General description

The course offers an introduction to the main features of the Nordic welfare model. In addition some of the following social policy themes will be covered: work and labour systems, social security, economy of the welfare state, gender and equality, family and care policies, the future of the social policy, child protection, citizenship and immigration.

Learning outcomes

The course describes the main features that are attached to Nordic welfare societies. Special emphasis is on the Finnish welfare society but references to other countries are made. This way the position of the Finnish welfare society in relation to other European countries is made explicit.

Students will be able
- to recognize different welfare regimes
- to understand the main features of the Nordic welfare regime
- to point some of the main differences between Nordic welfare societies

Contents

Since the course takes place during the intensive programme period in Tampere (3rd. semester), most of the teaching will be lectures by various teachers specialized in the thematic areas. In addition the students will at the beginning formulate research questions based on the course contents. After the lectures the student will be writing a four-page paper where they answer one of the research questions formulated in the beginning. The papers are written in pairs where students come from different countries.

Teaching methods

Group work to formulate research questions, attendance to lectures by various teachers in listed themes and writing a final paper in cross-national pairs.
Attendance obligatory.

Teaching language

English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria

Numeric 1-5.
Participation in the lectures and writing the four-page final paper are required.

Study materials

Reading list:

-Anttonen, Anneli & Sipilä, Jorma: European social care services: Is it possible to identify models? Journal of European Social Policy 6(2), 87–100, 1996.

-Hiilamo, Heikki: The Rise and Fall of Nordic Family Policy?
Historical Development and Changes During the 1990s in Sweden and Finland. Stakes Research Report 125, 2002.

-Ferrarini, Tommy & Forssén, Katja: Family policy and cross-national patterns of poverty. In Kangas, O & Palme, J. (eds.) Social policy and economic development in the Nordic countries. 118–146. Houndmills: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005.

-Lewis, Jane: Gender and welfare regimes. In Lewis, G. Gewirtz, S. & Clarke, J. (eds.) Rethinking Social Policy, 37–51. London: Sage Publications Ltd. 2005.

-Ogg, Jim: Social exclusion and insecurity among older Europeans: the influence of welfare regimes. Aging and society 25, 69–90. 2005.

-Anttonen, Anneli, John Baldock and Jorma Sipilä (eds) The Young, the Old and the State: Social Care Systems in Five Industrial Nations. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2003.

-Ojala, Jari; Eloranta, Jari & Jalava, Jukka (eds.) The Road to Prosperity. An Economic History of Finland. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2006.

-Melkas, H. &Anker, R.: Gender equality and occupational segregation in Nordic labour markets. Geneva, ILO, 1998.

-Melkas, T.: The Gender Barometer 1998. Equality between Men and Women in Finland. Helsinki: Statistics Finland Council of Equality, SVT Living conditions 1999:1. Gender Statistics, 1999.

-Korpinen, Johanna & Pösö, Tarja: Approaching Youth Crime through Welfare and Punishment: the Finnish Perspective. In Hill, Malcolm; Lockeyr, Andrew & Stone, Fred. Youth Justice and Child Protection., 41-60. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London and Philadelphia, 2007.

-Turner, Stephen: What is the Problemwith Experts? Social Studies of Science 31/1 (February 2001) 123-49, 2001.

Belongs to following study modules