{"title":"Northern theories and Southern policies. Why the most influential approaches are insufficient for teaching public policy in Latin America","authors":"Nicolás Bentancur","doi":"10.1177/01447394231169899","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The main theories of the thriving field of study of public policies have been formulated at institutions of developed countries, mostly by the American academy, based on the particular conditions of policy-making processes of their own country. However, its heuristic premises are considered, initially, as universal and are used extensively in teaching and academic studies around the world. This paper examines the complexities derived from the application of such predominant theoretical approaches to the study and teaching of public policies that are implemented in Latin American countries. Based on an extensive use of specialized literature, 10 public policy variables are identified and organized into two dimensions, one institutional and the other procedural. It is argued that the values of these variables in the countries of this region differ significantly from those observed in the United States, which reveals the explanatory shortcomings of those approaches to account for the particular modalities of public policymaking in these countries.","PeriodicalId":44241,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Public Administration","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Teaching Public Administration","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231169899","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The main theories of the thriving field of study of public policies have been formulated at institutions of developed countries, mostly by the American academy, based on the particular conditions of policy-making processes of their own country. However, its heuristic premises are considered, initially, as universal and are used extensively in teaching and academic studies around the world. This paper examines the complexities derived from the application of such predominant theoretical approaches to the study and teaching of public policies that are implemented in Latin American countries. Based on an extensive use of specialized literature, 10 public policy variables are identified and organized into two dimensions, one institutional and the other procedural. It is argued that the values of these variables in the countries of this region differ significantly from those observed in the United States, which reveals the explanatory shortcomings of those approaches to account for the particular modalities of public policymaking in these countries.
期刊介绍:
Teaching Public Administration (TPA) is a peer-reviewed journal, published three times a year, which focuses on teaching and learning in public sector management and organisations. TPA is committed to publishing papers which promote critical thinking about the practice and process of teaching and learning as well as those which examine more theoretical and conceptual models of teaching and learning. It offers an international forum for the debate of a wide range of issues relating to how skills and knowledge are transmitted and acquired within public sector/not for profit organisations. The Editors welcome papers which draw upon multi-disciplinary ways of thinking and working and, in particular, we are interested in the following themes/issues: Learning from international practice and experience; Curriculum design and development across all levels from pre-degree to post graduate including professional development; Professional and Taught Doctoral Programmes; Reflective Practice and the role of the Reflective Practitioner; Co-production and co-construction of the curriculum; Developments within the ‘Public Administration’ discipline; Reviews of literature and policy statements.