General description

East-European welfare regimes; the agenda and ideology of the welfare reforms; the specifics of the welfare reforms.

Learning outcomes

This course introduces a series of debates surrounding social policy in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe. By providing an in-deph analysis of social policy developments in Central and Eastern European countries, this course furthers understanding of welfare reform trajectories in Europe.
Students will be equipped with the skills necessary for advanced research, to understand the East-European welfare regimes and to analyse applied social policies:
• to identify general characteristics of the East-European welfare regimes;
• to describe the forces that have shaped the development of social policy in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe;
• to critically analyse the social policy choices in the Central and Eastern European countries in the light of the theories, approaches and typologies that have been developed to study the Western states;
• to critically appreciate a range of key topics of social policy issues in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe: health, housing, pensions, income transfers, poverty, unemployment and so on.

Contents

This course takes a step towards providing a better understanding of post-communist welfare state development from a theoretical as well as an empirical perspective. It starts by looking for general characteristics of the welfare regimes of the region. Secondly, it describes the welfare reform agendas of the countries in the region. Thirdly, it gives an overview of the main changes in the welfare arrangements of the Central and Eastern European countries. Finally, it attempts to explain why the resistance to the globalizing pressures for state retrenchment was weaker in Central-Eastern Europe than in most of Western Europe.

Teaching methods

Introduction course at the beginning of the semester, then the use of methods of distance learning: 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 (5 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:

-Alcock P., Craig G. International social policy: welfare regimes in the developed world. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan 2001.

-Bonoli G., George V., Taylor-Gooby P. European welfare futures: towards a theory of retrenchment. Cambridge: Polity Press 2000.

-George V., Taylor-Gooby P. (ed.) European welfare policy: squaring the welfare circle. Houndmills: Macmillan Press 1996.

-Eatwell J… [et al.] Hard budgets & sof states: social policy choices in central and eastern Europe. London: Institute for Public Policy Reasearch 2000.

-Sykes R., Palier B., Prior P. M. (ed.) Globalization and European welfare states: challenges and change. Houndmills: Palgrave 2000.

-Taylor-Gooby P. (ed.) Making a European welfare state? Convergences and conflicts over European social policy. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing 2004.

Belongs to following study modules