As part of the drive to professionalise policymaking, Civil Service Learning has partnered with the
London School of Economics and Political Science to run a bespoke Executive Master of Public Policy programme. The programme is designed to equip civil servants with the cutting-edge analytical tools required to deliver effective policy in an increasingly complex and inter-dependent world. Here, Rhiannon Harries and Emily Bourne, two DECC participants in the first cohort, share their early insights on the programme, which started in December 2015.
What does the EMPP consist of?
The Executive Master of Public Policy (or EMPP as it’s known) has been designed to fit alongside full-time work and is completed over the course of 18 months. The teaching is condensed into intensive week-long and weekend modules with subsequent essays and exams.
- The weekend modules focus on policy in practice
- The week-long modules concentrate more on theory, with case studies to illustrate and embed learning
- The final part of the course is a “Capstone Project” where we’ll work in teams and be allocated to government departments to use our learning and provide advice on real policy questions.
What have you covered so far?
We had our first “policy in practice” weekend in December, which covered both the European Union and levers in public service reform. The lectures included guest speakers – we had an MEP speak on the EU – and the public service reform part focused on Andrew Lansley’s health reforms as a case study. It was really valuable to step back and consider how theoretical frameworks can be applied in these contexts. We also had a maths and stats refresher – which has terrified the majority of us – and I now get pitying looks when I pull out a tome of a maths textbook on my commute!
In January, we had our first week-long module, on Political Science. Given my experience of lectures as an undergrad, I was sceptical that the lecturers would be able to hold my attention for a full day session, let alone a whole week, but I can genuinely say it was fascinating throughout. A lot of that is credit to the LSE lecturers and guest speakers, who have very engaging styles, but the content is also so readily applicable to real world examples that it keeps you thinking of how it could relate to the day job and previous policy issues you’ve encountered.
A big part of the value of the course so far has also been the input from other students. Having a cross-government cohort is great as there will normally be someone with relevant experience on any given topic. And for some modules, we’re with students on LSE’s Executive Master of Public Administration course, which has a wide range of people from the public / private sector and many international students. It’s been helpful to have this wider perspective and challenge to our Civil Service bubble!
What has it been like returning to studying?
The lecture content is brilliant and I think doing those in intensive blocks is much better than splitting it out over many weeks as it allows you to fully focus on it. However, the reality of juggling the programme alongside the day job hits home when the lectures are over and it’s fair to say that the formal assessment part has been daunting. We’ve already had an essay and exam, and have another essay due soon. After not having written an academic essay in years, it’s taking a bit of warming up to that style again! It’s a considerable personal time commitment beyond the time spent at lectures so it shouldn’t be entered into lightly, but the fact the content is so interesting and practical really helps motivate me to study.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about the EMPP, do contact us for more info, or speak to Tom Tagg in HR. It is likely there will be a second cohort next year.
