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2022/2023

Negotiation of Public Policy Disputes

Code: 101108 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500259 Political Science and Public Management OT 3 2
2500259 Political Science and Public Management OT 4 2
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 3 2
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 4 1
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 4 2

Contact

Name:
Júlia Miralles-De-Imperial Pujol
Email:
julia.mirallesdeimperial@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

It is required to have passed the subject "Political Science" and "English for Social Sciences" of the 1st year and "Public Policy and "Administration and Public Policies" of the 2nd year. It is also necessary to read generalist newspapers and to have interest in the current political conflicts and negotiations. Finally, the kind of activities and evaluation of this subject makes essential the in person assistance to the majority of the sessions. Other ways of pursuing the subject are considered exceptional and should be previously agreed with the lecturer.

Objectives and Contextualisation

Negotiation is a key element in the process of elaboration and management of public policy. The objective of this subject is to offer to students the theoretical and practical tools to understand and manage public controversies, and to introduce students in the negotiation theory and tecniques in the framework of public policy processes. 

The subject combines the theoretical and practical dimensions. During the course we will analyse public controversies and explore different ways to negotiate by means of simulations and practical cases, from the most simple to the most complex ones and combining the perspectives at the different levels of government. 

Competences

    Political Science and Public Management
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Applying the discipline's main theories and different fields to real practical and professional problems.
  • Applying the knowledge of the Public Administrations on its various levels to practical and professional concrete cases.
  • Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  • Assess the social, economic and environmental impact when acting in this field of knowledge.
  • Demonstrating the understanding of intergovernmental relationships and identifying the position of Public Administrations in the political system.
  • Describing and understanding the functioning of the Public Administration on a state, sub-state and supranational level.
  • Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
  • Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  • Distinguishing the discipline's main theories and different fields: conceptual developments, theoretical frameworks and theoretical approaches underlying the discipline's knowledge and different areas and sub-areas, as well as their value for the professional practice through concrete cases.
  • Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  • Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  • Make changes to the methods and processes of the area of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  • Producing and planning researches or analytical reports.
  • Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  • Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  • Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.
    Contemporary History, Politics and Economics
  • Describe and analyse the functioning of public administrations on different territorial scales.
  • Explain and summarise knowledge acquired in English language at an advanced level.
  • Identify the main actors, structure and functioning of political systems in the internal and international sphere from a theoretical or applied perspective.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Work cooperatively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams implementing new projects.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  2. Applying the discipline's main theories and different fields to real practical and professional problems.
  3. Applying the knowledge of the Public Administrations on its various levels to practical and professional concrete cases.
  4. Arguing from different theoretical perspectives.
  5. Assess the social, economic and environmental impact when acting in this field of knowledge.
  6. Critically analysing the configuration process of the public agenda.
  7. Demonstrating the understanding of intergovernmental relationships and identifying the position of Public Administrations in the political system.
  8. Describing and understanding the functioning of the Public Administration on a state, sub-state and supranational level.
  9. Develop critical thought and reasoning and be able to communicate them effectively, both in your own language and second or third languages.
  10. Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  11. Distinguishing the phases of public politics: formulation, decision, implementation and evaluation.
  12. Identifying sources of data and conducting bibliographic and documentary searches.
  13. Interpreting and applying English texts in an academic way.
  14. Make changes to the methods and processes of the area of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and wishes of society.
  15. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  16. Producing and planning researches or analytical reports.
  17. Properly explaining and describing main theoretical approaches of the analysis of political sciences: cycle of politics, actor-network, institutional approaches, rational choice theory.
  18. Realising effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  19. Showing a good capacity for transmitting information, distinguishing key messages for their different recipients.
  20. Suggesting and explaining a case study of a concrete public policy.
  21. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  22. Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  23. Using the main information and documentation techniques (ICT) as an essential tool for the analysis.
  24. Working autonomously.
  25. Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.

Content

Lesson 1: Negotiation in public interventions

  • General framework.
  • Distributive negotiation and positions negotiation.
  • Negotiation based on principles. Harvard model of negotiation.

Lesson 2: Negotiation tecniques

  • Planification of a negotiation.
  • Formats, strategies and instruments during negotiation.

Lesson 3: Agents and power

  • Who participates and who influences in a negotiation.
  • Power in the negotiating table.

Lesson 4: Negotiation and participation

  • Negotiation and participation in public interventions.
  • Potentialities and limits of participation.

Lesson 5: Negotiation and mediation

  • Third parts in a negotiation process.
  • Mediation as an instrument of negotiation.

Methodology

The subject Negotiation of Public Interventions has 6 ECTS credits, that is, a total of 150 hours of dedication by the student (25 hours per credit). These hours are structured in the various types of training activities and teaching methodologies described below with the objective of combining a well-founded theoretical approach with practical exercises,to allow a direct approach to the reality of negotiations linked to the implementation of public policies.

The theoretical foundations will be exposed in the sessions dedicated to theoretical lectures, that will be at all times opened to the participation of students for clarification and debate.

The fundamentals of the theory will be settled on the reading of texts and the autonomous study, both of the material exposed in the classes and other materials that will be indicated in class or through the Virtual Campus.

The study work will be complemented with individual exercises related to the seminar readings and cases, from which a debate will be held between the students led by the lecturer. During the course, there will be a total of 10 seminars that will consist of an oral debate in class and, in some of them, students will be asked to make previous readings to prepare for the seminar. All seminars will be evaluated based on oral contributions done in class. It will be communicated through the Virtual Campus well in advance what specific activities each seminar will consist of and the necessary preparation by the students.

The practical paper will consist of an applied research on a local public policy chosen by the students from among the proposals made by the lecturer. The work will be carried out in teams of 3 to 5 people, with the exceptions that can be considered for working or other kind of reasons duly justified.

On the days of oral presentations of papers, a round of questions will be madeby the lecturer and the students. Finally, a debate will be opened on the set of topics addressed in the oral presentation.

During the course, individual and group tutorials will be carried out for the accomplishment of the practical paper and on the follow-up of the course in the hours that will be previously fixed through the electronic mail at the request of the students as well as by indication of the teacher.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Public presentation of a paper: individual and group presentations and round of assessments. 5 0.2 6, 4, 16, 15, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 23
Seminars for discussion of texts and cases: Introduction of the session, presentation of the text, assessment and discussion. Resolution of practical cases. Simulations. Reading controls. 5 0.2 17, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25
Theoretical lectures: explanations by the teacher with ICT support and debate in a large group. 20 0.8 17, 6, 3, 7, 8, 11, 20
Type: Supervised      
Tutorial: individual and group tutorials for support for the accomplishment of the work and monitoring of the work done in the subject. 20 0.8 19, 24
Type: Autonomous      
Elaboration of the course paper and the seminar papers. 25 1 17, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 16, 15, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 23
Study: Carrying out diagrams and summaries of theoretical contents. 30 1.2 17, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 21, 24
Texts reading: individual exercice of comprehensive text reading. 20 0.8 17, 6, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15, 13, 21, 24

Assessment

The evaluation of this subject is composed of the following evaluation activities:

- Final exam: 30% of the final grade.

- Oral participation in the seminars: 35% of the final grade.

  • Only the 8 best grades will be considered. 

- Course work: 35% of the final grade.

  • 10% of the final grade corresponds to the oral presentation and 25% to the written paper.

Important considerations

  • It is a necessary condition, but not enough, to pass the exam in order to pass the subject.
  • To pass the subject it is necessary to approve the seminars, such as the course work, such as the exam.
  • The dates of the seminars as well as the oral presentations of the course papers will be specified within the framework of the course programme through the Virtual Campus.
  • It is required to assist to the seminar sessions. Any absence due to labour or medical issue appropriately documented will not have any effect on the final mark. It is permitted to have two non-justified absences to the seminar sessions that will not have any effect on the final grade.  
  • The exam will be at the end of the semester on the day and schedule set by the Faculty, which will be made public in sufficient time and that students will have to confirm through the Faculty website.
  • Students must notify the composition of the group and the subject chosen for the course paper through the teacher's email during the first two weeks of the semester. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to deliver it.
  • The fact of doing the exam or presenting the course paper or participating in at least 4 seminars exempts the student from the "Not Presented" qualification.
  • Students who have not passed the whole of the seminars or the course paper or both may submit a new individual written work, determined by the lecturer, to obtain the necessary grade to pass the assessment activities thatthey had failed. The lecturer will specify to the students in this situation the characteristics and date of delivery of the corresponding work.
  • Students who have not passed the exam will have the opportunity to take part in the compensation activities, that is to say, they will be able to re-test the failed exam on the day the Faculty determines, after the end of the second semester.
  • Any student who, due to justified work or health reasons or because he is performing an exchange programme, can not attend the course normally, must notify this situation to the lecturer during the first two weeks of the semester in order to agree on the corresponding compensatory activities. In case this notification occurs later without a justification, the student can not pass the subject.
  • In accordance with article 117.2 of the UAB academic regulations, the assessment of students from the second enrollment onwards may consist of a single synthesis test. Students wishing to take advantage of this possibility will need to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Course paper 35% of the final grade 0.5 0.02 17, 1, 22, 5, 6, 3, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 9, 11, 16, 18, 15, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 23
Final exam 30% of the final grade 4 0.16 17, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15, 19, 20, 21, 24
Oral participation in seminars 35% of the final grade 20.5 0.82 17, 1, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 9, 11, 18, 15, 13, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25

Bibliography

The subject does not have a reference bibliography that must be read compulsorily to follow the course. However, for the realization of the seminars, some texts will have to be read. These texts will be indicated and uploaded in the Virtual Campus by the lecturer during the course, well in advance so that students can work on them.

 

On the other hand, for those who want to expand their knowledge about theory and negotiation and mediation techniques, we propose the following publications:

 

Fisher, R. (1996). Más allá de Maquiavelo. Barcelona: Granica.

Fisher, R., Ury, W., Patton, B. (2011). Obtenga el Sí. El arte de negociar sin ceder. Barcelona: Ediciones Gestión 2000.

Lebel, P. (1990). El arte de la negociación. Barcelona: CEAC.

Mendieta, C. (2010). Tècniques de negociació i resolució de conflictes. Manual de Consulta. Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona. Disponible a https://www1.diba.cat/llibreria/pdf/51553.pdf

Moore, C. (1995). El Proceso de Mediación. Buenos Aires: Granica.

Software

This subject does not require the use of any specific software.