OASV4100 Urban Governance Emneplan

Modern cities face challenges due to rapid changes in social, economic and environmental conditions. Emphasising urban entrepreneurship, cities set ambitious goals for sustainable development, which have social, environmental and economic aims. This course focuses on smart solutions to the challenges these trends represent for urban public administration, evoking national and international experiences from three policy areas where these challenges are particularly prominent: public spaces, housing, and infrastructure. The course provides a cross- disciplinary and comparative approach to urban governance. The main focus of this course are the processes and mechanisms shaping a city as well as, strategies and instruments in the governance of cities.

None.

A student who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence

Knowledge

The student has

• Thorough knowledge about processes and mechanisms that shape a city, including its atmosphere and its functioning
• Thorough knowledge about strategies and instruments to promote sustainable cities, emphasizing economic, social and environmental sustainability.
• Thorough knowledge about national and international approaches to coordinated urban governance, its challenges, benefits and solutions.
• Thorough knowledge about national and international approaches to democracy and participation in urban governance.
• Thorough knowledge about managing public space, housing, and infrastructure in cities and urban areas.

Skills

The student

• Can contribute to the development of urban strategies and implement measures to steer processes in the desired direction.
• Is able to assess the need for and use participatory measures in city policy formulation and implementation.
• Is able to interact effectively with market actors.
• Is able to understand, manage and critically discuss public space, housing and physical infrastructure in an urban context.

General competence

The student

• Can contribute to public sector innovation and reforms.

The course is organized in series of lectures, working groups and student presentations.

The course requires basic knowledge of micro economic theory, financial and management accounting, and public sector accounting. Students who lack these will receive a mandatory additional seminar and ca. 200 pages supplementary readings. (These lectures will be given in Norwegian only.)

Knowledge:

The student has

• Advanced knowledge in management control in the public sector
• Advanced knowledge in performance management in the public sector and is able to utilise this knowledge in new areas of public management
• Advanced knowledge on measuring, analysing and reporting public service performance and its impact on organisational behaviour

Skills:

The student can

• Analyse and critically assess information from different sources and utilise this information for structuring and formulating relevant issues in performance management in the public sector
• Utilise existing theories, methods and interpretations of performance management in the public sector and work independently to solve theoretical and practical issues that are relevant for public policy and management
• Conduct an independent, limited research and development project with supervision in accordance to ethical research norms and academic standards

General competence

The student

• Can contribute to public sector innovation and reforms

The course will consist of two-day seminars with lectures, presentations, discussions, and group assignments. The course demands that students are active during the seminars, work assignments, and the writing of the course paper.

None.

The students are to write a 10-15 pages course paper (+/- 10%), individually or in groups of two students, which will be used for the formal assessment. The students will be able to submit a draft paper for comments within a given date.

All.