E-Talk: “Zombie Ideas: Why Old Ideas Do Not Die” by Guy Peters

This e-Talk will discuss why governments continue to use policy ideas to guide their decisions, even when those ideas have been demonstrated to have little validity. We will examine the persistence of failed ideas and the lack of success of more promising ideas in a number of settings. These sessions will be co-hosted with Max Nagel from Zeppelin University in Germany.

Number of Students: 10

Documents required to apply: CV in pdf

Format: 2 sessions of 2 hours each via ZOOM

Date: Week of June 1

Timetable: 08:30 - 15:00 EDT-US

E-Talk: ”The political process of policy making. A pragmatic approach to policymaking” by Philippe Zittoun

The idea of this e-talk is to present and have discussion around the book "The political Process of PolicyMaking" published in 2014. The book analyses the public policymaking process focusing on how governments relentlessly develop proposals to change public policy to address insoluble problems. Rather than considering this surprising Sisyphean effort as a lack of rationality, the author examines it as a political activity that produces order and stability.

Number of Students: 10

Documents required to apply: CV in pdf

Format: 1 session of 2 hours each via ZOOM

Date: To be determined

Timetable: To be determined CET working hours

E-Talk: ”Community Management and Water Service Delivery In Africa” by Joseph Okeyo Obosi

This e-Talk will discuss why access to affordable and clean water has remained a challenge globally. Most states in Africa states have championed the provision of water to its citizens through state-driven approaches. Despite the evidence that community water supply has contributed positively more than any other single approach to the provision of water supply in Africa, it is still regarded as an informal approach. Most states in Africa still prefer other conventional approaches like Concession and Affermage in Francophone Africa and Commercialization through Management contracts in Anglophone Africa at the expense of the community water management. Either the state has not used the right approach or has neglected the community. Using evidence from Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria, the paper has argued that the failure by the governments to acknowledge the disconnect between the community needs and state priorities has been responsible for the poor state of water provision in Africa.

Number of Students: 10-20

Documents required to apply: CV in pdf

Format: 1 session of 2 hours via ZOOM

Date: June 15th 

Timetable: 15:30 - 17:30 East African Time

E-Talk: “Living in a World of Rules: Studying and Governing Regulatory Policy” by Claudio Radaelli

Living in a world of rules is a conversation with the IPPA audience on why we study regulatory policy and why it matters. Regulations save lives, help communities to manage crises, and protect the environment but bad rules can also stymie growth and trigger corruption. And yet, what is a good rule, and good for whom? In this e-talk Professor Radaelli explains the motivation for our social scientific interest in regulatory reform. Then this scientific interest should lead us to regulatory encounters with the real world of regulatory guillotines, regulatory czars, regulatory management and international organizations that promote reform and management of public rules. This lecture is also an opportunity to share with you some thoughts on how, project after project, Professor Radaelli came to reflect on his own perspective and engagement with regulatory reform. "I live in a world of rules as a citizen, as policy analyst who leads on research programmes, but also as a researcher whose knowledge, findings and narratives contribute to the debate on what regulatory reform is, should be and who should benefit from it."

Number of Students: 20

Documents required to apply: CV in pdf

Format: 1 session of 2 hours via ZOOM or suitable platform like Teams

Date: 2 June 2020

Timetable: 16:30 - 18:30 GMT (UK)