The purpose of this module is to enable students to interrogate the roles and responsibilities of public administration in the promotion and production of social justice outcomes. It is introduced in order to broaden students' appreciation of the actual and potential place of public administration in contemporary society. This module will be offered on the new BA Arts programme.

This module is delivered in two parts. Part 1 will focus on establishing the foundations upon which consideration of public administration and social justice can be built. It does so by presenting the main theoretical approaches to social justice and by looking at the main discourses that inform public policy considerations of social exclusion / inclusion. It also outlines the range of potential influences on thinking about social justice including constitutional obligations; national and international legislative / treaty commitments and moral / religious factors. Part 1 of the module concludes with consideration of social justice in contemporary societies, using a student led collaborative case study approach. Part 2 of the module turns its attention to the more specific role of public administration in relation to the design / pursuit of social justice objectives. It explores key issues such as the politics - administration dichotomy, bureaucratic neutrality and values and ethics in public administration. The module also looks at the place of social justice objectives within changing public administration paradigms, including new public management and investigates some empirical examples of how public administration in different countries engages with a social justice agenda.

Upon completion of this module students will be able to: i. Critically assess the implications of theoretical and public policy approaches to social justice for the operation of public administration systems; ii. Evaluate the capacity of different public administration 'cultures' to engage with social justice issues and objectives; iii. Discuss the relative roles of politicians and administrators in addressing social justice objectives; iv. Understand how systems of public administration in a number of different countries approach the issue of social justice.

Upon completion of this module students will be able to: i. recognise the role of disposition and values in determining attitudes towards social justice within public administration systems; ii. Assess their own values and their potential place within a public administration framework.

N/A

The module will be taught using a combination of lectures and tutorials, with regular use of case study materials. In terms of graduate attributes this module will particularly focus on the development of knowledgeable students with a capacity for critical analysis. The module will be informed by recent research undertaken by the module leader in this area.