Syllabus

Title
5940 Concentration Area - Globalisation and Social Policy I
Instructors
Univ.Prof. Dr. Ulrike Schneider
Contact details
ulrike.schneider@wu.ac.at
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
01/31/22 to 02/25/22
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Course I - Globalisation and Social Policy
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 02/28/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 03/07/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 03/14/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 03/21/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 03/28/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 04/04/22 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 04/25/22 09:30 AM - 12:00 PM D4.0.039
Monday 05/02/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 05/09/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 05/16/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039
Monday 05/23/22 09:30 AM - 11:30 AM D4.0.039

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”

  1. introduces/refreshes basic economic concepts in the design and implementation of social policy,
  2. touches on the history, concept and measurement of globalisation and
  3. 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 in the context of globalisation, including: (a) the 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. 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
  • identify key challenges of globalisation for social policy and the impact social policy has on globalisation,
  • 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.

Notice of Special Regulation for Covid-19:   If a student is required to quarantine, or is otherwise prevented from attending class, due to a certified case of Covid-19 infection or a federally mandated Covid-19 lockdown, and this affects either attendance or the completion of an exam or other required course assignment, the course instructor is empowered to provide an alternative means for said student to meet the attendance/assessment requirement as necessary. The same means will be required of any student in the same situation in the same course.

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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

assessments (relative weights in the final grade): 

  • active participation during online units (engaging in Q&A, completing and presenting in-class assigments): 10% 
  • social policy figure/ stat/ newsclip/ quote/ snippet of the week (10%)
  • a test (30 minutes) on concepts covered in obligatory readings (25%)
  • a 20-minute-presentation (in a team of two students) (25%)
  • individual term paper: 30%

Deadline for submission of the term paper: 7 June (23:55)

All deliverables should be submitted/upload to learn@wu. 

 

Grades (point ranges)

  • 1: Excellent (90-100 points)
  • 2: Good (75-89 points)
  • 3: Satisfactory (60-74 points)
  • 4: Sufficient (50-59 points)
  • 5: Fail (0-49 points)

 

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Readings
1 Author: Barr, Nicholas
Title:

The Economics of the Welfare State

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Edition: 6th edition
Remarks: Obligatory reading for units 2 (Social Policy for efficiency reasons) + unit 3 (Social Policy for equity reasons)
Year: 2020
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Essential reading for all students
Type: Book
2 Author: Greve, Bent
Title:

Welfare and the Welfare State. Central Issues Now and in the Future

Publisher: Routledge
Edition: 2nd edition
Remarks: Online full access (WU): https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429341199
Year: 2020
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
Type: Book
3 Author: Pestieau, Pierre, Lefebvre, Mathieu
Title:

The Welfare State in Europe. Economic and Social Perspectives.

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Edition: Second Edition
Remarks: Online full access (WU): doi:10.1093/oso/9780198817055.001.0001
Year: 2018
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
Type: Book
4 Author: Francis G. Castles, Stephan Leibfried, Jane Lewis, Herbert Obinger, and Christopher Pierson (eds)
Title:

The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State

Publisher: Oxford. Oxford University Press
Remarks: Ch.21 (Intergovernmental Organizations) and Ch.39 (Models of the Welfare State)
Year: 2010
Content relevant for class examination: Yes
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
5 Author: Garland, David
Title:

The Welfare State. A very short introduction. Ch. 1+2.

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Edition: 1st edition
Remarks: Recommended reading for unit 1 (Introduction)
Year: 2016
Content relevant for class examination: No
Recommendation: Strongly recommended (but no absolute necessity for purchase)
Type: Book
6 Author: Weisbrod, Burton A. (1964)
Title:

Collective-consumption Services of Individual Consumption Goods. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 78 (3): 471-477

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Availability of lecturer(s)

During breaks and after class.

For scheduling an appointment please send an email to:
ulrike.schneider@wu.ac.at

 

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Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1 28.02.2022

Course overview

Welfare, the Welfare State and Social Policy

Barr 2020, Ch.1; Greve 2020, Ch. 2;  Garland 2016, Ch. 1+2
2 07.03.2022

The Economics of Social Policy (I): Social policy for efficiency reasons

Barr 2020, Ch. 3.3.2 - 3.3.5 (pp.49-60)
3 14.03.2022

The Economics of Social Policy (I):  ctd.

Barr 2020, Ch. 4 "Economic theory 2: Insurance" (pp.86-104)

Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.9 "Social versus private Insurance" (pp.105-122)
4 21.03.2022

The Economics of Social Policy (I) ctd.

Market deficiencies and the provision of social services:  agency problems, trust and experience goods, NIMBY goods

The option value of social infrastructures (Weisbrod 1964)
5 28.03.2022

The Economics of Social Policy (II): Social policy for equity reasons

Barr 2020, Ch. 5.2-5.4.1 (Poverty; Inequality 1+2); alternative: Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.2 (pp. 11-25); [Greve 2020, Ch.4.5 (74-76) and Ch.9]

 

Welfare State Design and Comparison

Arts, Wilhelm A.; Gelissen, John (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. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ch.39 (pp. 569-583). 
doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199579396.003.0039

alternatives: Greve 2020 Ch. 2, 3, & 8.2; Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.5;

Of additonal interest:

  • Barr 2020 Ch.3.6
  • Powell, M., Yörük, E., & Bargu, A. (2020). Thirty years of the Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism: A review of reviews. 54(1), 60-87.
    doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12510
6 04.04.2022

Globalisation (Concept, measurement, development over time)

Globalisation, Redistribution and Populism

  • Rodrik, D. (2018). "Populism and the economics of globalization." Journal of International Business Policy 1: 12-33.  
  • Stiglitz, J. E. (2017). The overselling of globalization. Business Economics, 52(3), 129-137. doi:10.1057/s11369-017-0047-2.
7 25.04.2022

Exam on obligatory readings (see reading list in folder "Course Organization")

Globalisation & Social Policy

Pestieau & Lefebvre (2018), Ch. 6, Social Protection and Globalization, pp.61-77.

Armingeon, Klaus (2010). Intergovernmental Organizations. In: Francis G. Castles, Stephan Leibfried, Jane Lewis, Herbert Obinger, and Christopher Pierson (eds): The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Ch.21 (pp.306-317). doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199579396.003.0021

[Cowen, Harry; Jones, Demezela, Narlowicz, Kasia. 2020. Globalisation and social policy. in: Bochel, Hugh, Daly, Guy (eds.): Social Policy. Fourth Edition. Ch.23, 544-576.]
8 02.05.2022

Social Dumping & the Sweatshop Debate

Powell, B., & Zwolinski, M. (2012). The Ethical and Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(4), 449-472. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-1058-8

Sollars, G. G., & Englander, F. (2018). Sweatshops: Economic Analysis and Exploitation as Unfairness. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(1), 15-29.
doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3091-0
9 09.05.2022

Cross-border mobility, platform work & social protection

Giulietti, C. (2014). The welfare magnet hypothesis and the welfare take-up of migrants. IZA World of Labor 2014: 37 doi: 10.15185/izawol.37
10 16.05.2022

Health and social service delivery in a globalising world

Grignon, Michel; Owusu, Yaw; Sweetman, Arthur (2013). The International migration of health professionals. In: International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham UK/Northampton, MA, USA, Ch.4, pp.75-97.
11 23.05.2022

Integration of migrants & ethnic discrimination

Rinne, Ulf (2013). The evaluation of immigration policies. In: Constant, Amelie F. and Klaus F. Zimmermann (Eds.): International Handbook on the Economics of Migration. Cheltenham, UK, and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Ch.28, pp. 530-551

Ikeda, S. (2018). The nature and limits of Gary Becker’s theory of racial discrimination. The Review of Austrian Economics, 31(4), 403-417.
Last edited: 2022-03-23



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