Sylabus
Název předmětu/Course title: THE WELFARE STATE AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL CHALLENGES
Číslo předmětu v učebním plánu/Course number: JSB106
Fakulta sociálních věd Univerzity Karlovy/ Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University
Školní rok/Academic year: 2023/2024
Webová stránka předmětu/The web page of the course Moodle: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/edit.php?id=13896 (JSB106)
Garantka kursu/Guarantor:
Mgr. Ing. Olga Angelovská, Ph.D. olga.angelovska@fsv.cuni.cz
Vyučující/Lecturers:
Mgr. Ing. Olga Angelovská, Ph.D. olga.angelovska@fsv.cuni.cz
Mgr. Mirna Jusić, Ph.D. mirna.jusic@fsv.cuni.cz
Rozsah výuky/Scope of instruction: 1/1
Počet kreditů/Credits available: 6 (1credit = 30 working hours)
Characteristic of the course:
The course aims to provide a systemic understanding of social policy responses to the challenges faced by welfare states in Europe in the 21st century and will present the characteristics and evolution of the so-called European social model. Students will briefly be introduced to the different types of welfare states within Europe. They will subsequently learn about key social policies, such as those targeting unemployment, family policies, income support, old-age pensions and long-term care. We will look in detail at how European countries address different social challenges and discuss specific welfare state reforms in light of contemporary economic and political developments. Students will also become acquainted with the social dimension of the European Union, and its role in fostering the development of social policy of its member states.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
This course is designed to help students acquire knowledge about the greatest challenges facing the European welfare states nowadays. After the completion of this course, students should be able to:
- to demonstrate an understanding of various effects of demographic, social and economic factors on welfare state trajectories in the 21st century
- to be familiar with the main policies and the political motives and forces that structure the welfare state in the region.
- know how welfare states cope with the most recent challenges of the dynamics of (post)industrial society.
- understand alternative options in social policy, analyze the links between the social, economic and political context, policy solutions, and impacts of the policies.
The schedule of the course: Wednesday 9.30-10.50, Room B229
Conditions of enrollment:
The course is available for students of Czech and English bachelor’s degree programs. Students of other programs, including ERASMUS students, may register and participate in the course.
Study obligations:
All students are obliged to: actively participate at least in 4 (out of 5) seminars, hand in 4 summaries present one topic within the seminars (presentation in teams) hand in essay.
Students are expected to read the materials before each class. The lecturer will devote part of the class to summarize the most relevant concepts and ideas included in the materials, to explain the connections between them, and to respond to any doubts. This lecture part, however, will not cover the materials in their entirety, and that is why students should have read them beforehand. The rest of the class will be devoted to a seminar-type discussion.
Students are also expected to participate in the discussions and debates held in each class.
Summaries – Students will upload four critical summaries, resp. reviews of the current texts uploaded via Moodle. Students summarize two texts for each topic. It should include an overview of the main ideas, student reflection (e.g. in the context of social policy/the chosen topic) and questions. The lenght 4000-6000 signs (including spaces).
Presentation - Teams of two or three students will present selected topics.
Essay - The essay should cover one of the fields of social policy from a WS perspective. The length of the essay is approx. 17 000 to 20 000 characters (with spaces without references).
Pick 1 area of social policy and explain the reasons for changes.
FINAL EVALUATION:
Construction of students’ performance evaluation
Activity
Points (up to)
Summaries 40
Presentation in group 20
Essay 10 pages 40
Total 100
Points (total)
Result 91-100
A
Excellent (výborně) 81-90
B 71-80
C
Very good (velmi dobře) 61-70
D 51-60
E
Good (dobře)
Less than 50
F
Fail (neprospěl)
Core reference resource (available in Moodle):
Béland D., Morgan K. J., Obinger H., Pierson Ch. (2022) The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State. (2nd edition) Oxford University Press.
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Recommended
Copeland P. (2019) Governance and the European Social Dimension, Routledge Studies on Government and the European Union. · Sen A. (2018), Collective Choice and Social Welfare, Harvard University Press. Kennett P. and Lendvai-Bainton N. (2017), Handbook of European Social Policy, Edward Elgar Publish Picketty T. & Goldhammer A., (2016), Capital in the Twenty First Century, Harvard University Press. Barr N. (2012), The Economics of the Welfare State, Policy Press.
Recommended articles available in Moodle for each topic.
Organization of the course: 4.10.2023
Introductory Session (OA)
Manow, Philip (2021) Models of the Welfare State. In Béland D., Morgan K. J., Obinger H., Pierson Ch. (2022) The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State. (2nd edition) Oxford University Press.
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
BÉLAND, Daniel a Klaus PETERSEN. Analysing social policy concepts and language: comparative and transnational perspectives. Bristol: Policy Press, 2015, xiv, 327 stran ; 24 cm. ISBN 9781447306436. 11.10.2023
Lecture 1 Family policy (OA)
Olivier Thévenon. (2018) Leave policies for parents in a cross-national perspective: various paths along the same course? In. Guðný Björk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard (eds.) Handbook of Family Policies. Edward Elgar.
NIEUWENHUIS, Rense a Wim VAN LANCKER. The Palgrave Handbook of Family Policy. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020. ISBN 3030546179. Dostupné z: doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54618-2
Naumann, Ingela (2012) Childcare Politics in the ‘New’ Welfare State. Class, Religion, and Gender in the Shaping of Political Agendas. In. Bonoli, Giuliano and David Natali (eds.) The Politics of the New Welfare State. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Recommended:
Guðný Björk Eydal and Ingólfur V. Gíslason. Caring fathers and parental leave in prosperous times and times of crisis: the case of Iceland. In. Guðný Björk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard (eds.) Fatherhood in the Nordic Welfare states: Comparing care policies and practice. Policy Press, 2014.
Szelewa, Dorota and Michal Polakowski. 2008. “Who Cares? Changing Patte