Postgraduate Diploma in Public Policy and Development
Analyse public problems and develop practical, evidence-based policy responses.
About the course
Analyse public problems and develop practical, evidence-based policy responses. The programme connects governance, development, public finance and research with the design, implementation and evaluation of public policy. You will examine Southern African cases and produce a policy brief and implementation plan addressing a defined development challenge.
What you'll learn
- Analyse a public-policy problem using institutional, economic and development perspectives.
- Compare policy options and explain their distributional effects.
- Design inclusive participation and feasible implementation arrangements.
- Develop programme budgets and monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
- Produce and defend a research-informed policy brief and applied project.
Requirements
A relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent preparation in public administration, political science, development studies, economics, law, social sciences or a related field is expected. Academic writing and basic quantitative skills support the programme. BMIT assesses qualification equivalence, relevant professional experience and any preparatory study before admission.
Course content
Complete all 11 subjects across three learning stages. Stage 1 establishes the foundations of policy, governance, development and public economics. Stage 2 develops implementation, participation, budgeting and evaluation skills. Stage 3 integrates research methods, policy analysis and an applied capstone. Cases draw on South Africa, Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African region.
3 learning stages 11 subjects
1Stage 1: Policy and development foundations4 subjects
2Stage 2: Policy design and implementation4 subjects
3Stage 3: Research and applied policy project3 subjects
Subjects in this programme
Complete all 11 subjects across three learning stages. Stage 1 establishes the foundations of policy, governance, development and public economics. Stage 2 develops implementation, participation, budgeting and evaluation skills. Stage 3 integrates research methods, policy analysis and an applied capstone. Cases draw on South Africa, Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African region.
11 subjects are listed below with a short description of each. The Subject descriptions tab contains the learning outcomes, topics, practical tasks and assessments.
Stage 1: Policy and development foundations
- Public Policy Theory and Analysis. Examine how public problems reach the policy agenda and how institutions shape policy choices. Compare policy instruments and build clear, evidence-based arguments. Compulsory
- Governance, Institutions and Public Ethics. Analyse relationships between public institutions, elected representatives, administrators and communities. Examine accountability and ethical judgement in public decision-making. Compulsory
- Development Theory and Southern African Contexts. Critically examine competing explanations of development, inequality and social change. Relate these debates to rural and urban priorities in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Compulsory
- Economics for Public Policy. Apply economic reasoning to public choices and development priorities. Examine trade-offs, distributional effects and the limits of market-based and government interventions. Compulsory
Stage 2: Policy design and implementation
- Public Finance and Programme Budgeting. Connect policy priorities with credible budgets and resource decisions. Examine expenditure choices, intergovernmental funding and financial accountability. Compulsory
- Policy Implementation and Strategic Public Management. Translate policy decisions into coordinated action. Examine organisational capacity, implementation barriers and service-delivery performance. Compulsory
- Participatory Planning and Inclusive Development. Design participation processes which support informed and inclusive public decisions. Analyse power, representation and access in community development planning. Compulsory
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. Design evaluation arrangements suited to public programmes. Distinguish outputs from outcomes and assess the strength of evidence for programme effects. Compulsory
Stage 3: Research and applied policy project
- Research Methods for Public Policy. Plan ethical research capable of informing policy decisions. Combine critical reading with appropriate qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Compulsory
- Policy Appraisal and Evidence Communication. Compare policy options and communicate defensible recommendations to decision-makers. Make assumptions, uncertainties and distributional consequences explicit. Compulsory
- Applied Public Policy and Development Project. Integrate the programme’s methods in a focused policy and development study. Produce a justified recommendation and a feasible implementation and evaluation plan. Compulsory
Assessment and practical learning
Assessment includes policy essays, case analyses, a programme budget, consultation planning, an evaluation framework and research tasks. The final applied project combines a policy brief, evidence-based report, implementation plan and individual oral defence. Practical activities use published, simulated or authorised information. Consultation and field research require appropriate consent and supervision.
Subject descriptions
Select a subject to read its learning outcomes, main topics, practical task and assessment.
Stage 1: Policy and development foundations
Public Policy Theory and AnalysisCompulsory
Examine how public problems reach the policy agenda and how institutions shape policy choices. Compare policy instruments and build clear, evidence-based arguments.
Learning outcomes
- Compare major approaches to policy analysis.
- Define a tractable public-policy problem.
- Assess alternative interventions against explicit criteria.
Main topics
- Policy cycles and their limitations
- Problem framing
- Policy instruments
- Stakeholder interests
- Institutional context
Practical task
Prepare a problem tree and an options paper for a local service-delivery challenge.
Assessment
Submit an analytical essay and a referenced policy-options paper.
Governance, Institutions and Public EthicsCompulsory
Analyse relationships between public institutions, elected representatives, administrators and communities. Examine accountability and ethical judgement in public decision-making.
Learning outcomes
- Explain how institutional arrangements influence policy implementation.
- Evaluate an accountability failure using evidence.
- Propose proportionate safeguards for ethical decision-making.
Main topics
- State and society
- Institutional mandates
- Accountability
- Public ethics
- Integrity and conflicts of interest
Practical task
Analyse an anonymised governance case and develop an accountability map.
Assessment
Submit a governance case analysis and an individual ethics reflection.
Development Theory and Southern African ContextsCompulsory
Critically examine competing explanations of development, inequality and social change. Relate these debates to rural and urban priorities in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Learning outcomes
- Compare development perspectives and their assumptions.
- Interpret development indicators in context.
- Assess the distributional implications of a development intervention.
Main topics
- Development theories
- Poverty and inequality
- State and markets
- Rural and urban development
- Regional cooperation
Practical task
Prepare a comparative development profile using published district or national indicators.
Assessment
Submit a comparative report and a critical seminar paper.
Economics for Public PolicyCompulsory
Apply economic reasoning to public choices and development priorities. Examine trade-offs, distributional effects and the limits of market-based and government interventions.
Learning outcomes
- Explain the economic rationale for a public intervention.
- Evaluate efficiency and equity trade-offs.
- Interpret basic economic evidence for a policy audience.
Main topics
- Public goods
- Externalities
- Market and government failure
- Employment and growth
- Distribution and equity
Practical task
Compare the economic case for two public-service interventions using stated assumptions.
Assessment
Submit an economic appraisal and a short evidence interpretation exercise.
Stage 2: Policy design and implementation
Public Finance and Programme BudgetingCompulsory
Connect policy priorities with credible budgets and resource decisions. Examine expenditure choices, intergovernmental funding and financial accountability.
Learning outcomes
- Prepare a transparent programme budget.
- Explain how funding arrangements affect implementation.
- Assess affordability and accountability risks.
Main topics
- Budget cycles
- Programme costing
- Revenue and transfers
- Expenditure controls
- Fiscal sustainability
Practical task
Cost a small public programme and test alternative funding scenarios.
Assessment
Submit a budget workbook, assumptions note and financial-risk analysis.
Policy Implementation and Strategic Public ManagementCompulsory
Translate policy decisions into coordinated action. Examine organisational capacity, implementation barriers and service-delivery performance.
Learning outcomes
- Develop a feasible implementation plan.
- Analyse organisational and coordination risks.
- Select measures for monitoring service delivery.
Main topics
- Implementation models
- Institutional coordination
- Strategic planning
- Change management
- Service standards
Practical task
Build an implementation plan with responsibilities, milestones and risk responses.
Assessment
Submit the plan and a case-based implementation analysis.
Participatory Planning and Inclusive DevelopmentCompulsory
Design participation processes which support informed and inclusive public decisions. Analyse power, representation and access in community development planning.
Learning outcomes
- Design an accessible consultation process.
- Assess whose interests and evidence are represented.
- Integrate consultation findings into a development proposal.
Main topics
- Stakeholder mapping
- Public participation
- Gender and disability inclusion
- Local development planning
- Conflict and negotiation
Practical task
Prepare and simulate a community consultation on a proposed local development intervention.
Assessment
Submit a participation plan, consultation record and critical reflection.
Monitoring, Evaluation and LearningCompulsory
Design evaluation arrangements suited to public programmes. Distinguish outputs from outcomes and assess the strength of evidence for programme effects.
Learning outcomes
- Construct a testable theory of change.
- Develop credible indicators and data collection arrangements.
- Evaluate findings without overstating causal conclusions.
Main topics
- Theory of change
- Indicators and baselines
- Process and outcome evaluation
- Evaluation design
- Learning and reporting
Practical task
Prepare a monitoring and evaluation framework for a public or development programme.
Assessment
Submit the framework, indicator definitions and an evaluation-design justification.
Stage 3: Research and applied policy project
Research Methods for Public PolicyCompulsory
Plan ethical research capable of informing policy decisions. Combine critical reading with appropriate qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods.
Learning outcomes
- Formulate a researchable policy question.
- Select and justify an appropriate research design.
- Identify consent, confidentiality and evidence-quality requirements.
Main topics
- Research questions
- Evidence reviews
- Sampling and interviews
- Survey and administrative data
- Research ethics
Practical task
Develop a feasible research protocol and pilot a small instrument using simulated or authorised data.
Assessment
Submit a protocol, instrument and ethics statement.
Policy Appraisal and Evidence CommunicationCompulsory
Compare policy options and communicate defensible recommendations to decision-makers. Make assumptions, uncertainties and distributional consequences explicit.
Learning outcomes
- Appraise alternatives against transparent criteria.
- Assess evidence quality and uncertainty.
- Write a concise recommendation for a defined policy audience.
Main topics
- Options appraisal
- Cost-effectiveness
- Multi-criteria analysis
- Evidence synthesis
- Policy-brief writing
Practical task
Produce an options matrix and policy brief for the capstone problem.
Assessment
Submit the appraisal, evidence table and a short oral briefing.
Applied Public Policy and Development ProjectCompulsory
Integrate the programme’s methods in a focused policy and development study. Produce a justified recommendation and a feasible implementation and evaluation plan.
Learning outcomes
- Conduct an ethical, bounded policy investigation.
- Integrate evidence into a reasoned recommendation.
- Defend an implementation and evaluation plan.
Main topics
- Problem diagnosis
- Applied investigation
- Stakeholder evidence
- Implementation planning
- Evaluation and reflection
Practical task
Complete a supervised project on an approved Southern African public-policy or development problem.
Assessment
Submit the final report, policy brief, implementation plan and individual oral defence.
Instructors
