Understanding the policy process. This course offers an introduction to politics and the policy process in modern societies. It equips students with a solid understanding of foundational insights from comparative politics, economics and policy analysis, enabling them to navigate the politics of complex domestic policy processes throughout their careers. The first part of the course introduces the main steps in the policy cycle and key concepts to understand related dynamics: Problem formulation and agenda-setting & -seeding; normative and positive perspectives on policy formulation; decision-making at the elite and mass level; policy implementation; and policy evaluation & learning. The second part introduces the international level, discusses differences between democracies and autocracies, challenges from right-wing populism, and offers a discussion of conceptualizing broader social change. The course uses climate policy as the main policy field to draw on for illustrative case studies, but other topics such as redistribution, race and gender feature prominently. Please note that this course does not offer a comprehensive introduction to climate policy – for this, attend my second year “Advanced Climate Policy” elective.