About the Centre for Public Policy

The Centre for Public Policy was established in 1995 to provide a forum for teaching, research and informed discussion of issues relating to policy design and evaluation, public sector economics and public sector management and change. The Centre has established connections with similar institutions overseas. It has reciprocal arrangements with The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Public Policy Program at Georgetown University, Washington DC. The Centre also has strategic alliances with a range of institutions within the University of Melbourne, in particular the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, and the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, enabling it to offer students a wide choice of options in putting together programs suited to individual needs.

The teaching programs are primarily intended for public and community sector leaders and managers or those wishing to pursue such a career. They have been designed to encourage deep thinking about policy issues, to challenge conventional ideas about the process of government and public sector management and to develop the student's capacity for high quality policy work and best practice management. The Centre's programs aim to provide professional qualifications for people involved in the public sector, for people with a professional interest in public policy and management and those interested in the analysis of government policy. These include:

• public sector employees who are seeking academic qualifications for career advancement; tertiary graduates seeking particular skills or specialisation;
• private sector and voluntary sector employees involved in public sector service-provision contracts;
• private sector and non-government organization employees who work at the interface between government and the wider economy; and
• scholars wishing to pursue higher degrees.

The Centre offers a coursework teaching program and has attracted a diverse body of PhD and post-doctoral students, whose presence has helped it to establish a vibrant scholarly atmosphere.

Principal areas of specialisation

• policy analysis: policy design and evaluation, advising on policy;
• public sector management and change;
• public sector economics;
• policy research skills;
• media and communications skills;
• ethical and legal issues in the public sector.