BA (Hons) Economic Policy

Year three entry only. This course is specifically designed for students with a relevant HND to enter at year three and gain an honours degree.

This new and exciting course offers a range of different approaches to understanding the economy and its interaction with the wider social and environmental systems in the world today.

Following the 2008 financial crisis and the impact of the subsequent austerity policies, economists began to re-evaluate their approach to the scope of the discipline and how this subject is taught to students. 

Many students and teachers felt that mainstream economics textbooks and techniques did not do a sufficient job of explaining how events like the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 happened and why inequality is becoming more prevalent in society. 

The Coronavirus pandemic which emerged in 2019 has further highlighted that mainstream economic policy often follows or exacerbates already existing factors contributing to economic and social inequality. 

Therefore, a more pluralist and progressive way to look at the economy is embedded within this degree and equips students with a better understanding of the nature of how the economy is managed, going beyond the traditional limitations of mainstream economic teaching.

The content and the structure of this degree course, including the opportunity to gain work experience, has been developed in consultation with employers and leading colleges and is designed to develop and build on your knowledge of the subject areas you have been studying. It is therefore suitable for students with little mathematical or quantitative training.

The University's commitment to its Common Good principles and its career-focused approach is at the heart of this course, and as a graduate, you'll be in a position to make a positive difference to the social and economic regeneration of the community.

Graduate Opportunities:

The degree is designed to ensure that on completion, students are provided with the tools and skills required to engage with and improve society. Employers seek graduates who possess critical thinking skills in order to solve complex problems. 

This degree provides perspectives from the different approaches to economics which gives students a deeper understanding of the discipline and allows them to critically assess situations and work towards the best outcomes for the common good. 

Policy jobs in governance, local authorities and regulatory roles would be ideally suited to the Economic Policy graduate. Equally, students with this degree will be suited to a range of commercial and third sector roles. Students will also be well equipped to progress to postgraduate-level study.

The opportunity for invaluable work experience during the course will give you the opportunity to learn through collaborating with external organisations and potential employers such as the Scottish Government, third sector organisations, charities and companies such as Morgan Stanley and Hewlett Packard.

What You Will Study:

• International Institutions and Environments
• provides a framework for analysing the main global institutions such as the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the United Nations. The module will provide you with an understanding of i) the role and purpose of each institution ii) the history and development of each organisation iii) the structure, decision making processes and policy development.
• Economics of International Trade and Regulation
• provide you with an analysis and evaluation of the origins, rationale application of economic theory and concepts for the legislative and economic policy framework within international trade.
• European Economics: Policies and Problems
• explores the role of the EU in a number of specific policy areas including competition, industrial and agricultural policy. It examines the economic performance of the EU and the future development of the EU in relation to further enlargement and reform to the institutions and the decision?making procedures.
• Business Research Methods: Theory and Practice
• is designed to introduce you to the principles of research design, data collection, analytical skills, and writing proposals to develop research skills. It is designed to give you the prerequisite knowledge for the Honours Dissertation.
• Economics of Regulation of Business
• provides you with an understanding of the origins and rationale for the legislative and policy framework within which business, government and consumers operate.
• Work Placement Experience
• aims to provide a structured practical experience of work relevant to your area of study. As direct entry students are not able to go on a full-year placement, you will get an opportunity to undertake the Work Placement Experience option module in Trimester B which gives you the opportunity to gain structured, practical work experience which contextualises and integrates discipline knowledge, theory and concepts covered in Trimester A and provides experiential learning as well as pragmatic insight into business operations.
• Health Care and Law Ethics
• provide a comprehensive analysis of the main issues in the field of law relating to healthcare and professions allied to health. It considers both the legal and ethical dimensions of topics such as clinical negligence, consent and patient confidentiality.
• Poverty, Inequality and Policy
• examines competing ideas about poverty and inequality ? including whether either are in fact social problems ? and the various explanations and solutions proposed to address them offered by different social theorists, political ideologies and interest groups.
• Environmental Economics
• explores the application of economic analysis to environmental issues, particularly in the context of public policy and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
• Women Work and Income
• explores the role of women in the economy with a focus on analysing and understanding the nature of women's work within both the household and the formal labour market.
• Contemporary Issues in the World Economy
• analyses some of the most important contemporary issues confronting the world economy, including the environment, the process of economic development, poverty and inequality, free trade versus fair trade and gender issues.
• Advanced Human Rights Law
• provides you with an advanced understanding of the concept of human rights law. Issues to be explored include civil and political rights, economic social and cultural rights, and contemporary issues in human rights theory, law and practice.
• Making and Managing Public Policy
• aims to give you knowledge and understanding of the public policy process; policy cycles; public policy in formulation, implementation and evaluation from a theoretical perspective as well as contextualise concepts, themes and issues within the UK and Europe.
• European Business
• reviews a number of techniques, which can be utilised to analyse the effects of changes in the European business environment for the economy in general and businesses in particular. The module also explores how certain policy areas within the competence of the EU have affected the activities of businesses. The main policy areas to be covered include transport, regional, social, employment, environmental and external relations. The main objective will be to determine how these policies and changes in these policies have affected the environment in which European businesses operate.
• The Honours Dissertation
• is the culmination of your undergraduate studies. The module offers you a sustained opportunity to conduct a research project into an appropriate issue relating to the your programme of study and execute a defined project of research, development or investigation.