This course introduces students to the theory and practice of social policy in western advanced welfare states. Because it is not possible to cover all aspects of this complex social science discipline in one programme of study, this course focuses on selected key areas in the study of social policy.

In particular, the course aims to:

• Introduce students to key concepts and principles in social policy, such as ‘welfare’, “equality”, ‘social needs’, ‘social justice’,‘solidarity’ and ‘new social risks’.
• Introduce students to the main research methods in social policy
• Introduce students to the historical perspective of social policy
• Examine competing ideological approaches to ‘welfare’ (eg. liberal, Marxist, social-democratic,  ‘third-way’ etc.)
• Provide an overview of some of the core social policy areas (eg. health policy, labor market policy, poverty and social exclusion, social economy)
• Introduce the concept of ‘welfare regime’ and provide an overview of the different welfare systems operating in Europe
• Examine the development of social policy at the European level (EU)
   

“Social Policy” and “Topics on European Studies” courses are jointly offered by both Departments of the School of Social and Political Sciences (PSIR and SEP) only if there are Erasmus students during the current semester.