Interview

“Short-term problem-solving and foresight in the long-term”: Introducing the Executive Master of Public Administration

Published on 04 February 2021

A CNRS professor in the Department of Economics, Roberto Galbiati is soon to be the first academic director of Sciences Po’s new Executive Master of Public Administration. In his own work, Galbiati’s research focuses on law and economics, political economy and applied microeconomics. These themes and many more, from public policy and governance to communication and leadership, will form the disciplinary core of Sciences Po’s EMPA, the very first of its kind in France. We spoke to Professor Galbiati about his plans and expectations for a pioneering new programme.

At a time when the world is experiencing major global upheavals, do you see it as more crucial now than ever that future leaders are trained in new challenges in the field of public affairs?

Roberto Galbiati

I think the situation in which we find ourselves currently, especially in the context of Covid-19, has demonstrated the importance of effective public action more clearly than ever. Whether in a company, a government or on the global stage, big shocks such as the current one demand two broad responses. First of all, we need to be able to cope with that shock in the immediate instance, by thinking quickly and producing rapid solutions to deal with challenges as they emerge. Beyond that, leaders must have the capacity to think ahead and anticipate how the decisions they make now will shape challenges in the future. Covid-19 is an excellent example: while the immediate need is to stem the spread of virus, governments and managers also need to envisage the impact of their policies in the future, both socially and economically. The Executive Master in Public Administration is designed to combine precisely these two strands: short-term problem-solving and foresight in the long-term.

What are the major themes of the EMPA programme?

Roberto Galbiati

The programme is structured around three main teaching blocks: Governance and Public Policy, Public Economics and Budgeting, Public Leadership and Management. The first of these three aims to give future policy-makers and public actors an understanding of the institutional context in which they will be working, as well as inviting them to reflect critically on policies already in place or under development. The second block focuses on equipping participants with the tools to respond to constraints and create incentives in public action and policy-making. In any setting, private or public, there are always logistical, technological and budgetary constraints. Coping with these is a question of finding the best incentives to counterbalance restrictions. Finally, the programme’s third block relates more to human interaction: its focus is on managing and communicating effectively with other people. The three blocks together are strongly interconnected, since no public action can be successful without a firm understanding of one’s logistical and social environment and the ways in which it can be shaped.

These teaching blocks cover the core curriculum of the programme. They will be supplemented by a more à la carte element, allowing participants to personalise their pathway by selecting one of two specialised tracks and a range of elective courses. These cover issues at the heart of contemporary public affairs: ecology, digital technology, the ethics of management and so on.

What pedagogical methods and approaches will be used by the EMPA teaching staff?

Roberto Galbiati

Since the EMPA is aimed at mid-career professionals with a certain amount of experience, our idea is to utilise participants’ backgrounds within programme teaching. During residentials, this will mean sharing experiences and exploiting the collective intelligence of the group, including students and academics alike. Throughout the programme, there will be a constant overlap of theory and practice. Case studies, role play and real-world scenarios will be used extensively, in complement to our Policy Challenge excursions, which are a particular innovation of the programme. These give participants the opportunity to visit settings outside of Sciences Po, where they are invited to apply their skills and knowledge in the field. The course concludes with the submission of a Capstone Policy Project, an independent professional dissertation defended before a jury. This is participants’ chance to produce a genuinely new and innovative piece of research, with the benefit of one-to-one supervision from an experienced academic mentor.

There are already several Executive Masters of Public Affairs offered elsewhere around the world. What distinguishes Sciences Po’s EMPA from these others?

Roberto Galbiati

The simple answer is that, for the moment, this is the only EMPA in France. Beyond that obvious geographical factor, what sets our programme apart is its anchoring in Sciences Po’s century-long history as an institution specialising in public affairs. Sciences Po has been training civil servants and public managers for almost 150 years now. This heritage will feed into the curriculum and provide a firm base on which to build the Master’s more innovative elements.

More concretely, the programme’s third block, focusing on leadership and public management, is a genuine innovation of Sciences Po’s EMPA. Moving away from purely policy-related knowledge, this block aims to equip participants with the soft skills they need to put policy into practice throughout their careers. Media training, team motivation, crisis communication and negotiation workshops are just some of the highly practical topics covered in this block. At every stage, these skills are taught through applied methods and linked to real-world scenarios. Unlike more theoretical public affairs degrees, our emphasis is very much on learning by doing.

Can you explain what led you to adopt a “blended learning” format for the programme, which combines remote and face-to-face teaching?

Roberto Galbiati

The programme’s alternation between remote and residential teaching was an integral part of our plans from the outset. It’s thanks to this approach that we are able to offer such a fast-track degree, which condenses the same amount of content into just 15 months, compared to the standard 24 months of other EMPAs. The remote format also has the advantage of giving our participants more flexibility in their careers. This is a programme targeted at working professionals, many of whom will have families and for whom time is incredibly precious. It was clear to us early on that remote teaching would be a great complement to the more involved and interactive experience offered during residentials.
All of that was decided prior to the pandemic, but the past year has provided an unexpected trial run for the approach. Recent months have not only proved remote learning to be perfectly possible, but shown the many advantages of this style of teaching. The key for us has been finding an equilibrium between the efficiency of distance learning and the relationship-building facilitated by face-to-face teaching.

What will graduates of this programme come away with?

Roberto Galbiati

First and foremost, our graduates will leave with a strong interdisciplinary knowledge of all subjects relating to governance, management, public affairs and public policy. They will be capable of designing policies, understanding budgets and leading responsibly and, we hope, ethically. In addition to this broad base of skills and knowledge, they will be able to think critically and find outside-of-the-box solutions to any given problem, regardless of the constraints. All of this will empower them to take the next step in their careers, whether in the private or the public sector. Finally, through intensive collaboration with their peers, our graduates will gain access to an international network of leading public affairs professionals. These contacts will be a source for them to draw on throughout their lives.

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Executive master of Public Administration (EMPA)

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