Law and Policy Making
This is a course from the Law minor, part of the Open Bachelor’s programme. It is worth 6 ECTS and takes place in Term 1 in Paris.
Course Summary
Governments pledge to act on climate change, regulate AI, or protect consumers, but how does a policy goal become law? This course explores the full arc of policy-making, from agenda-setting to legislation, primarily through the lens of EU institutions while drawing comparisons with other regulatory traditions. You will learn who decides what (competences, subsidiarity, conferral), what the policy toolbox contains (taxes, bans, nudges, information campaigns, market-based instruments), how economic evidence and behavioural insights shape regulatory choices (better regulation, impact assessment), and when democratic participation makes a real difference. Through a sustained case study, such as the EU AI Act or the European Green Deal, you will trace how competing interests, scientific evidence, and political dynamics interact to produce (or block) legislation. Comparative snapshots of US federal rule-making and post-Brexit UK regulatory divergence will sharpen your understanding of what is distinctive about the European model. The course equips you not as a future lawyer, but as a future leader who can read, critique, and strategically engage with the policy process.
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