300029 Sociology of Social Policy in the Developing World (S) (SoSe 2018)

The expansion of social security programs in the developing world during the past twenty years has been accompanied by increased scholarly interest in social policy outside the OECD world, in which the “three worlds of welfare capitalism” (Esping-Andersen 1990) are located. These studies (e.g. Haggard/Kaufmann 2008; Huber/Stephens 2012; Gough/Wood 2004) pioneered the application of concepts and explanations, which originated in the comparative research on western welfare states, beyond its traditional areas of application. These endeavors often undertook considerable adjustments and even the exchange of core concepts to make the sociology and political economy of the welfare state “travel south”.

The seminar plans to review some of the emerging literature on social policy in the developing world. By contrasting it with classical conceptualizations of social policy and the welfare state, it plans not only to give an introduction into a steadily growing field of research, but also highlight the importance of paying close attention to theoretical concepts in social science (Goertz 2006).

Requirements for participation, required level

Da die Seminarliteratur nur in englischer Sprache vorliegt, ist die Fähigkeit, englischsprachige Texte zu lesen und zu verstehen, Voraussetzung.
Inhaltlich sind ansonsten keine besonderen Vorkenntnisse erforderlich. Kenntnisse und Interesse über/ an Sozialpolitik und/ oder Entwicklungspolitik sowie Lust an der theoretischen Beschäftigung mit sozialwissenschaftlichen Konzepten sind hilfreich.