Global Health Governance

How to build a problematic:

Methodological guide : in building his problematic, the student will follow these lines :

• choose an object : what am I working on : a public policy, an institution, representations ? According to this objet, my question, my hypothesis, the theory I am using are different. Avoid too large objects (development policy ; health policy in general). This object has to be very precise. Ex : the implementation of the Global Fund policy in Kenya.

• choose a main question (you can then have sub-questions) : this question is linked to the object and depends on theories chosen. If the object is a public policy, the question will be linked to public policy theories. If the object is an institution, it will be linked to neo-institutionalist theories…Avoid questions like : what is the efficiency of a public policy (too difficult to demonstrate). The question has to be clear : what are the obstacles to the implementation of a specific policy in the framework of a neo-patrimonial state ? (in this case the theories mobilised will be theories on the neo-patrimonial state and theories on the implementation of public policies).

• Hypotheses : those are possible answers to the main question. Again they depend on the theories used. In the case of the questions above : my hypothesis is that neo-patrimonial practices run against the implementation of a specific policy.

• choose the empirical material/approach to analyse it. This has to be coherent with the rest (object/questions/hypothesis). This can be interviews, official documents, reports by NGOs…). Before starting a dissertation MAKE SURE THIS MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE. The approach used to analyse this material is linked to the theories used.

The course means to teach students how to build a problematic (construction of objet/question/approach), how to link a theory to empirical material.

Connaissances et compétences pré-requises ou co-requises

A good level of English is required.

A good background in political science is required. The students who do not have that background will need to do a supplementary work.

The course includes a methodology and theoretical part, case studies and the presentation by the students of their problematic (the problematic of their dissertation).

Methodological guide : in building his problematic, the student will follow these lines :

-choose an object : what am I working on : a public policy, an institution, representations ? According to this objet, my question, my hypothesis, the theory I am using are different. Avoid too large objects (development policy ; health policy in general). This object has to be very precise. Ex : the implementation of the Global Fund policy in Kenya.

-choose a main question (you can then have sub-questions) : this question is linked to the object and depends on theories chosen. If the object is a public policy, the question will be linked to public policy theories. If the object is an institution, it will be linked to neo-institutionalist theories…Avoid questions like : what is the efficiency of a public policy (too difficult to demonstrate). The question has to be clear : what are the obstacles to the implementation of a specific policy in the framework of a neo-patrimonial state ? (in this case the theories mobilised will be theories on the neo-patrimonal state and theories on the implementation of public policies).

-Hypotheses : those are possible answers to the main question. Again they depend on the theories used. In the case of the questions above : my hypothesis is that neo-patrimonial practices run against the implementation of a specific policy.

-choose the empirical material/approach to analyse it. This has to be coherent with the rest (object/questions/hypothesis). This can be interviews, official documents, reports by NGOs…). Before starting a dissertation MAKE SURE THIS MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE. The approach used to analyse this mateial is linked to the theories used.

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

Podcasts and bibliography are on the UV.

Support(s) de cours

• Syllabus
• Université virtuelle
• Podcast

Informations complémentaires

the following rules apply for this course: 
-students have to be on time for the course (doors close ten minutes past the beginning of the course)
-masks are mandatory
-time to wait for an answer to an e-mail: 1 to 7 days. If the answer is on this webpage, no answer will be given.
-if during the contestation of a mark, false informations are circulated which may ternish the reputation of the course and the professor, legal actions will be taken.
 

Contacts

veronique.dimier@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

• Travail personnel
• Examen oral

Travail personnel

Examen oral

The examinations will be as followed: the examination will consist of three steps. The theme of this examination for this year is the following: the building of a social security system in Africa during the last ten years (with a specific country as an example). The student will have to build a problematic on this theme, using theories developed in the course and following the guidelines presented on the course page.

-Students will write for the 7^th of November a summary (10 pages, 10x 34 lines) on a specific book chosen on a list which will be transmitted through the UV. It will present this summary orally (the 7^th) and give a paper version to the professor the same day (this version has also to be posted on the UV). 25% of the mark

-Students will present the problematic of their paper orally during the last two weeks of November (25% of the mark). A document of two pages (2x34lines) will have to be posted on the UV AND be given in a paper version to the professor the same day as the oral presentation. On the first page, you have to give detail about the country or organisation you will focus on; the theory you will use and explain to what extent this theory helps you to frame a research question and hypotheses. On the second page, you will give a detailed summary of the theory you use. This proposal counts for the first and second sessions. Students who do not give me that document will be penalised (-5 points) on their final examination.

-They will give a paper of 5 to 10 pages (one page=34 lines), bibliography excluded on the same subject through the UV AND in a paper version to be put in a box in front of my office, 41 av F Roosevelt by the 29 of January (or for the second session, 20th of August). (50% of the mark)

Students who do not have the background in political science have to provide me with an added work of ten pages (34 lines x10): a synthesis of public policies theories..

All the work has to be done in a proper English

Construction de la note (en ce compris, la pondération des notes partielles)

-the dissertation is coherent. It includes a clear theory of political science which is used to determine questions and hypotheses: more than 10 out of 20
-the dissertation includes a political science theory but which is not linked to the rest of the demonstration : 8 to 10
-the dissertation does not include any theory in political science :  7
-the dissertation is a summary of existing articles/book or is not correctly written : 6
-the dissertation does not deal with the subject given: 2 

Langue(s) d'évaluation

• anglais