Polítiques Socials

Social Policy in an Age of Austerity (21706)

1. Course details

Assignatura: Polítiques Socials / Social Policy in an Age of Austerity

Codi de l'assignatura: 21706

Estudis: Grau en Ciències Polítiques i de l'Administració

Nombre de Crèdits: 4 crèdits ECTS (100 hores de dedicació)

Curs Acadèmic: 2012-2013

Trimestre: 3er

Llengua de Docència: Anglès

Professor: Martin Smith

2. Description of the course

The long term impact of the financial crisis of 2008 and the continuation of sovereign debt in many European countries presents major challenges to European states. Political unrest is growing in the face of high levels of unemployment, low growth and government cuts. There is a risk of an extremist backlash in some countries and a rapid deterioration in social cohesion. As much of Europe struggles with large deficits, there is pressure from some international organisations that significant spending cuts must be made and there is a view that they can only result from real structural adjustment in the provision of welfare. The desire to shrink the state is striking in that the initial response to the crisis was the development of state-led strategies to prevent the collapse of the banks and the market economy. Demands for a reduction in state spending have emerged more sharply now, in fact, with the stabilisation of the crisis. Whatever the drivers behind the demands for welfare cut, there is no doubt that they signify a further shift away from a state-centred model of provision to a more diffuse and less interventionist form of governance. However there is a question as to whether states are, in fact, able to implement such cuts, given the consequences of disengagement and the social movements that are emerging in parts of Europe to protect welfare services. We are, in short, facing a moment of redefinition in relation to the purpose, values and scope of the state. If states implement the proposed changes, what will it mean for the size, direction and organisation of the state? How will a transformation of service delivery be implemented and is it possible without public unrest? Will the state be able to build allies for change from within civil society? Will states need a new social compact if they are to radically change the nature and way services are provided?

3. Competences

Competències generals:

Competències específiques:

G6 Habilitats de gestió de la informació (habilitat per buscar i analitzar informació provinent de diverses fonts).

G12 Capacitat de treballar en un equip interdisciplinari.

G25 Disseny i gestió de projectes

E10 Reconèixer l'estructura, l'organització i el funcionament de les administracions públiques en els seus diferents nivells

E11 Reconèixer la planificació i la gestió administrativa

Information management skills (ability to find and analyze information from various sources.)

Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team.

Design and project management

To comprehend the structure, organization, and functioning of public administrations at different levels

To understand administrative planning and management

4. Module Outline

Session	Lecture	Seminar/Questions
1	The Political Economy of Welfare Models for explaining welfare; public choice, institutionalism and Marxism.	What are the conceptual approaches to welfare policy?
2	Building the Welfare State How welfare states developed in Europe. Why did they develop (or not) in different countries.	Why did the welfare state come about?
3	Welfare Regimes Examines the different types of welfare regimes. Examines models of capitalism and the relationship between capitalism and welfare	Why is welfare different in different states?
4	The First Crisis of Welfare Examines problems of welfare in the 1980s. Issues of overload and legitimation crisis. The New Right and welfare.	Did neo-liberalism undermine welfare?
5	Globalisation and welfare How have the processes of globalisation impacted on welfare state? Has globalisation undermind welfare policy or has it led to a global welfare policy	Has there been a convergence of welfare regimes?
6	Demography, Risk and Welfare How have growing affluence and changing population structures affected welfare policy. To what extent has risk amelioration shifted from the state to the individual?	How are changing social structures affect policy?
7	The Second Crisis of Welfare How has the 2008 financial crisis affected welfare policy? To what extent are the problems of welfare a result of the crisis or broader social changes?	Was there a fiscal crisis of the state after 2008?
8	The Politics of Austerity How have governments responded to austerity? What has been the impact on legitimacy? How has it affected citizens?	What has been the political impact of reform?
9	The Reality of Welfare Reform 1 Examining the impact of austerity through a country case study.
10	The Reality of Welfare Reform 2

5. Lectures and Seminars

Sessions 1 to 8 will be based on lectures on the key themes of the module. However the session will be split into a lecture and a session on discussing key questions in each of the lectures. This will involve some group work to work on pre-set questions. Sessions 9 and 10 will be seminars based on group presentations based on examining the reality of welfare reform in a number of European country. Each group will chose a country and then research for a presentation which will examine:

6. Assessment

There are three assignments:

1. An essay that covers the lecture topics : 40 per cent of the final mark

2. Assessment of the group presentation: 20 per cent of the final mark

3. A final essay based on the group presentation: 40 per cent of the final mark.

Those who fail will be able to resubmit an essay if they have attended seminars and have submitted all the assignments. A student who fails the presentation will be able to write a short essay.

7. Methodology

The module is based on lectures and seminar discussion. Sessions 1-8 will include lectures with discussion. 9 and 10 will be based on group presentations and discussion of the presentations.

8. Initial Reading

Adema, W., P. Fron and M. Ladaique (2011), "Is the European Welfare State Really More Expensive?: Indicators on Social Spending, 1980-2012; and a Manual to the OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX)", OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 124, OECD Publishing

Anastasakis, O. and Singh, D. (2012) Reforming Greece: Sisyphean Task of Herculean Challenge?, Oxford: SEESOX

Antena 3 (2012) http://www.antena3.com/especiales/noticias/elecciones-generales/2011/mariano-rajoy-tenemos-alternativa-recortes_2011111800023.html.

Bacon, R and Eltis, W. (1978) Britain's Economic Problem: Too Few Producers, London: Macmillan.

Bell, S and Hindmoor, A. (2009) Rethinking Governance: the Centrality of the State in Modern Society, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bonoli, G. and Natali, D. (2012) The Politics of the New Welfare State, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Buckley, A. (2011) Financial Crisis: Causes, Context and Consequences, Harlow: Pearson Education

Castells, M., Caraca, and Cardosa, G. (2012) 'The Culture of Economic Crisis' in Castells, M., Caraca, and Cardosa, G (eds) Aftermath: the Culture of Economic Crisis, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Castles, F. (2004) The Future of the Welfare State: Crisis. Myths and Realities, Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

Cerny, P. (2007) 'Paradoxes of the Competition State: the Dynamics of Political Globalisation', Government and Opposition, 32, 2, 251-274.

Dahlstrom, C., Peters, G, and Pierre, J. (eds) Steering from the Centre, University of Toronto Press, 2011.

De Rugey (2012) 'Fiscal Austerity Doesn't Mean Large Spending Cuts', http://mercatus.org/publication/fiscal-austerity-europe-doesnt-mean-large-spending-cuts

Elbe, Stefan (2008) 'Risking lives: AIDS, security and three concepts of risk', Security Dialogue, 39 (2-3) 177-198.

Elliot, L. (2012) 'The Failure of Monetary Union has been Abject', The Guardian 8 October.

Esping Anderson, G.(1996) Welfare States in Transition, London: Sage.

European Commission (2012) European Economic Forecast

Fairnsworth K. and Irving, Z. (2011) Varieties of Crisis' in Fairnsworth K. and Irving, Z (eds) Social Policy in Challenging Times, Bristol: The Policy Press.

Fink, G, Haiss, P and Hristoforova,(2003) 'Bond Markets and Economic Growth', IEF Working Paper Nr. 49

Fridberg, T. (2012) 'Legitimacy of the System and Support for the Welfare State' in Ervasti, J., Goul, A., Fridberg, T. and Ringdal, K. (2012) The Future of the Welfare State, London: Edward Elgar.

Gamble, A. (2009) Spectre at the Feast: Capitalist Crisis and the Politics of Recession, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

GHK (2010) Volunteering in the European Union, European Commission

Gough, I. (1979) Political Economy of the Welfare State, London: Macmillan

Gough, I. (2011) 'From Financial Crisis to Fiscal Crisis' in Fairnsworth K. and Irving, Z (eds) Social Policy in Challenging Times, Bristol: The Policy Press.

Grugel, J., & Riggirozzi, P. (2009). Governance after neoliberalism in Latin America. Palgrave Macmillan.

Ha, E. (2008) 'Globalisation, Veto Players and Welfare Spending', Comparative Political Studies, 41, 6, 783-813.

Halikiopoulou, D. Nanou, K and Vasilopoulou, S. (Forthcoming) 'The paradox of nationalism: the common denominator of radical right and radical left Euroscepticism', European Journal of Political Research

Hausermann, S. (2010) The Politics of Welfare State Reform in Continental Europe, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hay, C. and Wincott, D. (2012) The Political Economy of European Welfare States, London: Palgrave.

Holland, D and Portes J. (2012) 'Self-Defeating Austerity', National Institute Economic Review, 222, 4-10.

ILO (2012) Global Wage Report 2012-12, Geneva: ILO.

Jayasuriya, K. (2000) Politics and Markets in the Wake of the Asian Crisis, London: Routledge.

Jessop, B. (1995) 'Towards a Schumpeterian Workfare Regime in Britain', Government and Planning A, 17, 10, 1613-1623.

Johnson, P. (2012) Time for Plan C? Slow Growth and Fiscal Choices, London: RSA.

Judt, T. (2005) Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, London: Heinemann.

Kickert, W. (2011) 'Distinctiveness of Administrative Reform in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Common Characteristics of Context Administration and Reforms' Public Administration, n Vol. 89, No. 3, 2011 (801-818

Lodge, M., & Wegrich, K. (2012). Executive politics in times of crisis. Palgrave Macmillan.

Mauro, P. (2011) Chipping Away at Public Debt: Sources of Failure and Keys to Success in Fiscal Adjustment, New York: Washington.

Moravcsik, A. (2012) 'Europe After the Crisis: How to Sustain a Common Currency', Foreign Affairs, 54,

OECD (1981) The Welfare State in Crisis, Paris: OECD.

Offe, C. (1984) Contradictions of the Welfare State, London: Hutchinson.

Palmer, T. (2012) 'The Tragedy of the Welfare State' in Palmer, T. (ed) After the Welfare State, Ottawa: Jameson Books.

Peck, J. ( 2001) Workfare States, New York: Guildford.

Pierson, P. (1996) 'The New Politics of the Welfare State', World Politics, 48, 2, 143-179.

Pollitt, C and Bouckaert, G. (2011) Public Management Reform: A Comparative Perspective: Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rhodes, R.A.W (1997) Understanding Governance: Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

Richards, D. and Smith, M.J. (2002) Governance and Public Policy in the UK, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Scharpf, F.W. (2002) 'The European Social Model: Coping with the Challenge of Europe', Journal of Common Market Studies, 40, 4, 645-670.

Smith, A.M. (2007) Welfare and Sexual Regulation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, M.J. (2009) Power and the State, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Smith, M.J. (2012) 'Globalisation and the Resilience of Social Democracy'

Smith, M. J., Richards, D., Geddes, A., & Mathers, H. (2011) 'Analysing policy delivery in the United Kingdom: The case of street crime and anti-social behaviour' Public Administration, 89(3), 975-1000.

Tanner, M. (2012) 'The Welfare State as a Pyramid Scheme', in Palmer, T. (ed) After the Welfare State, Ottawa: Jameson Books

Tanzi, V. and Shucknect, L (2000) Public Spending in the Twentieth Century: A Global Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

9. Weekly Schedule

Session	In-class activities	Out-of-class activities	In class hours	Out-of-class hours
Session 1	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 2	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 3	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 4	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 5	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 6	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 7	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 8	Lecture/Seminar	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 9	Group Presentations	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Session 10	Group Presentations	Read assigned texts, prepare seminars	3	6
Hours			30	60
Study hours for final exam				10
Total hours			100