USESEB004 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Analysis and Creation of Public Policies

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Winter 2015
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Marta Kolaříková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Marta Kolaříková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D.
Institute of Central European Studies – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the subject is to introduce the main methodological aspects of researches focused on social sciences and questions linked to application of these researches in analysis and creation of public policies to the students. The subject is divided in three blocks, subsequet to one another. The first one concerns the general principles of scientific aquisition of information, relation of science and public policy as well as the issue of legitimization of scientific knowledge in relation to their application in social practice and public policy. The second one presents the main methodological approaches in social sciences to the students and introduces the range of main methods. The third and the most extensive block deals with some forms of use of social science techniques for creation and analysis of public policies. The successful students will be able to evaluate adequately the potential of social researches for needs of public policy and will realize the main difficulties linked to application of theoretical scientific knowledge in social practice of public policies implementation.
Syllabus
  • Block I
    1. Relation of social science and society in contemporary world (towards the theory of reflexive modernization).
    2. Language of science and language of social practice; matter of values in social sciences.
    Block II
    3. Positivism. Objectivity and measurement, quantitative approaches.
    4. Principal methods of quantitative research.
    5. Understanding and interpretation. Subjectivity and meaning, qualitative approaches.
    6. Principal methods of qualitative research.
    Block III
    7. Publically political and "classic" social science research.
    8. What is and what is not publically political problem (normative and non-normative perspective in determination of research targets)
    9. Evaluation research in public policy; analysis of impacts of public policies.
    10. Application of secondary data analysis and existing data sources in public policy.
    11. Forecasting of public policies.
    12. Examples of good practice of application of social science methods in creation and analysis of public policies.
Literature
    required literature
  • NEKOLA, M., GEISSLER, H., MOURALOVÁ, M. Současné metodologické otázky veřejné politiky. Praha: Karolinum, 2011. ISBN 978-80-246-1865-4. info
  • VESELÝ, A., NEKOLA, M.(eds.). Analýza a tvorba veřejných politik. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2007. ISBN 978-80-86429-75-5. info
  • DISMAN, M. Jak se vyrábí sociologická znalost. Praha: Karolinum, 2000. ISBN 80-246-0139-7. info
    recommended literature
  • JANÁK, D. Úvod do sociologie. Distanční studijní opora. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2012. URL info
  • JANÁK, D. Člověk a společnost v soudobé filosofii. Distanční studijní opora. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2011. URL info
  • JANÁK, D. Metodologický seminář k empirickým výzkumům. Distanční studijní opora. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2011. URL info
  • JANÁK, D. Metody a techniky sociologického výzkumu. Distanční studijní opora. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě, 2011. URL info
  • BRYMAN, A. Social research methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-920295-9. info
  • POTŮČEK, M. (ed.). Manuál prognostických metod. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2006. ISBN 80-86429-55-5. info
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Winter 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fvp/winter2015/USESEB004