University of Dhaka
Department of Political Science
Professional Master in Governance Studies (PMGS) Program
Curriculum: An Overview
1.1 Journey of Enlightenment
The University of Dhaka is one of the rare examples of higher seats of learning which acted as a catalyst and performed the most significant role in the strenuous struggle for independent identity of a social community. Ultimately, in the tumultuous journey of the human beings in this deltaic geography, it took the lead, supplied the drive, gave the impetus and at the end of a critical juncture of internal colonialism established a nation which was there but got the solid footing in the global theatre. Along with this, the Dhaka University in one sense helped most to give birth to an independent country through long struggle culminating in a critical phase of liberation war. This is an institution which did its best to create a country, a new flag, a new state and a governance of our own.
This university was established in 1921 and from the very first day of its functioning, the department of political science was there with teachers and students combining with economics and named as economics and political science. In 1938 the department of political science got total and separate identity as an independent discipline and lunched its academic endeavor with the vision of generating and disseminating theoretical knowledge and empirical training in different sub-fields of political science. Over the course of the time the Department has emerged as one of the largest departments of the University of Dhaka with enrollment of about 500 hundred students in Bachelor of Social Sciences Honors), Master in Social Sciences, M. Phil. and Ph.D. programs each year. The department has in fact enriched itself with a very long journey to create a knowledge-based enlightened society through its teaching capability, learning process, rigorous research, intellectual efforts, regular journals, and publications of research books by the faculties and through its products - the students. From 2016, the department has put forward its vision through 'Towards Hundred Years'. This vision goes forward: (i) with the objectives to overhaul its entire curriculum and governance, (ii) making the department attuned with new global surroundings and new problems and challenges ahead of our nation, (iii) preparing the learners to be intellectually capable and epistemologically sound to face boldly the issues in front, for simultaneously bringing individual and collective welfare of the country and of the committee of nations belonging to humanity as whole.
1.2 PMGS - a new horizon
The Department of Political Science, with a view to enriching academic excellence of teaching and fulfilling the social commitment, has introduced Professional Master in Governance Studies (PMGS) which is designed for individuals of different background, preferably young interested learners to be enlightened with theoretical and empirical knowledge about governance in a comparative perspective. The program duration is one year and a half (i.e., eighteen months). The degree awarded for this program is named Professional Master in Governance Studies (PMGS).
17 courses · 48 credit hours across 5 terms
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viva-Voce Viva | 12.5 marks for oral examination in each semester after each course final. Thus, 12.5 x 4 = 50 | 1.5 | 12.5 marks for oral examination in each semester after each course final. Thus, 12.5 x 4 = 50 |
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMGS 1001 | Concept, Theory and Perspectives of Governance | 3 | Conceptual underpinnings of governance; meaning and significance; Governance in political science and public administration, World Bank and UNDP approaches; WGI as a concept; Current theories of governance: Good Governance, , Governance Failure, and Governance Network; Cybernetic Model of Governance. Measuring Governance; Innovation, Practice, Learning and Experimentalist Governance. Comprehensive dynamics of statecraft and governance: pattern, practicality and performance. Governance: A critical appraisal; World Corporate Capitalism, Liberalism, Neo-liberalism, and Dependency. Institutional Framework of Governance: Executive, Legislature and Judiciary; Structural Framework of Governance: Governing and Non-Governing Elites; Political Party, Civil Society, Mass Media and Private Sector; Substantive Framework of Governance: Education, Culture and Development Dimensions; Normative Framework of Governance: Leadership, Mass Participation, Socialization and Ethics; Determinants of Governance: Basic Social and Political Contract, Dynamic Constitutionalism and Rule of Law; Consensus on Fundamentals; De-politicization of Issues of Vital National Interests; Access, Involvement, Entitlement and Empowerment of the Multitudes. Referendum and Public Sphere Enhancement; Public Service Institutions, Structures and Mechanisms: Transparency and Accountability. |
| PMGS 1002 | Democratization, Human Rights and Access to Justice | 3 | Democratization- Governance interface: transitional and consolidated democracies, their deficits and governance imperatives; Democratic rights, freedom and obligations; social roots of democratization, conflict management and governance. Human Rights and Governance: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and re- conceptualization of governance; Equal access to justice, due process of law and the judicial system, international human rights norms and national obligations. Governance and Development: Basic needs approach vis-a-vis Rights-based approach to development; the role of government in terms of promotion, protection and enforcement of rights and responsibilities of citizens; Governance and Reduction of Poverty: political rights and economic entitlements, safety net and legal framework for citizens from poverty and starvation. |
| PMGS 1003 | The Art and Science of Leadership | 3 | Concept and theories of Leadership: political leadership and its centrality in democratic governance; leaders to initiate and manage change in the new century. Disciplinary Perspectives on Leadership: biographical approach, educational or developmental approach, environmental approach, personality approach, clinical approach, evolutionary approach, cognitive approach, social approach, work approach. Tasks of Leading; Context, Traits and Styles of political leadership; relational, communicative and visionary leadership; Visioning as a roadmap to change the current realities, Ethics: the heart of leadership Leadership and Management; Corporate Leadership: Powers and Functions; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Company's Board of Governors (BoG); Non-executive Leadership in the BoG Contemporary leadership in Western and Asian countries: Major insights in terms of performance, values and ethics; Global Leadership and its Challenges in the 21st Century. |
| PMGS 1004 | Introduction to Economics | 3 | Microeconomics: Supply and Demand: Opportunity Costs and the Gains from Trade; Market, Supply and Demand, and Elasticity; Price Controls and Taxes; and Marginal Analysis and Consumer Choice. Welfare Economics: Markets, Efficiency, Welfare; and Welfare Analysis of Taxes, Tariffs and Transfers Firm Behavior in a Competitive Market Production, Inputs and Costs; Firm behavior in the short run and Entry, Exit and long run equilibrium. Property Rights and Market Failures: Property Rights, Public Goods and Externalities. Market Power and Regulation: Monopoly and Oligopoly, Strategic Behavior, and Game Theory. Factor Markets: The Labor Market; Poverty, Inequality and Discrimination and Time and Risk and Information. Macroeconomics: Real Economy in the Long-run: Macro and Economic Growth: Economic Growth & Convergence: Savings, Investment and the Financial System; Money. Banking and Prices: Banking and Bangladesh Bank and Money Supply and Demand; Open Economics, Macroeconomic Fluctuations and Stabilization: Aggregate Demand, Aggregate Supply and Macro Equilibrium; Aggregate Demand Management; Inflation and Unemployment; Current Issues in Macroeconomics. |
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMGS 2001 | Public Policy in Theory and Practice | 3 | Public Policy: definition, concepts, study of public policy in Political Science. Policy analysis and policy advocacy; Models of Policy Analysis: Institutional model- policy as institutional output; process model- policy as political activity; rational model- policy as maximum social gain; Incremental model- policy as variation of the past; Group model- policy as rational choice in competitive situation; Public choice model- policy as public choice; Game Theory. The Policy Making Process: decision making activities- identifying issues; setting policy agenda; stakeholders' analysis- elite/mass; alternative decisions, experts' input, draft policy formulation, sharing with interested stakeholders, persuasion by interested parties in different ministries, enactment of policy; Policy legitimization: policy makers; policy implementing bureaucracy, policy monitoring and evaluation-output mapping process; Policy making institutions in Bangladesh: Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission, Experts, Civil Society Actors, International Actors, Private Sector, Development Partners. Process Analysis of Selected Public Policies of Bangladesh: Education policy, industrial policy, agricultural policy, energy policy, Human resource development policy, National Security policies - defense, border, natural resources, water; Poverty reduction polices- SAP, PRSP, PRGF, Sixth Five Year Plan, Overseas Employment Policy |
| PMGS 2002 | Research Methodology and Quantitative Analysis | 3 | Meanings of Research, Method and Methodology; Research Proposal and Its Components; Selection of research Problem, Research Strategies: Theory, Induction/Induction, Research designs: Experimental design; Cross-sectional design; Longitudinal design(s); Case study design and Comparative design. Data Collection and Analysis: Sampling, Measurement and Scaling, Survey, Interviews, Content Analysis, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Participant Observation method, Data Analysis in Qualitative and Quantitative Research, coding, tabulation, interpretation of data; Frequency distribution; Graphical representation of data; Measures of Central Tendency - Mean, Median, Mode; Measures of dispersions; mean deviation, standard deviation; Forms of Distributions- The Moments, Skewness and Kurtosis; Correlation and Regression. |
| PMGS 2003 | Public Sector Management: Theory and Practice | 3 | Public Sector Management: Meaning and nature, Public services, The boundary between the public and private sector; Old Public Management: Continental Traditions, British Tradition, American Tradition; Governance: Major theoretical approaches; State as the main actor: Old public management and the era of hierarchy; State as a marketized agent: New public management and the era of markets; State as a hollowed out agent: Governance and the era of networks; Re-inventing the State and the Government: Nature and Forms of State, Bangladesh as a State; Whole-of-Government Approach. The Nature of Public Sector: A Comparative Outlook; Public Sector Reform in Theory and Practice; Coordination in Public Management; Coordination in partnership working; Accountability and blame shifting; Engaging with citizens and stakeholders; Policy- making in networks; Public spending: Sources of money and managing public spending; Performance measurement and management; Strategic management, Public sector project. Management, Talent management; Public entrepreneurship. |
| PMGS 2004 | Political and Economic Governance in Bangladesh: Theories and Realities | 3 | (i) Political governance: meaning and significance; political governance, constitution and political consensus building; political culture and citizenship; participation, referendum and public policy making; electoral governance, Election commission, Representation of People's Order (RPO), power transfer and legitimacy; Jatiya Sangsad and national representation; Rules of Procedures (ROP), role of treasury and Opposition, Debate, Law- making, Amendments, Committee functioning, Public Accounts Committee; Professionalism versus politicization of bureaucracy. (ii) Economic Governance: meaning and significance; Capitalism, Corporate Capitalism and Influencing factors; State: facilitating functions and market regulation; Budget, Parliament and Public involvement, State-Business Relations, Chamber of Commerce, BGMEA; Labor management and trade union, Corporate social responsibility. Issues concerning Political Economy: Privatization, NRB factor, Government Sector Institution (GSI)-Private Sector Institution (PSI) collaboration, Export, FDI, Tax Reforms, Banking Management and Ethics, Financial Sectors Reforms. Development perspectives: obstacles, determinants, management, corruption; service oriented, people centered, pro-poor economic governance; poverty reduction, human resource building, local and mass initiatives and inclusive development; NGO, micro credit, Islamic finance. |
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMGS 3001 | Corruption, Politics and Development Challenges | 3 | Defining and analyzing Corruption as a major political and economic concern: transition of the phenomenon as an ethical concern for worldwide challenge to development; examining under complex multidisciplinary framework: governance deficit, corporate behavior and cultural norms. Corruption, economic growth and political dynamics: causes of corruption, nature and pattern of growth and distribution, corporate strategies and degree of social tolerance; Level of development of political institutions: accountability, transparency, capability, maturity and competitiveness; administrative capacity and discretion, punishment and reward-system for bureaucracy, leadership, corporate bodies, business, industries, organization, individual and for the people of all strata. Measuring corruption and approaches for its reduction and eradication. Corruption Control and Role of the State: legal framework, public-private sector governance network, effectiveness of watch-dog agencies like Anti-corruption Commission and parliamentary committees; impact of media, civil-society groups and development partners. |
| PMGS 3002 | Gender and Governance: Theories and Perspectives | 3 | Gender, sex, and gender as social construction; Gender related terminologies: roles, needs, awareness, mainstreaming, equity and equality, planning and building gender analytical framework; Gender issues: theory, concept, approach; patriarchy, feminism, poverty, class, parity, empowerment, development; Gender development concerns: WID, WAD, GAD, WED - critical evaluation; International instruments and UN initiatives: critique of CEADAW, BPA, Beijing-5; Gender issues, changes in development discourse agenda: critique of PRSP, MDGs, SDGs, gender budgeting; Women development networks: national policy, budget, education; participation in politics, state power and governance (national and local); Violence against women: trafficking, prostitution, wife battering, sex worker menace, women advertising; curriculum mis-engineering; government policies and measures; Female-male relationship in complicated transitional perspectives: complaints, conflicts, contradictions and cases - influences of media and cultural dimensions, familial relations, economic transactions, social and religious dimensions; Gender and class contradictions: women liberation vs class and mass emancipation struggle; Weltanschauung narrowed down? Critique of gender conceptualization and social construction; Women in Globalization: Underhand and subtle control of corporate capitalism, world imperialism and globalization. |
| PMGS 3003 | Global Governance and Development Discourse | 3 | Development of Capitalism: Mercantile capitalism, From competition to monopoly, Finance Capitalism and Imperialism; Modernization Theory; World Capitalist System; Center-periphery relation; World trade system: Trade Liberalization; Market economy versus Protectionism; Different rounds of GATT, Dunkel Draft & WTO; Different Aspects of WTO; Globalization of Capital: Multinational company or Mega corporations; World Bank, and IMP: Structure and Roles; Affiliated institutions and their Roles (IDA, IFC etc.); Neoliberalism and Structural adjustment policies; The Critique of Neoliberalism and Policy of Hugo Chavez; Recent jargons: Development Partnership, PRSP, MDGs, SDGs; From poverty alleviation to poverty reduction- a retreat; Regionalism and Microregionalism: Theories and Realities: Case studies: NAFTA, AFTA, SAARC, ASEAN and EU; Politico-Developmental Structure of Global Governance: The Role of UNO; Nationalism to Supra Nationalism? Success or failure? |
| PMGS 3004 | Local Governance, Empowerment and Social Stability | 3 | Local Governance and Local Self Governance: Concepts and Theories. Decentralization: De-concentration, Devolution and related ideas and innovations in global perspectives. Institutional framework of local governance and characteristics: Bangladesh Context. Political, economic and societal problems: Institutionalizing effective structures and roles of local governance; Representation Dilemma: Local and National. Financing local government: political, constitutional, administrative and financial constraints. Local Resource Mobilization and Empowerment: Local initiatives, local control and local participation; Local Resource Mobilization and capacity building. Comparative analysis of selected South East Asian countries: Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore vis-a-vis Bangladesh. Local governance and Non-government Organizations: opportunities and dilemmas; local-global nexus and international involvement for effective participation, development and social peace in Bangladesh. |
| Code | Course title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMGS 4001 | Corporate Governance: Theory and Practice | 3 | Corporate Governance: Its meaning, philosophy and purposes; Principles of corporate governance; Theories of corporate governance: Stewardship theory and (ii) Agency theory; Corporate Governance and value creation; Business Ethics and Corporate Governance; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Environmental Issues and Corporate Governance, Structures and Processes of Corporate Governance: Board of Directors (BOD); Board Committees; Shareholders; Institutional Shareholders; Other Stakeholders; Auditors and Bank Corporate Governance and Competition; Economics and Politics of Corporate finance and Corporate control; Corporate Governance in Bangladesh: Theory and Practice. Corporate Governance: Concepts, Issues and Domain; External Governance: Law and Regulation; Internal Governance: Controls and Accountability; Codes of Best Practice and Norms of Behavior; Corporate Leadership and Risk Management; Financial Market Supervision and Control; Governance and Financial Market Economics; External Reporting Need vs. Delivery; and Definition Inconsistency and System Improvement; Corporate Governance and Bangladesh Experience. |
| PMGS 4003 | Ethics in Governance | 3 | (i) Concept and theories of ethics: Defining and significance of ethics; Moral values and ethics; Philosophical ethics and metaethics; Virtue ethics; Governance ethics; and Altruism. (ii) Theoretical foundation of governance ethics: Nichomachean ethics; Religion and ethics; Contemporary ethics (in the 21st Century); (iii) Ethics in governance: Ontological stances and boundary setting; Normativity and governance; Ethics and integrity of governance. (iv) Applied ethics with reference to Bangladesh: Public sector ethics: Shaping, problems and prospects; Business ethics: Organizational integrity and moral principles; Political ethics and responsible government; Leadership and organizational ethics; Decision-making: Logic of ethics; Ethics in corporate governance; Environmental and ecological ethics; Ethics in social media and communication. (v) Ethics related behavioral and functional issues: Regulation, service, accommodation, allocation, distribution, combating corruption, work culture, achievement criteria, behavioral and functional positive change, and ensuring justice. |
| PMGS 4004 | Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development | 3 | International Political Economy and the Environment; Environmental Governance: Meanings, importance and related concepts; Environmental citizenship; Theories of Global Environmental Change: Market Liberal Vision, Institutionalist Vision, Bio-Environmentalist Vision, Social Green Vision; Environmental Management Systems: Broad Frameworks for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); Environmental Management Systems in Global Perspective: Environmental Impact Assessment; Auditing, Monitoring, Reporting and Adaptive Management; Bangladesh Perspective; State of Environment and Development in Bangladesh- Pollution, Deforestation, Land Degradation, Waste Disposal, Bio Diversity Management, Climate Change; Environmental Management System in Bangladesh. Dimensions of Global Environmental Problem: Deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcity, loss of bio-diversity, loss of common property resources, outdoor pollution, indoor pollution, climate change; Case Studies: Ozone Layer Depletion, Global Climate Change; Dimensions of Global Environmental Problem: Agricultural Biotechnology; Global Environmental Governance (GEG): Initiatives and Movement; Sustainable development: Meanings, Approaches and strategies; State and Global Institutions; State system and International Environmental Law; Environment and Sustainable Development: Revisiting the Relationships. |
| PMGS 4008 | Written Comprehensive Examination (Covering all the courses of IS', 2nd, 3n1 and 4th Semester) | 1.5 | Comprehensive Examination (Written, Covering all the courses of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Semester) |