Stichtag für Abstracts: 30.04.2026
Lecturers
Prof. Jarle Trondal, Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, and University of California, Berkeley (course coordinator)
Prof. Iver B. Neumann, Director, The Fridjof Nansen Institute and Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Agder.
Timetable
Number of Credits awarded: 10 ECTS
Course objectives
Climate change, economic crises, migration and terrorism are among the many public problems that challenge public governance in modern societies. Many of these problems are spanning political and administrative systems, causing evolving challenges for governments world-wide, and making sustained public governance particularly challenging. Yet it might also pave the way for novel forms of governance – through networks and through multilevel systems.
Since public governance mainly takes place through public organizations, like ministries, regulatory agencies and international organizations, this course has four objectives: First, it aims to discuss how turbulence and crisis affects public organizations in contemporary democracies. Second, it aims to discuss the concept of governance robustness and conditions for sustained public governance.
Third, we aim to outline and discuss an organizational-institutional approach to public governance. On doing so, the course will offer a systematic introduction to various forms of public governance and provides a discussion of various mechanisms that contribute to shape robust public governance. Yet, rather than launching a full model for explaining policy formulation and policy implementation, the course focuses on how various organizational characteristics of the governmental apparatus might systematically enable, constrain and shape public governance processes, thus making some policy choices more likely than others. Forth and finally, the course also aims to offer ways of bridging the theory-practice divide by outlining contours of a design theory of public governance.
Course contents
The course is structured in four interconnected modules:
Learning outcomes
Students should attain a comprehensive overview of the concept of governance, turbulence, and robustness, both with respect to the concept’s theorizing and its appearance in public organizations. Students should also be able to apply concepts of empirical cases and to outline research strategies in studies of governance.
Teaching methods
The course will take place as a three-day intensive seminar and will be a mix of lectures and various in-class interaction during the lectures. The students will also be required to prepare a draft paper for the course, present it, and comment on (at least) one other draft.
Instruction will comprise:
Compulsory activities
Assessment
Students will be assessed based on a research paper submitted after the course (~6-7000 words).
Practical information
Application deadline: 30 April 2026. Please note that places are limited.
Cost: There is no course fee. Accommodation from 8–11 is covered, and breakfast and lunch are provided on all course days.
Language of instruction: English.
For any questions, please contact advisor Marte Strand at marte.stranduiano
Register:
You can register for the course here.
