International Social Policy

Module overview

This module will review and discuss the state of the art in research on social welfare and human well-being and the one, and on social policies addressing these issues on the other hand. In the first part students will explore how previously dominant economic approaches towards social welfare have been challenged by researchers interested in basic needs and poverty (eg Streeten and Gough), but also by those making philosophical and psycho-sociological arguments, for example Sen and Nussbaum’s work on capabilities, Layard’s on happiness and Wilkinson’s on inequality and health. This is followed in the second part by the introduction of research on social policies in different welfare regimes. The link between these regimes and social welfare and well-being in different countries will then be studied. Overall, students will be encouraged to critically engage with these debates and to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. They will also be introduced to different data sources which make it possible to measure human welfare and social policies globally, such as in the UN Human Development Index or the World Values Survey. For their assessment, students will be asked to use the different approaches and the data sources they have generated to assess the performance of human welfare of selected societies using a case study approach.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will take place in one two-hour session per week. The format will be seminar-based. Students will receive guided readings in advance of the session, and the seminar tutors will encourage them to engage in discussion. On some occasions students might be asked to present material at the start of sessions. There will be a total of 20 seminar-based contact hours and up to 20 contact hours of tutorial support.

Study time
Type	Hours
Teaching	20
Independent Study	180
Total study time	200

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Asian Studies Review. Journal

Comparative Political Studies. Journal

Journal of Social Policy. Journal

Development and Change. Journal

Journal of European Social Policy. Journal

International Journal of Social Welfare. Journal

Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. Journal

Textbooks

Ackerman, F. et al (1999). Human Well-being and Economic Goals. Washington DC: Island Press.

Hall, P. and Lamont, M. (eds.) (2009). Successful Societies - How Institutions and Culture Affect Health (Introduction). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2009). The spirit level: why more equal societies almost always do better. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford: OUP.

Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: lessons from a new science. London: Allen Lane.

Esping-Andersen, Gosta (1990). The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Oxford: Polity Press.

Haggard, S. and Kaufman, R. (2008). Development, Democracy, and Welfare States. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Stiglitz, J.E., Sen, A. & Fitoussi, J.-P. (2011). Mis-Measuring Our Lives. New York: The New Press.

Nussbaum, M. and Sen, A. (1993). The Quality of Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Deaton, A. (2013). The Great Escape: health, wealth and the origins of inequality. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework plan	20%
Case study	80%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External