Governance and public policies need to be influenced by the latest management practices today because of several factors like globalisation, private-public partnerships and collaborations, etc. The approach towards solving public sector issues pertaining to governance is slowly undergoing a change for the better. It is this need to have more responsible and able governing bodies in the country, which has driven both the government and B-schools to think about programmes that might help administrators and senior officials. There are many international and transnational organizations that require public management skills and efficient policy makers.

Programme in India
Public Policy management programmes have caught on in India only in recent times. Some of the prominent management schools in the country have come up with full time and short duration courses in this regard. Institutes like IIM A, B, MDI, TERI university etc offer unique programmes in public policy management.

The full time programme for public policy management is usually for a duration of one or two years. IIM A offers the course for one year while the masters programme in public policy managment is of two years at IIM B and MDI. The topics covered include general management practices and those specific to public policy management. Some of the topics covered under the special module include; economic environment and policy, economic development, economics of regulation, innovation and technology policy, international economic relations, issues in ethics and leadership, IT strategies for governance, law and public management, public finance, public organization and management theory, public policy formulation and implementation etc. These topics are more or less similar across institutes.

Participants can also choose from wise range of electives for their specialisation. IIM A for instance has electives like carbon finance, microfinance, e-governance, corporate governance, securities regulation, urban planning etc and the scope is really wide.

The full time programmes usually commence in the month of April/May. Candidates can be sponsored or open and need to have good academic background with 7 or more years of experience (criteria changes with each institute). The courses are usually meant for senior class I civil officers. Selection is usually carried out using CAT/GMAT/GRE scores. Based on academic record, work experience, test scores and the letters of recommendation candidates are called for final interviews.

An important aspect of this programme is the international immersion module. Each Institute partners with an international school to help candidates get a cross cultural perspective and also understand the working practices in another country. This international stint is usually for 6-8 weeks and also involves an assignment.

International programmes
Some of the international institutions which offer courses in public policy management include; H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, The Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, University of Geneva, Lyndon Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, The Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Centre for International Science and Technology Policy, George Washington University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, School of Public Policy, George Mason University, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Korea.