Syllabus

Title
4787 Concentration Area - Globalization and Social Policy I
Instructors
ao.Univ.Prof. Dr. August Österle
Contact details
august.oesterle@wu.ac.at
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
02/14/20 to 02/29/20
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Course I - Globalisation and Social Policy
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 03/02/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 03/09/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 03/16/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 03/23/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.5.27
Monday 03/30/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 04/20/20 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 04/27/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM TC.3.21
Monday 05/04/20 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM Online-Einheit

On this page:

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Contents

The “social policy” area of concentration addresses global and international dimensions of social policy and social administration. It also covers regional and local social policies and their relationship with international economic and societal developments. It deals with institutional and governance issues, such as economic integration and social welfare, as well as with specific topical areas, such as poverty and social exclusion, health and long-term care or work and income.

The course “Globalisation and Social Policy I”

(a) introduces/refreshes basic economic concepts in the design and implementation of social policy,

(b)  touches on the history, concept and measurement of globalisation and

(c) discusses the association between globalization and social policy.

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Learning outcomes

The aim of “Globalisation and Social Policy (part 1)” is to  improve the understanding of key concepts and theories of social policy and social policy analysis, including: (a) institutional, economic and cultural context of social policy, (b) principles of welfare systems and social policies and (c) alternative theoretical approaches to the analysis and the explanation of social problems and of social policies. A specific aim is to examine how globalization can be linked to national and sub-national social policy.

After attending this course, students will be able to

  • describe and analyse key concepts of social policy,
  • know and understand main theories of welfare systems and social policies,
  • outline the institutional context for social policies and social policy development,
  • develop an awareness of the broader context for global social challenges,
  • know key dimensions and concepts of globalization,
  • articulate and compare alternative approaches to social policy analysis, and
  • apply alternative theories and concepts to specific problem sets.
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Attendance requirements

This being a ‘Course with continuous Assessment (PI)’, the university requires students to attend at least 80% of all classes for completing the course successfully. This means that you can miss a maximum of  4 hours (or two 2-hour-units) during the whole semester. Ideally you don’t miss any classes.

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Teaching/learning method(s)

Didactic lectures will be combined with interactive lectures. Class discussion and group work will provide further opportunities to engage in class participation.

Students will be expected to produce seminar papers, prepare brief presentations based on reading assignments, and take a written exam on the course contents.

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Assessment

Grading:

  • active participation in plenary discussions (10%)
  • exam (30%)
  • group project & presentation in class (40%)
  • individual term paper (academic paper grounded in the research literature ) (20%)

Deadline for submission of the term paper: tba (submit/upload to learn@wu)

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Availability of lecturer(s)

During breaks and after class.

For scheduling an appointment please send an email to:
august.oesterle@wu.ac.at

 

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Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1 04.03.2019

Economics of Social Policy 1: Introduction. Emergence, development and alternative configurations of the welfare state

Arts, Wilhelm A. & John Gelissen (2010):  Models of the Welfare State. In: Francis G. Castles, Stephan Leibfried, Jane Lewis, Herbert Obinger, and Christopher Pierson (eds): The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State, Ch.39, pp. 569-583

De Beer, P. and F. Koster (2009). Sticking Together or Falling Apart? Solidarity in an Era of Individualization and Globalization. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press

OECD (2019). Social Expenditure Update 2019. Public social spending is high in many OECD countries. OECD Publishing, Paris.
2 11.03.2019

Economics of Social Policy 2: Efficiency issues

Barr, N. (2001). The Welfare State as Piggy Bank. Information, Risk, Uncertainty, and the Role of the State. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, Chapter 1 and 2.

De Beer, P. and F. Koster (2009). Sticking Together or Falling Apart? Solidarity in an Era of Individualization and Globalization. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press
3 18.03.2019

Economics of Social Policy 3: Equity issues. Social Justice, Poverty, Inequality, Discrimination

Le Grand, J., Propper, C.  &  S. Smith (2008): The Economics of Social Problems. Basingstoke, UK, Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 9: Poverty and Welfare, pp.157-177.

De Beer, P. and F. Koster (2009). Sticking Together or Falling Apart? Solidarity in an Era of Individualization and Globalization. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press
4 25.03.2019

[Economics of Social Policy 3: Equity issues. Social Justice, Poverty, Inequality, Discrimination -> remainder of module 2]

Globalisation and Social Policy 1: Introduction: Concepts & transmission channels

Martens, P., Caselli, M., De Lombaerde, P., Figge, L., & Scholte, J. A. (2015). New Directions in Globalization Indices. Globalizations, 12(2), 217-228. doi:10.1080/14747731.2014.944336

Easton, B. (2003). "Towards an Analytic Framework for Globalisation: The Political Economy of the Diminishing Tyranny of Distance." Journal of Economic and Social Policy 8(1): 72-86.

Rodrik, D. (2018). "Populism and the economics of globalization." Journal of International Business Policy 1: 12-33.
Here:  pp.13-18
5 01.04.2019

Globalisation and Social Policy 2

  • impact of globalisation on social policy
  • contributions of welfare states and social policies to globalisation
  • globalisation of the social policy process

Yeates, N. (2001): Gloablization and Social Policy: Mapping the Territory. Globalization and Social Policy. N. Yeates. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi, SAGE: pp.4-32, here: pp.21 ff.

Armingeon, K. (2010): Intergovernmental Organizations. The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State. F. G. Castles, S. Leibfried, J. Lewis, H. Obinger and C. Pierson, Oxford University Press: pp.306-317
6 08.04.2019

Globalisation and Social Policy 3:
Empirical Evidence on the efficiency hypothesis   OR  Globalization and Social Service Provision

Horsfall, D. (2017). The competition state thesis in a comparative perspective: the evolution of a thesis. In D. Horsfall & J. Hudson (Eds.), Social policy in an era of competition (pp. 13-31). Bristol: Policy Press, University of Bristol

Martens, P., Caselli, M., De Lombaerde, P., Figge, L., & Scholte, J. A. (2015). New Directions in Globalization Indices. Globalizations, 12(2), 217-228. doi:10.1080/14747731.2014.944336

Potrafke, N. (2015). The Evidence on Globalisation. The World Economy, 38(3), 509-552. doi:10.1111/twec.12174
7 06.05.2019

Group presentations 1+2
8 13.05.2019

Group presentations 3+4
9 20.05.2019

Group presentations 5+6
10 27.05.2019

Group presentations 7+8; Outlook/Overview GSP 2 (winter term)
Last edited: 2019-12-08



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