Teaching

2022/23 & 2023/24 Commercialisation of Public Services, University of Birmingham

The module introduces students to key ideas in public finance and tools to navigate the increasingly commercial environment in the public sector. The module looks at commercialisation both from the perspective of governments buying from commercial markets and from the perspective of them selling to customers.

Topics covered:

• The economic rationales for providing public services

• The funding environment for local government

• Key debates in commissioning public services

• Models for procuring public services

• Challenges of managing public service contracts

• Developing a strategy for commercial trading

• Evaluating commercial options

2023/24 Digital-Era Public Policy, University of Birmingham

This module explores the way in which digital technology is shaping how public policy and public services are designed and delivered. The module starts by building a foundation around key concepts of digital-era government and an introduction to digital systems and platforms. It then explores the application of service design and delivery approaches from the tech sector to public services and policies, such as iteration and working in the open. It also considers how data is used in a public sector context. 

Topics covered:

• Key concepts in digital government and digital systems

• The impact of disruptive technologies on public services

• Risks and governance of processing data in the public sector

• A practical project based on iteration and design principles

2023/24 Managing Public Money, University of Birmingham

The module highlights the importance of effective financial management in public sector organisations and defines the concepts behind public economics. It concentrates on the changing role of finance and how that affects the support of new developments in public services. The module also allows students to develop and practise key skills required to ensure the effective management of public money and to explore real-world scenarios that can be applied directly to their professional lives.

Topics covered:

• Economic rationales for government intervention and public services provision

• Key principles of obtaining public finance though taxation

• Considerations of efficiency and equity in providing and funding public goods

• Key issues in public budgeting, public investment, and cost-benefit analysis

2019/20 & 2020/21 Case Studies Workshops, UCL

The workshop introduces postgraduate students to the case study method and its uses in political science research. It explores the strengths and potential uses of case studies as well as the critiques and challenges of case studies and how students can address them in their own research. Students have an opportunity to discuss their own ideas for case study research with their peers and receive practical guidance from the workshop leader.

Topics covered:

• The definition of a case study and core features of case study research

• Types of case studies, their uses, and critiques

• Principles of and practical guidance for case selection

• Examples of successful case study designs

• Discussion of students' own case study research

2019/20 & 2020/21 Process Tracing Workshops, UCL

The workshop introduces postgraduate students to process tracing as a method in political science research. It guides students through designing a successful process tracing study, from formulating a suitable research question, to developing a theory about a causal mechanism, and gathering and analysing data. Students have an opportunity to discuss their own ideas for process tracing research with their peers and receive practical guidance from the workshop leader.

Topics covered:

• The definition of process tracing research with key examples from the field

• The role of causal mechanisms in process tracing

• How to develop a testable mechanism

• Working with data and using evidentiary tests

• Discussion of students' own ideas about using process tracing

2019/20 PPE Summer Challenge, Subject Leader, UCL

This five-week summer course giving students from underrepresented backgrounds a chance to experience university teaching and develop the research skills expected of undergraduates. Each week we explore an area of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and connect learning from this area to a real-life policy case study, including Academy schools, the COVID-19 response, organ donation, and Brexit. We also explore research methods from PPE and how they can be used to addess the policy challenges covered and students develop their communication and critical analysis skills through group discussions and activities.

Topics covered:

• PPE as a subject and the course at UCL

• The role of government in theory and practice

• How we talk about politics and political discourse

• Nudging and other behavioural approaches to public policy

• Forms of democracy

2019/20 Mastering Academic Writing, UCL

A series of workshops for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Department of Political Science to develop their academic writing skills and tackle common problems. The workshops included a mixture of lecture-based teaching, group exercises, peer feedback, solo working, and one-to-one sessions with instructors. 

Topics covered:

• The rules of academic writing (and when to break them)

• Writing a good introduction

• Strategies for answering the question

• Structuring your writing

• Editing and proofreading your work

• Academic refrencing

• The psychology of writing