Description
In this course the welfare state will take centre stage. We will first discuss the historical development of welfare states and the major academic debates surrounding them. Once this foundation has been laid, we will look at the welfare state from a comparative and transnational perspective. This means that we will analyse and compare developments in various countries. The students will have a say in the decision which countries will be analysed. The transnational perspective involves looking at the impact of international organisations, such as the World Bank, on the development of national welfare states.
Course objectives
After this course, the students will have:
1) knowledge of the development of welfare states, and the role international organisations played in this development.
2) insight into the major academic debates on the welfare state
3) experience with applying a comparative or transnational methodology in a research project
Mode of instruction
Seminars
Digital learning environment
Course Load
Course load: 280 hours
Seminars: 30 hours
Studying the literature and preparation for the seminars: 150 hours
Work on the papers: 100 hours
Assessment method
Papers
Participation
Reading list
Please read the following - as the title says very short - book before the first seminar:
Garland, D. (2016). The welfare state: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
During the seminars we will use articles and sections of books, such as:
Deacon, B. (2007). Global Social Policy & Governance. London: SAGE.
Hemerijck, A. (2017). The uses of social investment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pierson, C., Castles, F.G. & Naumann, I.K. (2013). The welfare state reader. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Seeleib-Kaiser (2011). Welfare state transformations: Comparative perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
You do not need to acquire these books before the start of the course. A detailed list of the literature to be studied will be available in the syllabus.
Registration
See general information on tab 'Year 3'.