Bachelor of Arts (BA) - The University of Hong Kong

300POLI0034.Public administration in China (6 credits)This course aims to provide a critical introduction to public administration in contemporary China. Keytopics that will be covered include the organization of the political system, policy-making andimplementation, public finance, local government, central-local relations, as well as the impacts ofeconomic reform and legal reform on government. The political and administrative implications ofChina’s integration with the world economy will also be explored.POLI0035.Public administration in Hong Kong (6 credits)Hong Kong has long been described as an administrative state. It is a unique feature of publicadministration in Hong Kong that it dominates both policy-making and policy implementation. Thepurpose of this course is to introduce students to the major issues confronting public administration inHong Kong and to consider questions of accountability in public administration.POLI0037.Managing people in public organizations (6 credits)This course examines the environment, institutions, processes and issues involved in the managementof people in public organizations, particularly the Hong Kong government. Comparisons are made tothe experience of managing people in public organizations overseas.POLI0038.Public policy and democracy (6 credits)This course examines arguments for a more fundamental rethinking about the proper roles ofgovernment, community organizations, and citizens in public policy-making and new forms of servicedelivery. Potential consequences of reforms for program effectiveness as well as for political and socialcitizenship will be considered.POLI0039.Public policy analysis (6 credits)This is an introductory course in the production of advice for public decisions and actions. This courseemphasizes both the art and craft of policy analysis. The 'art' dimension focuses on the skills in definingproblems for analysis. The 'craft' dimension, on the other hand, is concerned with theories, skills, andtechniques that can be used to analyze, design, and assess policy options. Illustration is made withreference to policy problems in Hong Kong.POLI0040.Public sector management (6 credits)This course examines the structural design and operation of the public sector as well as publicorganizations. Issues such as the use of various forms of organization in public service delivery, theadoption of corporatization and privatization, and public sector reform will be addressed. Reference ismade to the experience in Hong Kong.POLI0041.Research methods for politics and public administration (6 credits)Relevant, valid and reliable information is essential in making sound political and administrativedecisions. This course examines issues on research design, measurement and scaling, sampling, anddata collection and analysis, with emphasis on methods commonly used by politicians and publicadministrators such as mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews and focus groups. The course alsoexamines the use of opinion polls, interpretation of poll results, and their effects on elections.