Bureaucracy, Politics and Power

This course has been replaced by POLS3009 from 2025 onwards. For more information, please visit https://cass.anu.edu.au/recent-changes-cass-programs The course provides an introduction to the study of public administration – in other words, the nature of government, how it is organised, how the political and administrative elements work together, and how it relates to citizens. It will help you understand why certain decisions are made by ministers, where power lies in government, why disasters and government failures occur, why governments sell off public assets and contract out functions, why some issues are considered to be problems and some aren’t, and the shadowy world of political advisers. We look at how fundamental ideas and shifts in the shape of the state are played out everyday in newsfeeds. The course uses case studies as ways of learning about theories and current controversies.