Course coordinator
Dr Frank Mols
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
This course deals with the practices of modern governance. Governance can be defined as the tools, strategies and relationships used by governments to help govern. Interest in governance has in part been spurred by the view that governments should experiment more with 'non-governmental' mechanisms in dealing with pressing problems, for example, through the use of market mechanisms, or by forging collaborative or partnership relationships with civil society or community organisations. A central argument in this course, however, is that the role of governments and state agencies remains central to governance strategies, and that governments have an important responsibility to oversee, steer, resource and render accountable all forms of governance. This notion of the 'government of governance' can be termed 'metagovernance'.
The course also deals with questions of knowledge and rationality in policy and governance systems and about how ideas and discourses shape the world of policy and governance. The course also explores the impact of power and institutional arrangements in shaping governance practices.
Public policy can be defined as purposeful decision making by governments to activate a policy goal. Governance is somewhat similar but usually implies governments using a wider set of instruments and/or relationships (often with non-government actors) to achieve policy outcomes. Hence, governance is broader than public policy, implying a larger tool kit. In this course, we define governance as the tools, strategies and relationships used by governments to help govern.
Interest in governance has increased in the last decade or more as governments have searched for new ways of governing and dealing with problems which confront society. Interest in governance has in part been spurred by the view that governments should experiment more with ‘non-governmental’ mechanisms in dealing with pressing problems, for example, through the use of market mechanisms, or by forging collaborative or partnership relationships with civil society or community organisations.
Some have argued that governance strategies reflect a weakening state. For example, some scholars argue that the increased reliance on tools such as markets or relations with non-government organisations (eg. community associations or NGOs) implies a weakened state needing outside support.
A central argument in this course, however, is that the role of governments and state agencies remain central to most governance strategies. Indeed, the course argues that governments and state agencies remain central to governance and have an important responsibility to oversee, steer, resource and render accountable all forms of governance. This notion of the ‘government of governance’ can be described as ‘meta-governance’.
We also deal with questions of human capacity and rationality in policy and governance systems and also about how ideas and discourses shape the world of policy and governance. The course also explores the impact of power and institutional arrangements in shaping governance practices.
The course consists of a 1 hour lecture, and a 1 hour seminar that is designed to be highly interactive.
Course contact
Course staff
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Students are expected to attend all POLS7101 seminars in person.
The seminars will be held on UQ St Lucia campus, and be recorded so students unable to attend (e.g., due to illness) can view the recordings retrospectively.
The seminars will provide students with ample opportunity to meet with fellow students and to engage in group discussion.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide an introduction to a number of key issues relating to contemporary debates about public policy and governance. In particular it is designed to provide an overview of key issues and to introduce ways of thinking about some of the more general, though fundamental, aspects of governance. We begin by looking briefly at public policy and then broadening out the focus to more general issues of governance.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Identify key governance trends in advanced capitalist societies since WWII and explain key drivers of change.
LO2.
Investigate and critically appraise the use of difference modes of governance in addressing major contemporary policy challenges. Diagnose limitations and trade-offs inherent in each approach.
LO3.
Persuasively communicate policy advice in written and oral forms.
LO4.
Propose and justify appropriate policy interventions, underpinned by knowledge of governance approaches and current ‘best practice’ research evidence
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution |
Seminar Participation (400-word Summaries + Group Discussion)
|
20% |
Twelve Seminars (28/7 - 27/10) |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Policy Briefing Paper (1000 words)
|
40% |
31/10/2025 |
| Essay/ Critique |
Oral Assessment (Mock Ministerial Briefing)
|
40% |
Between 8-22 November 2025. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Seminar Participation (400-word Summaries + Group Discussion)
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
Twelve Seminars (28/7 - 27/10)
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Internal POLS7101 students are expected to:
- Attend all weekly seminars in person.
- Bring along a hardcopy summary of one of the recommended readings for the week in question (which the students are expected to hand in at the end of the seminar)
- Write ten summaries in total (giving students the flexibility to skip summary writing in some weeks)
Marking
- Summaries deemed of sufficient quality and submitted (via Turnitin) before the start of the seminar will be awarded 2 points (10 summaries x 2 points = 20 points maximum)
- Summaries deemed of sufficient quality but submitted (via Turnitin) retrospectively will be awarded maximum 1 point
- Exceptions can be made in case the student can present credible evidence of mitigating circumstances (e.g. a medical certificate, a student access plan)
NOTE
This assessment tasks is to be completed in person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Policy Briefing Paper (1000 words)
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
31/10/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Write a 1000 word policy briefing paper (on a current policy challenge)
You are free to choose a policy challenge, but expected to discuss at least two potential policy interventions
Your policy briefing paper should be submitted via Turnitin (accessible via the POLS7101 Blackboard site)
Required word count: 1000 words (excluding references), with 10% less or more margin.
The marking criteria for this assessment item will be made available via the course Blackboard site
NOTE
You are permitted to use AI to (a) produce a first rough draft and (b) polish the language of your final draft
Your policy briefing paper has to start with a short statement explaining whether, and - if so - how AI was used.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submission:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Oral Assessment (Mock Ministerial Briefing)
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
Between 8-22 November 2025.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Duration = 10 minutes (2 x 5 minutes)
Deliver a 5-minute oral policy briefing (on a policy challenge of your choice) and respond subsequently to questions for 5 minutes
In this assessment, students are expected to draw on (and benefit from) the knowledge acquired while writing the policy briefing paper (assessment item 2)
Students are allowed to bring a hardcopy of their policy briefing paper as well as additional notes in hardcopy format.
Students are not allowed to use digital equipment during their oral presentation.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Completion of the Oral Assessment (Mock Ministerial Briefing) is a hurdle requirement for this course. To pass the course, students must obtain a minimum mark of 40% (i.e., 16 out of 40 marks) for this assessment task. Students who do not meet this threshold will not be eligible to pass the course, regardless of their performance in other assessment components such as participation or the policy briefing paper (1000 words). Students who receive a 39% or less for this task can only receive an overall grade of 3 or less for the course. Students who receive an overall score of 3 in the Course are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment (my.UQ > Supplementary Assessment)Submission guidelines
Submission:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not address the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student addresses the question poorly and shows very little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay or coherent answer for the exam question and employs some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flow appears throughout the assignment. The student addresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However, falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument and employs an adequate research base to support the argument or answer. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The student answers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student provides suitable evidence to support an argument and employs a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic and provides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic and succeeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be awarded on the following basis:
1.ﾠFailﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 - 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Students will receive written feedback on their assignments (in electronic format) via the Turnitin online submission system.
Note: Make sure that you keep a copy of your assignments.
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Referencing and Word-Length
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length.
• If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The following books are also useful for background reading:ﾠ
Knill, C., & Tosun, J. (2020). Public Policy: A New Introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Torfing, J., Andersen, L. B., Greve, C., & Klausen, K. K. (2020). Public Governance Paradigms: Competing and Co-existing. Edward Elgar Publishing.ﾠ
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you. The day and time of these sessions will be determined at the start of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (28 Jul - 03 Aug) |
Seminar |
1. Introduction: Statehood and 'Public Administration' The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 2 (04 Aug - 10 Aug) |
Seminar |
2. The 1970s and the Fiscal Crisis of Western Welfare States The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 3 (11 Aug - 17 Aug) |
Seminar |
3. The 1980s and New Public Management (NPM) The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 4 (18 Aug - 24 Aug) |
Seminar |
4. The 1990s and Third-Way Politics and Policy The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 5 (25 Aug - 31 Aug) |
Seminar |
5. The 2000s and Behavioural Public Policy (BPP) The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 6 (01 Sep - 07 Sep) |
Seminar |
6. Debate about new 'Modes of Governance' and 'State Capacity' The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 7 (08 Sep - 14 Sep) |
Seminar |
7. Combining (Five) 'Modes of Governance' The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 8 (15 Sep - 21 Sep) |
Seminar |
8. Governance through Hierarchy The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 9 (22 Sep - 28 Sep) |
Seminar |
9. Governance through Markets The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Mid Sem break (29 Sep - 05 Oct) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK (29-9-2025 to 3-10-2025) Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 10 |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
KINGS BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY (6-10-2025) |
Week 11 (13 Oct - 19 Oct) |
Seminar |
10. Governance through (MLG) Networks The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 12 (20 Oct - 26 Oct) |
Seminar |
11. Governance by Stealth The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 13 (27 Oct - 02 Nov) |
Seminar |
12. Governance through Persuasion The learning objectives of this seminar are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.