Politics and Ethics of Data Analytics in the Public Sector (Coursera)

Politics and Ethics of Data Analytics in the Public Sector (Coursera)

Deepen your understanding of the power and politics of data in the public sector, including how values — in addition to data and evidence — are always part of public sector decision-making. In this course, you will explore common ethical challenges associated with data, data analytics, and randomized controlled trials in the public sector. You will also navigate and understand the ethical issues related to data systems and data analysis by understanding frameworks, codes of ethics, and professional guidelines.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Using two technical case studies, you will understand common ethical issues, including participation bias in populations and how slicing analysis is used to identify bias in predictive machine learning models. This course also serves as a capstone experience for the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization, where you will conduct an applied policy options analysis using authentic data from a real-world case study. In this capstone exercise, you will review data as part of policy options analysis, create a visualization of the results, and make a recommendation.
All coursework is completed in RStudio in Coursera without the need to install additional software.
This is the fourth and final course within the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization. The series is ideal for current or early-career professionals working in the public sector looking to gain skills in analyzing public data effectively. It is also ideal for current data analytics professionals or students looking to enter the public sector.

Course 4 of 4 in the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Week 1: The Power and Politics of Data
Welcome to the fourth and the last course in the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Certificate— Politics and Ethics of Data Analytics in the Public Sector. This week, you will begin to develop a competent understanding of politics and ethical challenges in data analytics.

WEEK 2
Week 2: Professional Ethics for Data Analysts
Welcome to Week 2! This week you will dive deeper into the ethical challenges in the profession of data analyst and learn how to respond to these ethical challenges. You will get learn through authentic examples and case studies.

WEEK 3
Week 3: Bringing it All Together in a Case Study
Welcome to Week 3, the last week of this course! This week you will get to apply all that you learned in this course and the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Certificate through a capstone project. You will work with an authentic case study of “Providing Pensions for the Poor in Mexico.”

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Media ethics & governance (Coursera) Coursera
University of Amsterdam

Media ethics & governance (Coursera)

This course explores some of the basic theories, models and concepts in the field of media ethics. We will introduce influential ethical theories and perspectives, explore changing societal demands and expectations of media creation and media use, and we will elaborate on existing ethical norms for media professionals. After following this course, you will be able to reflect on ethical dilemmas and develop a well-substantiated argumentation for ethical decision making in a variety of media-related contexts.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Democracia y decisiones públicas. Introducción al análisis de políticas públicas (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Democracia y decisiones públicas. Introducción al análisis de políticas públicas (Coursera)

¿Qué son las políticas públicas? Son la plasmación más concreta de la política. Lo que los gobiernos hacen, y dejan de hacer, para hacer frente a los problemas colectivos. Este curso trata sobre cómo se decide qué problemas abordar y qué soluciones adoptar. Un proceso primordialmente político y social que suele escapar al análisis puramente racional.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera)

Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown exponentially in recent years. Rather than being seen as mystical practices from ancient Buddhism or esoteric philosophy, they are increasingly seen as technologies rooted in evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Mindfulness has become the basis for numerous therapeutic interventions, both as a treatment in healthcare and as a means of enhancing well-being and happiness. For millions around the world, mindfulness has become a life-style choice, enhancing and enriching everyday experience. Mindfulness is big business.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Analíticas de Datos con Pandas (Coursera) Coursera
Tecnológico de Monterrey

Analíticas de Datos con Pandas (Coursera)

La analítica de datos ha avanzado considerablemente en los últimos años y ahora existen diversas herramientas que nos permiten realizar tareas o procesos que antes eran complicados de realizar. Gracias a su versatilidad, el lenguaje de programación Python posee una serie de librerías que permiten realizar proyectos de analítica de datos de una forma muy sencilla y una de las librerías más populares es Pandas.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Intro to Managing Ethics in the Workplace & Marketplace (Coursera) Coursera
Northeastern University

Intro to Managing Ethics in the Workplace & Marketplace (Coursera)

Are you seeking practical guidance for improved decision making in business situations involving critical ethical issues? Are you looking to participate in creative and constructive thinking and learning around these topics? This course is designed to help you. Flawed ethical reasoning has interfered with patient care, undermined shareholder value, eroded public trust, distanced employees and destroyed careers. Using a combination of didactic instruction and a series of case studies, readings, and field study experiences, the course will actively engage you in a timely, relevant, and challenging fashion.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to UX Design MasterTrack Certificate Program (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Introduction to UX Design MasterTrack Certificate Program (Coursera)

User experience is a highly in-demand field which requires a holistic understanding of the design process. This course is a "sample" of the UX Design MasterTrack certificate program. You will have the opportunities to explore core topics in UX including Ethics and Research, User Research, User Testing, and Visual Literacy as four modules.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Corruption (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Corruption (Coursera)

You can't understand the world today if you don't understand corruption. Every day, we see high-level government officials resigning, governments changing, hundreds of thousands of people standing in squares, holding up signs, and often risking their lives to protest the corruption in the world. It's critically important to the health of our societies to understand what people are protesting against. We want to understand corruption. This course is designed to teach you about what corruption is, what causes corruption, the effects of corruption, and how to control corruption.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Generative AI in Education (Coursera) Coursera
University of Glasgow

Generative AI in Education (Coursera)

Discover the foundations of generative AI in our dynamic course. Gain a comprehensive grasp of generative AI basics, including definitions, prompt engineering, ethical considerations, and best practices. This engaging, discussion-focused course empowers learners to explore generative AI through hands-on practice with recommended tools. Learners actively participate in discussions, sharing insights and findings in the forum.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Mind of the Universe - Genetic Privacy: should we be concerned? (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Mind of the Universe - Genetic Privacy: should we be concerned? (Coursera)

Should all our genetic information be made public in order to eradicate genetic diseases from this world? Who owns your genetic data once it becomes publicly accessible? What is your responsibility to family members when you know more about genetic diseases than they do? Who decides what kind of genetic information is relevant to a person? And what does genetic privacy mean to you?

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Getting Started with Data Analytics on AWS (Coursera) Coursera
AWS

Getting Started with Data Analytics on AWS (Coursera)

With the explosion of data collection enabled by the internet, mobile applications and transformation into the cloud, effective data analytics is turning into a critical tool in practically every domain – from academia to enterprise. In this course, learners will get an introduction to the different types of data analytics (descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive) and dive into the basics of descriptive data analysis using data and tools in the AWS Cloud.

Nov 16th 2026
1 Week
Ethical Issues in Data Science (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Ethical Issues in Data Science (Coursera)

Computing applications involving large amounts of data – the domain of data science – impact the lives of most people in the U.S. and the world. These impacts include recommendations made to us by internet-based systems, information that is available about us online, techniques that are used for security and surveillance, data that is used in health care, and many more. In many cases, they are affected by techniques in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Global Politics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Naples Federico II

Global Politics (Coursera)

The course explains why international studies originating from the West are currently evolving towards a planetary approach to World politics, with a particular focus on global order and local disorders. Thinking globally helps explain new linkages between changes in the natural environment (demography, climate) and transformations of institutional designs.

Nov 16th 2026
3 Weeks