Public policy is the collection of decisions and means used by governments / institutions to respond to the diverse and complex combination of social, environmental, economic and cultural problems, issues and circumstances. Policy-making is linked to a rational, objective and leading process of steps and stages. The aim of this course is to improve students’ decision-making ability, gain leadership skills and provide strategies for further improvement in the future. We look at how individuals and groups make decisions, and shape policies to solve problems, individually and collectively. Students will understand different decision-making styles, leadership and moods behind each style, learn to make decisions more deliberately and systematically, and be able to use analysis techniques and team management procedures in decision making.

Upon completion of this course, students will have developed decision-making skills, understanding how individuals and groups make decisions and formulate behaviors and policies. The aim of the course is also for students to understand the analysis techniques, to understand different ways of making decisions, to develop processes in groups, to incorporate factors (eg values, prejudices, expertise, habit and willpower) into decision making. Through this process they will learn to manage policy formulation issues through the process of negotiating and applying game theory.

The course has a laboratory part. Students will be involved in a variety of decision-making strategies to gain the ability to put theoretical analysis into practice. In order to bridge the gap between theory and practice, they will be asked to prepare an analysis of a topic during the 7th week. The paper, 5-10 pages long, deals with the analysis of a topical issue in which techniques of decision-making theory and policy development will be applied. The papers will be presented to the class (10 minute presentation) (40%). The final paper will be asked to describe a topic or situation of strategic importance for which the relevant techniques can be used. It may refer to the situation or issue of the first job or to a different issue. The work can be individual or group (60%). A third of the degree of final work will result from the presentation (10 minutes) during the examination process in the classroom. And the remaining two-thirds of the grade will result from the written report (10-20 pages) of the analysis. The work must be written in double space without calculating tables and diagrams.

Course Bibliography (Eudoxus)

• Το σύστημα λήψης αποφάσεων στην εξωτερική πολιτική (Κωδικός Βιβλίου στον Εύδοξο: 30476), Συγγραφείς: Τσαρδανίδης Χαράλαμπος, Έκδοση: 1η έκδ./2006, ISBN: 978-960-02-1979-1, Διαθέτης (Εκδότης): ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΠΑΠΑΖΗΣΗ ΑΕΒΕ
• Εισαγωγή στη Θεωρία Παιγνίων (κωδικός στον Εύδοξο 35241) Osborne Kλειδάριθμος ΕΠΕ, 2010 Θεσσαλονίκη
• Θεωρία παιγνίων (κωδικος στον ευδοξο 1063) Μηλολιδάκης Σοφία Α.Ε., 2009 Θεσσαλονίκη

Additional bibliography for study

• Gibbons, R., Game Theory for Applied Economists, Princeton University Press, 1992.
• Dixit, A. and B. Nalebuff, The Art of Strategy, WW Norton, 2008 Dixit, A. and B. Nalebuff, Thinking Strategically, WW Norton, 1991.
• Νικολόπουλος, Ανδρέας. Η Στρατηγική των Διαπραγματεύσεων. ISBN13: 9789609443203