Participatory and Deliberative Governance

This module will introduce you to the recent developments in participatory and deliberative governance, focusing in particular on democratic innovations. The module aims to introduce students to the theoretical underpinnings of democratic innovations in an applied way and will include a range of different approaches to implementing participatory and deliberative governance in different country contexts. Students will explore the underlying rationale for the development of participatory and deliberative forms of governance and develop the ability to critically assess the benefits of initiatives like these.

The module will develop your skills in critical analysis and further your understanding of the role played by participatory and deliberative governance in contemporary public administration. You will be able to explain and evaluate the benefits and functionality of a variety of democratic innovations.

Week 1: Participatory and deliberative governance; an introduction

This week will introduce you to participatory and deliberative governance, highlighting the importance of democratic innovations developed by policy professionals in engaging citizens in policymaking. These developments are positioned in the context of a "crisis" in modern democracy, which has brought new challenges to policymakers the world over.

Week 2: Understanding democratic innovations

The second week will provide you with an understanding of the varieties of democratic innovation, taking in case studies, examples drawn from the world of practice, and cutting-edge policy innovations.

Week 3: Evaluating democratic innovations

In this final week, we will focus on developing the tools required to carry out an analysis of the effectiveness of democratic innovations. You will be introduced to three different methods of evaluating the success of democratic innovations, as well as real-world examples of policy evaluation.

Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Assess the potential of different forms of democratic innovations in a range of policy contexts.
• Be able to evaluate the functioning of democratic innovations

This short course is for mid-career professionals. Standard entry requirements are a 2:1 degree plus 3 years of relevant work experience. Applicants without a 2:1 or higher degree are welcome to apply and typically require 5+ years of relevant work experience.

One written assignment, plus participation in webinars and discussion forums.

Our modules offer high levels of interaction with regular points of assessment and feedback. Each four week module is worth five Master's level academic credits and includes three webinars with a King's lecturer and peer group of global professionals.

Format: Fully online, plus 3 x 1-hour weekly webinars, plus one optional induction webinar in the week before the start of teaching and an optional assessment webinar in Week 4.

This module has been designed specifically for an online audience. It uses a range of interactive activities to support learning including discussion forums, online readings, interactive lectures videos and online tutorials.

Tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Module Creators

Dr Rod Dacombe, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Department of Political Economy. During 2018, he has acted as Vice-Dean (Education) in SSPP. He currently co-convenes the Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association.

Please note that this is only indicative information. Lecturers and course content are subject to change. Please contact us directly for the most recent information.