Content owner

Tampere University

Economic approaches to policy design and analysis

Public policy analysis involves an approach that combines insights and techniques from economics and political science

Public Policy Analysis teaches students to use economic tools to address broad societal problems. Studies extend economic analysis beyond the traditional focus on market interactions to examine the intended and unintended consequences of policies and to explore how and when individual self-interest among politicians, interest groups etc. help or hinder public interest.

Public policy analysis involves understanding institutional design, policy evaluation and implementation, and decision-making. The methods include microeconomics, game theory, experimental economics, spatial econometrics, social choice theory and econometrics.

Public policy studies prepare students for doctoral research or for careers as professional policy analysts in policy planning and evaluation units of government agencies or ministries, the staff of elected and appointed public officials, consulting firms, and non-government organisations. It also provides an essential background in policy for people wishing to work as translators for government institutions.

Master’s Programme in Social Science Research focuses on the contemporary issues and problems of governance, conflicts and policy in the globalizing world/society. The programme consists of the following academically independent specialisations with distinct study profiles:

Please note: The programme has been renamed. The former name of the programme was Global Society - Public Choice.

Tampere University - Studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Play the video on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

Interested in applying?

Programme-specific information on how to apply

Applying to Tampere University Master's Programmes

Type

Master's degree

Degree earned

Master of Social Sciences

Planned duration

2 years

Extent of studies

120 ECTS

City

Tampere

Campus

City Centre Campus

Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens

10000 €

Link to scholarship programme

Scholarships available

Study objectives

Combining economics with public policy, Public Policy Analysis studies provide students with a large set of skills in public policy analysis.

Upon completion of Public Policy Analysis, Master’s Programme in Social Science Research, students will be able to:

use analytical tools from economics (microeconomics, welfare economics, public economics, econometric analysis, cost-benefit-risk analysis), which are useful for evaluating public policies in terms of their absolute and comparative efficacy in meeting social objectives and in terms of identifying and addressing potential cases of market failure.
to understand key issues in policy-making in a world of scarcity and potential effects of regulation, taxes and other legislative tools.
to use research tools developed in the programme (mathematics, statistics, econometrics, spatial econometrics)
use experimental economics and behavioral economics to test policies before implementation and to understand when and why people may not behave as theory predicts
to identify, collect and test appropriate data to understand the effects of policies and programmes. The econometrics courses are designed to make students both intelligent consumers and producers of statistical evidence and analysis.
to understand both the advantages of and barriers to social and political co-operation in predicting needs for and success of policies (theory of collective action, game theory, politics).

More about the language of instruction

Study contents

Public Policy Analysis teaches students to use the tools of economics to address broader social scientific problems. The analysis of public policy requires an approach that combines insights and techniques from economics and political science.

The methods used include microeconomics, game theory, experimental economics, spatial econometrics, social choice theory and econometrics. Specific courses (e.g. healthcare economics, crime and criminal policy) give the students practical applications for the tools learned in other courses.

Public Policy Analysis studies extend economic analysis beyond the traditional focus on market interactions to examine intended and unintended consequences of policies and to explore how and when individual self-interest among politicians, interest groups, voters, etc. can either help or hinder the public interest. Public policy analysis involves understanding institutional design, policy evaluation and implementation and decision-making. The programme also recognises that, while, ideally, policy is designed to incentivise or deter certain behaviour, the actors involved may react differently than anticipated. Therefore, the study of policy analysis must also include behavioural/experimental economics.

The coursework emphasises practical and theoretical understanding of these issues. In addition to building quantitative skills, Public Policy Analysis incorporates a comparative and multidisciplinary perspective drawn from case studies in North America and Europe.

Tuition fees

Structure of studies

Studies in Public Policy Analysis, Master’s Programme in Social Science Research consist of the following elements:

Advanced Studies in Public Choice (85 ECTS) form the core studies in the specialization. Advance studies enable the students to acquire in-depth theoretical, methodological and conceptual knowledge in their chosen specialization. The studies include specific courses of the field and Master’s thesis (40 ECTS) which is an individual research project that enables the student to demonstrate his/her inclusive knowledge in the chosen specialization.
General Studies (10 ECTS) focus on general orientation to studies, language studies and academic writing skills.
Studies on Global Society module (20 ECTS) include research methods modules and thematic courses from other specializations of Social Science Research programme.
Through elective studies (5 ECTS) students can choose a course or an internship based on individual interests.

For more detailed information, please see the Curriculum.

Career opportunities

Public Policy Analysis studies prepare students for doctoral research or for careers as professional policy analysts, for policy planning and evaluation units of government agencies, governmental staff, the personal staffs of elected and appointed public officials, consulting firms, and non-government organisations. Area of study also provides an essential background in policy and other social science issues for people wishing to work as translators for governmental institutions.

Co-operation with other parties

Postgraduate study opportunities

Carefully read through the general eligibility criteria and the programme-specific eligibility criteria and see whether you meet them. For additional questions on applying, application documents and application process, please contact our Admissions office. For questions regarding the content of the programme, please contact Ms. Anna Vähämäki, anna.vahamaki [at] tuni.fi.

Click to see the admission criteria

Tampere University master's programme application period 2021

9 December 2020 - 13 January 2021 3:00 p.m. (GMT+2)

Eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria in the Master's degree programmes consist of two parts: Tampere University's general eligibility criteria, and programme-specific eligibility criteria, which specify and/or add information to the general criteria. You must meet both to be considered eligible. Applicants who do not meet both the general eligibility and the programme-specific eligibility criteria will not be selected as students in Tampere University.

General eligibility

To be eligible to apply to a Master’s degree programme at Tampere University, you must have:

Bachelor’s degree - nationally recognized first cycle degree*
- which corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (European credits) or to three years of full-time study
- from a relevant field for the Master’s degree programme that you’re applying to
- from an recognised institution of higher education
- The Bachelor’s degree completed in a university outside Finland must provide eligibility for university-level master’s degree studies in the country in which it was awarded.
AND a good command of the English language for academic purposes. For more information, please see Language requirements.

*Please see detailed information on the General eligibility criteria web page.

Applicants in their final year of the Bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply if the degree will be completed by 31 July 2021. In this case, they would be accepted conditionally. Please see special instructions for applicants in the final year of the Bachelor's degree.

Admission to studies leading directly to a master's degree will be based on the applicant’s bachelor's degree conferred by a university or a university of applied sciences. Depending on programme-specific admission requirements, the programme may take into account skills previously acquired by applicants when considering applications.

A previously completed master’s degree will not make applicants ineligible for admission. However, applicants who are applying for admission to pursue a second master’s degree will only be admitted for particularly weighty reasons.

Programme specific eligibility criteria

To be eligible to apply to the Master's programme in Social Science Research - specialization in Public Policy Analysis, an applicant must have a successfully completed Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an area appropriate for the content of this specialization. A degree in a relevant field of study, e.g. Economics, Business Administration, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Cultural Studies, English Philology is helpful but not required.

Language skill requirements

When applying to a Master’s programme at Tampere University, you must submit evidence of your good command of the English language for academic purposes. You have two options of demonstrating your English language proficiency: language tests or previous studies.

In both cases you must submit a document as a proof of language skills. Please see detailed instructions and additional information on the language requirements web page.

English language tests and the minimum result requirements

Test name	Minimum test result
TOEFL iBT / TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition	92 overall with no section below 20
IELTS (academic) / IELTS Indicator	6.5 overall with no section below 5.5
PTE (academic)	62 overall with no section in Communicative Skills below 42
C1 Advanced	C
C2 Proficiency	C1
Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency (English)	Proficiency level 5

*The previous CAE and CPE have been renamed as C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency

Previous studies

It is possible to be exempted from submitting a language test score if you have completed particular studies listed by Tampere University that demonstrate your good command of English for academic purposes. Only studies that fulfill the criteria will be accepted so if you apply without a valid language test result, carefully examine the exemptions listed by Tampere University and how to submit documents.

I‌ntake

Admission procedure

Students are selected to the programme from those applicants who submit a complete application (application and sufficient application documents by the deadline) and fulfil the official eligibility criteria.

The student selection is made by an admissions committee based on the academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents. Please note that not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.

Students admitted to a Master’s degree programme may be required to complement their earlier degree with complementary studies. The complementary studies will be decided at the faculty case by case (maximum 60 ECTS credits).

Scoring

The number of eligible applicants annually exceeds the number of students that can be accepted. The student selection is made by an admissions committee on the basis of the academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents.

In the selection process, the following judgmental requirements are evaluated as a composite:

High enough academic performance in Bachelor’s degree studies
General quality of all previous university studies
Specific quality of all previous university studies: documented interest in public policy/public choice studies
Evidently high academic motivation to study in this specialization at the Tampere University

The applicants with the best combination of merits will be selected.

How to apply

Admissions step-by-step checklist

Check the general eligibility and programme-specific eligibility criteria of the programme/s you wish to apply. You are allowed to apply to three programmes at the same time.
Read through the instructions on how to apply and start preparing your application documents as early as possible!
Take a language test if required, please see the language requirements.
When the application period opens, fill in the online application at Studyinfo.fi during the application period and upload required enclosures to the application. The application period is 9 December 2020 at 8.00 GMT+2 - 13 January 2021 at 15.00 GMT+2.
Upload all required enclosures and send the educational documents by post to Tampere University Admissions Office within two weeks, by 27 January 2021 at 15.00 GMT+2. The documents must reach the University by the given deadline and they must be delivered according to the country-specific requirements, if applicable.
You can apply for a scholarship on the application form, if applicable.
Wait for the admission results to be announced at the end of March 2021.
If you are offered a study place, remember to accept it by the given deadline. Pay the tuition fee if required.
Start preparing for your arrival in Finland well in advance.
Register as a student and join the Tampere University community when the studies start in August 2021!

Additional information on application process in detail.

Online application form

The online application form will be available only during the application period only at Studyinfo.fi. The application period starts on 9 December 2020 at 8 am (GMT+2) and ends on 13 January 2021 at 3 pm (GMT+2).

Enclosures

You will need to upload copies of all required documents as enclosures on the application form. In addition to the general application enclosures, some programmes have listed additional programme-specific enclosures that are needed when applying to these programmes.

You will need to upload all required enclosures on your application form online at Studyinfo.fi. In addition to uploading, you must submit officially certified copies of your educational documents to Tampere University Admissions Office by post. Applicants whose degrees have been awarded in certain countries need to pay special attention to the documentation and documents from these countries must be submitted in a particular way. These country-specific requirements must always be followed first and foremost, prior to the regular requirements.

Applicants must post the educational documents to Tampere University Admissions Office so that they arrive by 27 January 2021 at 15.00 GMT+2. You can find the list of the required general application enclosures and further instructions on the Application documents webpage.

In addition to the seven Tampere University general application enclosures, for the Master's programme in Public Policy Analysis you also need to submit:

8. Letters of Recommendation
Two signed and scanned recommendation letters by academic/professional persons

In addition there are programme specific questions on the application form and you will be asked to provide:

Contact information for two academic/professional persons who provide recommendation letters for you. Please give the name, organisation, position and contact information including an e-mail address that if needed, we may contact them.
Your Skype contact information. Please note that only a selection of applicants may be interviewed.

Admission results and appeals

Apply via Studyinfo.fi portal

Social Science Research - Public Policy Analysis

Economic approaches to policy design and analysis

Tampere University - Studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Interested in applying?

Type

Degree earned

Planned duration

Extent of studies

City

Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens

Link to scholarship programme

Feedback

Give us feedback!

Breadcrumb

Social Science Research - Public Policy Analysis

Economic approaches to policy design and analysis

Tampere University - Studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Interested in applying?