BA (Hons) Politics and International Relations

The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of utilising Jurgen Habermas's Colonisation Thesis as a tool for analysing urban space and exploring problems within the contemporary city. In the first part, the paper outlines the importance of focusing our attentions upon the city and constructing a conceptual framework for understanding urban space. The work then outlines the theoretical framework of Habermas's Colonisation Thesis before an attempt to transpose this onto our understanding of urban space. The thesis concludes on an exploration of decolonisation and sociospatial change through both situationist theory and the lived experience of urban revolution, uniting theory and practice.

Discuss the range of political factors that might advantage or disadvantage an organisation seeking to influence government policy. Do so with reference to particular campaigns and lobbying efforts. " This essay will discuss some political factors that might advantage or disadvantage an organisation seeking to influence government policy. It will look first to 'Private Members Bills', a device of the legislative that lobbying might be able to direct effectively. After that the essay will follow with lobbying at the supranational level via European Union Institutions. Then, the essay will move to evaluate how business corporations can assume a pivotal role in the political arena. First looking at efforts to provide tools for opposition government and how once they have secure an insider role, can actively collaborate with the government in enacting legislation.

A critical review of the rational approach to policy-making' This essay will critically review the approach of Rational Choice Theory when applied to Public Policy. First it will analyse the main tenets proposed by this approach to policy analysis such as the focus on the individual as a rational decision maker and profit maximiser with complete access to information and resources. As an abstract framework analysis of human behaviour, it observes simple assumptions. By using scientific methodology, the theory is able to provide testable hypothesis. This bestows the theory a predictive leverage, which has made it highly attractive for policy makers and policy analysis. Then the essay will present Lindblom's (1959) challenge to the framework, which he considered too unrealistic. He argues, that in the real world of policy making, decision makers do not possess the resources to follow this route. Moreover, practical knowledge is superior to theoretical approaches, something which policy makers should not be concerned with. Then, the essay will review the position of Herbert Simon (1955). For Simon, humans are economic as well as administrative. The essay will show that Simon and Lindblom agree that political agents do not have total access to information but also that they disagree on the causes. Simon argues that there are many factors that influence decision makers that RCT does not consider. After presenting these two different perspectives on rational choice theory and how it should be interpreted, the essay will analyse some characteristics of RCT, starting from its emphasis of capitalism applied to policy making and then moving on to analyse how the knowledge supporting RCT is elaborated. The essay will conclude arguing that competition and maximising profit are not the optimal conditions to base ones policy making upon.

This essay will analyse how the main perspectives of Institutionalism -Rational Choice, Historical and Sociological -help us to understand how policy change takes place. Firstly looking at Rational Choice, which argues that institutions are created to solve collective problems. The essay will look at utility maximisers competing with each other and institutions providing an efficient framework for resolution. It will then investigate how institutions exercise constrains in policy makers. This will be followed by individual political agents pursuing their own interest, resulting in policy change and finally explore how policy changes are aimed at transforming the rules of the game, therefore creating gradual change.

This essay will examine a case study of implementation process. It will use the first two years of the piloting of Education Maintenance Allowance as it's basis. These pilots have been chosen as they offer quite a unique example for the study of policy implementation. Pilots evolve differently from normal policy implementation. They present the opportunity to analyse how implementation is delivered whilst at the same time how it creates it's process. The essay will first provide the background for the policies.

The Government decides that it wishes to scale back internationally agreed targets to reduce Britain's carbon emissions. In order to do this ministers need to bring primary legislation before the House of Commons. You are the Campaigns Director at a national environmental charity that opposes this policy change. Set out the campaign strategy that would seek to defeat this policy specifying the tactics that you would use, the sequence of activity and how you would evaluate whether the campaign was making progress." This essay will analyse the strategy for the campaign of an environmental charity aiming to stop the government from scaling back agreed targets to reduce Britain carbon emissions. Because the goal of the charity is in opposition to the Governments aspirations, this is a likely resistance factor. To overcome it, one of the first steps would be to attract positive media coverage to our campaign. This will inform the public of the importance of the issue and consequently raising public awareness. The charity will try to enlarge its reach and resources by allying with other environmentalist organisations. After we propose political protest that will aim to raise awareness among UK MPs of the concern of their constituency. After that there will be possibilities for direct lobbying to members of the UK parliament with the aspiration of introducing a Private Member's Bill. At the same time, because of the overarching jurisdiction of the European Union, there will be also a lobbying strategy in place at this level.