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Course Review: EU policy and implementation: making Europe work! by Universiteit Leiden (Coursera)

Learn how EU policies are made and applied. Explore decision making, law, and implementation across Europe through real cases and research projects today.

Instructor: Bernard Steunenberg

Enroll Now ($49/month)

Course Overview

EU policy and implementation: making Europe work! explains how the European Union turns ideas into real action. The course shows how policy is planned, decided, and put into practice across many levels of government. You learn why some EU policies succeed and why others fail. Real cases help make complex ideas easy to follow. This course is best for learners with some background in policy, law, or public affairs. It suits students, civil servants, researchers, and anyone who wants to understand how Europe works in practice. You do hands-on research that can be done inside or outside the EU. You also compare results with other learners. Across six modules, the course covers decision making, lawmaking, transposition, and implementation. It explores air quality, residence rights, and worker mobility. You study the role of the European Commission and local authorities. By the end, you gain strong skills in policy analysis, evaluation, and governance.

Duration: 8 weeks. Study about 10 hours each week. Learn at your own pace.

Modules: 6 modules. Each module covers one step of the EU policy process. Topics move from decision making to implementation.

Tutor: Bernard Steunenberg. He teaches European policy at Universiteit Leiden.

Pros & Cons

👍Pros

  • ✅ Strong focus on real EU policy cases like air quality and migration
  • ✅ Deep learning through research tasks and hands-on analysis
  • ✅ Taught by an experienced EU policy expert from a top university

👎Cons

  • ❌ Not ideal for complete beginners with no policy background
  • ❌ Heavy workload due to many assignments and readings
  • ❌ Focuses mainly on the EU, with limited global policy comparison

🧑‍🎓 Who is This Course Best For?

This course is ideal for anyone who wants to understand how European policies are made and applied. It is designed for learners with some background in public affairs, law, or governance. The content is practical, with real cases and research tasks that show how EU decisions impact member states and citizens.

  • Students of political science or public policy

    Gain hands-on experience in analyzing policy processes and understanding EU decision making. Learn how laws move from idea to implementation.

  • Civil servants and government employees

    Learn how EU directives are applied locally. Understand transposition, governance challenges, and policy evaluation methods.

  • Researchers and academics

    Acquire skills in policy analysis, program evaluation, and governance. Conduct research that can be compared across countries.

  • Legal professionals

    Explore the EU legal framework, policy transposition, and compliance requirements. Gain insight into residence rights and worker mobility cases.

  • NGO and advocacy workers

    Understand how EU policies affect society and how to influence policy. Learn to evaluate policy success and failure effectively.

  • International relations professionals

    Learn how EU policy interacts with global agreements. Explore the international context of decision making and policy implementation.

  • Students or professionals outside the EU

    Assignments allow research in local contexts while comparing findings with other learners, making it accessible worldwide.

📘 What You’ll Learn

In this course, you will gain a clear understanding of how European policies are created and applied. You will explore the entire policy process, from decision making in Brussels to local implementation in member states. The course helps you see why some policies succeed while others fail, using real examples like air quality, residence rights, and worker mobility. Through hands-on research and assignments, you will practice policy analysis, evaluation, and governance in a practical and engaging way. By the end, you will be confident in examining policies, comparing countries, and understanding the role of EU institutions in shaping everyday life.

  • Understand the European policy-making process from idea to implementation
  • Analyze decision-making challenges and sectoral interests in the EU
  • Explore policy transposition and the role of national and local governments
  • Examine real policy cases on air quality, residence rights, and worker posting
  • Develop research skills through comparative assignments across countries
  • Learn program evaluation, policy analysis, and governance techniques
  • Understand the European Commission’s role as the ‘guardian of treaties’
  • Gain insights into improving EU policy through better regulation, experimentation, and decentralization

❓FAQs

The course explains how EU policies are made, decided, and applied. It uses real cases to show how policy works in practice.

The course runs for 8 weeks. Most learners spend about 10 hours per week.

It is an intermediate-level course. Some background in policy, law, or governance is helpful.

Yes. You receive a shareable Coursera certificate after completing all required assignments.

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