Syllabus

Title
1608 Course I: Introduction to Health and Social Policy
Instructors
Mark Golboyz, M.Sc.,B.A., Univ.Prof. Dr. Ulrike Schneider
Contact details
ulrike.schneider@wu.ac.at
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/14/23 to 09/17/23
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Bachelor Programs
Course I - Health and Social Policy
Course I - Health and Social Policy
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 10/02/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 10/09/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 10/16/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 10/23/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 11/06/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 11/13/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 11/20/23 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM TC.5.18
Monday 11/27/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/04/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 12/11/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05
Monday 12/18/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM TC.5.05

On this page:

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Contents

The course will present an introduction to social policy. It explains key economic concepts that are relevant to designing social security systems and policy programmes. It will provide an overview over important social policies including poverty reduction, pensions, health and long-term care and unemployment insurance. Each social policy will be illustrated by concrete examples in Austria and internationally, and analyzed from an interdisciplinary perspective. Student group projects will deal with selected social policy issues.

Topics covered in this course:

  • social policy, social welfare and the welfare state: objectives, principles, actors, policies
  • social risk and (social) insurance
  • equity: concepts, issues and policies
  • comparative welfare state analysis
  • subfields of social policy (poverty, pension, health and long-term care, and labor market policies
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Learning outcomes

The course provides a framework for understanding, reviewing and critical analysis of  the practice of social policy. After attending this course, students will be able to:

  • outline and apply the conceptual foundations of social policy
  • understand fundamental design principles of social security systems,
  • identify alternative welfare state models,
  • characterise social policies in selected countries,
  • analyse and discuss social policy approaches against the background of major economic and social policy objectives,
  • understand and discuss academic social policy papers. 

In addition, students will:

  • gain practice and improve their skills in writing, presenting and discussing their ideas.
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Attendance requirements

This being a ‘course with continuous assessment (PI)’ students need to attend at least 80% of the time of the scheduled course units for completing the course successfully. Ideally you attend all units fully. If you are unable to fully attend a unit, please let the lecturer(s) know in advance. In case online units are scheduled, the same attendance requirements apply.

In this course we will use the WU Check-in for the attendance check (for attendance only, not for online participation).

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Teaching/learning method(s)

There will be (online) lectures, in-class assigments and interactive formats. Lectures will be complemented by home assignments to be prepared and delivered partly individually and partly in small teams (group presentations). Finally, students will work on an individual seminar paper.

  • (online) lectures
  • team-based learning
  • group presentations
  • seminar papers  (critical review paper) 
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Assessment

Assessment (relative weights in the final grade): 

  • written test (single-choice test): 20%
  • group project: 40%
  • response paper ("reaction paper") related to a social policy reading (individual): 40%

Grade Key (point ranges)

  • 1: Excellent (90-100 points)
  • 2: Good (80-89 points)
  • 3: Satisfactory (65-79 points)
  • 4: Sufficient (50-64 points)
  • 5: Fail (0-49 points)
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Readings

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.

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Availability of lecturer(s)

After class or via Email  (ulrike.schneider@wu.ac.at; mark.golboyz@wu.ac.at). 

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Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1 02.10.2023

Welfare, the Welfare State and Social Policy: Concepts, history of the welfare state, the welfare state in numbers (Lecture 1)

Readings:

  • Barr 2020, Ch.1 (pp.3-20);
  • optional: Greve 2020, Ch. 2 (pp.14-30) and Ch.3.3 (37-40); Garland 2016, Ch. 1+2 (pp.1-25); Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.1 (pp.1-10)
2 09.10.2023

Social policy for reasons of efficiency: Overview  (Lecture 2)

Reading: Barr 2020, Ch. 3.3.2 - 3.3.5 (pp.49-60)
3 16.10.2023

Provision of (Social) Insurance and Social Services (Lecture 3)

Reading: Barr 2020, Ch.4 (pp. 86-104)
4 23.10.2023

Social Policy for Reasons of Equity: Overview (Lecture 4, Part 1)

Readings:

  • Greve 2019, Ch.3 (Why inequality matters), (pp.39-55)
  • Barr 2020, Ch.5.3.1  & 5.3.2  (pp.120-123) or
  • Greve 2020, Ch.4.5, (pp.74-76)
5 06.11.2023

Social Policy for Reasons of Equity: Measuring poverty and inequality (Lecture 4, Part 2)

    Readings:

    • Barr 2020, Ch. 5.2 (pp.113-119), 5.3.3 (pp. 123-124), 5.4.1 (pp. 125-128)
    • optional: Pestieu & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.2 (pp.11-25)

    [Welfare State Design and Comparison (Lecture 5)] -> (will also be a topic in the HSP 4 course)

    Readings:

    • Greve 2020, Ch.3 (here: pp.31-37), & Ch.8.2 (pp.131-136)
    • Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.5 (pp.47-60)
    • optional: Barr 2020, Ch. 3.6 (pp.73-76)
      6 13.11.2023

      TEST  (based on obligatory readings for lectures 1-5)

        Poverty Policy (Lecture 6)

        Readings:

        • Barr 2020: Ch.8.1-8.4.5 (pp.195-214)
        • optional: Barr 2020, Ch.8.4.6+8.4.7 (pp.215-224)
        7 20.11.2023

        Pension Policy (Lecture 7)

        Readings:

        • Greve 2020, Ch.13 (pp.212-222)
        • Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.10 (pp.123-136)
        8 27.11.2023

        (Health-) and LTC Policy (Lecture 8)

        Reading: Greve 2020: Ch.12 (pp.203-211)
        9 04.12.2023

        Labour Market Policy (Lecture 9)

        Readings:

        • Greve 2020, Ch.7 (pp. 106-129)
        • Pestieau & Lefebvre 2018, Ch.13, (pp. 157-173)
        • optional: Greve 2019, Ch.4 Dualisation of the labour market (pp.57-75)
        10 11.12.2023

        Discrimination & Non-Discrimination Policy (Lecture 10)

        Reading: Greve 2020, Ch.10 (pp.170-188)
        11 18.12.2023

        Presentation and Discussion of Group Projects

         
        Last edited: 2023-10-11



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