Program P0312D250013: Public and Social Policy - Doctoral study (DP_VESPA and DK_VESPA)

Academic director: Prof. PhDr. Martin Potůček, CSc., MSc.

The doctoral programme in public and social policy is organized by the Department of Public and Social Policy at Institute of Sociological studies and the Center for Social and Economic Strategies. It prepares experts for creative work in research and analysis in a new, dynamically developing field with high relevance to social practice and great opportunities for application in the academia, politics, public administration, the civic sector and the business sector. It broadens their theoretical and methodological competences and ability to critically reflect scholarly literature and social realities, focusing on identification and analysis of policy problems and actors’ agency with regard to their interests, values, strategies and institutional frameworks. The skills and knowledge obtained can be applied in the formulation and implementation of a broad range of public and social policies. Czech, Slovak and English are equal official languages of the doctoral programme. The programme takes the forms of full-time (internal) or blended-learning (external) study.

Anyone with a Master’s degree can apply. The programme is especially intended for applicants with a social science background (e.g., sociology, political science, economics, law, philosophy) but also for science or engineering graduates. Every applicant is primarily required to submit their written dissertation project. Discussion with applicants serves to ascertain their motivation, ability to formulate and defend research topics, theoretical and methodological competence, and orientation in basic scholarly literature.

The curriculum of the Public and Social Policy Programme consists of the following:

a. mandatory courses,

b. elective courses of relevance to the dissertation topic,

c. study abroad or international collaboration,

d. State Doctoral Examination,

e. student’s publication activity, conference attendance, participation in grant projects,

f. so-called Small Defence,

g. cooperation with the Department of Public and Social Policy, especially on instruction,

h. dissertation defence.

Mandatory courses:

J#020417

The students are encouraged to do the following:

a. submit grant proposals (e.g., to the Charles University Grant Agency), participate in research projects led by Department of Public and Social Policy staff, or take part in other research activities in the field;

b. study abroad through Erasmus, inter-university exchange programmes, etc.;

c. present their work at recognized scholarly forums, scientific conferences, symposiums, seminars, or summer schools abroad or in the Czech Republic;

d. publish papers, especially in respected scholarly journals or collective monographs. Central European Journal of Public Policy (CEJPP) is one of the available publication outlets.

State Doctoral Examination:

The candidate shall make a random selection of one of the thematic areas listed. In the course of the discussion, the examination committee may verify his/her competences in the other areas as well.

1. Discuss how your dissertation is framed in the discourse of social sciences (with special regard to public and social policy).

2. Discuss your approach to defining the dissertation’s cognitive problem.

3. Justify your choice of the dissertation’s conceptual framework. Outline its pros and cons. Discuss alternative frameworks.

4. Justify your choice of methods applied in the dissertation. Outline their pros and cons. Discuss alternative methodologies.

5. Discuss the possibilities, ways and risks of practical implementation of your results.

The candidate is expected to reflect critically on both the available literature and his/her research experience. The student shall supply the most important publication authored by him/her or co-authored with his/her advisor.