General description

Extension insight in the typologies of European welfare state regimes and its comparison; comparative research in ideology, development, history and future of the different welfare states and social services; welfare states at an European level and globalisation.

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to enable the students to work at a comparative level with theoretical, ideological and practical issues of welfare state systems in Europe. This course focuses on theoretical and empirical analysis of the different welfare systems in Europe, esp. of important areas of operation and the effects of the policy. The courses’ aim is to enable students to critically reflect and to enhance students’ practical skills in the knowledge of different welfare systems.

Students will be equipped with skills necessary for advanced research:
• to identify and compare welfare models – theory and ideology
• to understand the general structure of welfare states at the European level
• to critically analyze and compare welfare state policies in European countries
• to evaluate systems of welfare states
• to critically appreciate a range of key topics in welfare state models: health, disability and need of (long time) care, migration and integration, family, housing, poverty, social exclusion and so on.
• to understand the impact of Europeanization and Globalization at the European Welfare State, thus European social model and its transitions in a globalized world.

Contents

This course introduce students to work at an extension level with the different concepts of welfare, welfare ideologies and political ideas, with present, past and future developments of welfare states regimes and with welfare institutions and organisation of social services in the European Union. First of all, this course focuses the different welfare states in Europe and its characteristics in a sophisticated way.

Secondly, students learn to do applied comparative research in different key issues of welfare states. They learn to use instruments to investigate agents, acts, laws and regulations, as well as complex societal symptoms. Students will be introduced to the different patterns of systems of social service, funding delivery, and in which way political and social ideologies influence the development.

Thirdly, an analytic framework is utilized to compare different stages of developments, as well as trends, gaps and delays in welfares states development in Europe. Students do comparative research and focus on certain key issues of welfare states in Europe.

Finally, this review includes investigation of national, European and international levels in comparison. In the end of the course students are able to understanding how welfare functions in social, political, and economic context in different European countries and at a global level.

Teaching methods

Introduction course at the beginning of the semester, then the use of methods of distance learning: Audio and video Lectures, discussion boards and individual tutoring, supported by Moodle.
Attendance obligatory.

Teaching language

English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria

Numeric 1-5.
Active participation: participation of the students in the discussions and debate during seminar and the distance learning, on the preparation of a research seminar paper (10 pages) in one of the areas covered in the course, written examination in the end of the course which should tests analytical skills and book examination.

Study materials

Reading list:

-Esping-Andersen, Gøsta: The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press 1990.

-Esping-Andersen, Gøsta et al.: Why we need a New Welfare State. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2002.

-Luhmann, Niklas: Political theory in the welfare state. Berlin: de Gruyter 1990.

-Midgley, James, Social welfare in global context. Thousand Oaks, Californien: Sage 1997.

-Buti, Marco (ed): The welfare state in Europe: challenges and reforms. Cheltenham, Glos.: Elgar 1999.

-Gilbert, Neil: Transformation of the welfare state: the silent surrender of public responsibility. Oxford: University Press 2004.

-Jones, Cathrine (ed): New perspectives on the welfare state in Europe. London: Routledge 1993.

-Schram, Sanford: After Welfare, the culture of postindustrial social policy. New York: New York University Press 2000.

-Lewis, Jane/Surender, Rebecca (ed): Welfare State Chance: Towards a Third Way. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2004.

 

- Jessop, Bob: The future of the Capitalist State. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002.

-Giddens, Anthony et al (ed.):Global Europe, Social Europe. Cambridge: Polity Press 2006.

-Lewis, Gail et al (ed.): Rethinking Social Policy. London: SAGE 2000.

-Pierson, Paul (ed), The New Politics of the Welfare State. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001.

-Pierson, Christopher/Castles, Francis (ed), The welfare state Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press 2006.

Belongs to following study modules