Analysts of political science and public policy use theories as a means of understanding complex realities. Theories are helpful because they enable us to structure the way we think: to see relationships, to ask relevant questions and to provide explanations of political and policy phenomena. What theories we use will often depend on what we are trying to understand or explain and they may not always be adequate for our purpose. We may find that our initial theory needs to be modified or that empirical material suggests that other theoretical explanations are more plausible. Most scholars have an open mind on these matters and approach research questions in a pragmatic manner: the best theory is the one that provides the most convincing ordering and explanation of the data.

The aims of this course are to think of the world in dynamic terms and drawing upon a range of disciplines and theories to explore critically the interconnections between different areas of politics and policy. This includes: (1) introducing the principles and theories of political science and public policy, (2) developing a critical understanding of theory and its limitations, (3) analysing the relevance of the major theories and the key drivers of contemporary issues that are reshaping politics and policy, and the ways in which this connects with real world problems.