical sessions, students are involved in the discussion of case studies, to be analyzed individually or in group during classes.

Students will be assessed through an individual assignment (3/30 of the final grade) and a written exam (27/30 of the final grade).

With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, the individual assignment measures the ability of students to analyse case studies of European law and policy.

The written exam consists of class open and specific questions, assesses students’ ability to apply the notions explained during classes and verifies the application of a correct methodology in answering the questions.

Students’ assessment is based on open and specific questions referred to the materials for non-attending students.

Reading and materials uploaded on Blackboard for attending students.

Reading and materials uploaded on Blackboard for non-attending students.