MPP

Master of Public Policy

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program is designed to provide global perspective and professional expertise in public policy areas. The program is highly regarded both in and outside of Korea, particularly among developing nations and government officials. The faculty with outstanding research backgrounds and empirical knowledge offers a leading curriculum that integrates theory and practice. Students are required to take one of the economic policy study areas, and may select additional study areas to cover 39 credits towards their graduation. The highly diverse student composition provides a unique educational environment. Both domestic and international students from all walks of life, including the government, the media, and NGOs are able to share ideas, knowledge and experiences, and build a dynamic global network.

Academic Goals

• Expand policy-makers’ capability in policy planning, analysis and implementation
• Foster professionals in the field of economic and social policies

Program Characteristics

• Build area-specific policy expertise with economics as its base
• Utilize comprehensive and interdisciplinary research capacity of KDI, the top think tank in Korea

Program Specific Concentrations

Finance and Macroeconomic Policy

The study area on Finance and Macroeconomic Policy aims to help students understand the theory, the practice, and the policy issues in the areas of macroeconomics and finance. Target students include mid-career professionals in finance ministries, central banks, financial supervisory authorities, self-regulatory agencies, and others who aspire to work in such institutions. The rich list of finance courses can also meet the needs of students from the private sector. Upon completion, students are expected to have a full understanding of two key agendas in recent G-20 summits: global imbalance and international financial regulatory system.

Selected Courses List

Trade and Industrial Policy

In this era of globalization, no country can enjoy economic prosperity without engaging in international trade. While domestic industries struggle to adjust themselves in the global market, industrial policy can facilitate the process. This concentration aims to offer theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of international trade and industrial policy. Legal and institutional arrangements in the world trade will be analyzed in the context of contemporary issues such as FTA, FDI, international trade negotiations, dispute resolutions, and etc. Target students include mid-career professionals in trade-related ministries and business entities or international organizations, as well as those students who aspire to work in such institutions upon graduation.

Selected Courses List

Public Finance and Social Policy

The market is an indispensable mechanism for efficient resource allocation and long-term growth. The workings of the market, however, are often accompanied by extreme poverty, externalities, information asymmetry, and coordination failures, thereby entrapping vulnerable individuals and communities at a lower end of possible equilibria. To promote efficiency, equity and solidarity is a significant goal of public policy in this light. On the basis of economics and other social science disciplines, this concentration explores ways to tackle these challenges through taxes, government expenditures, and prudent regulations. Target students include mid-career professionals working in the fields of fiscal policy, poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, social insurances, labor protection, and cultural policy.

Selected Courses List

Regional Development and Environment Policy

Sustainable Development and Green Growth are keywords in the 21st century development discourse. Leaders in the public sector need to understand the dynamic relations among economic development, environmental protection and societal development. With this concentration, students develop the knowledge and skills to (1) draft regional development projects and policies considering environmental consequences, (2) conduct environmental impact assessments, (3) facilitate stakeholder participation and orchestrate environmental dispute resolution, and (4) understand complex policy making procedures in regional development and environmental management programs. Graduates may find positions as local or regional development planners and decision makers, environmental analysts in state, national, and international agencies and NGOs, or infrastructure development in the private sector.

Selected Courses List