300434 Social Policy in Developing and Transition Countries (30-M24) (S) (SoSe 2020)

Our understanding of the development and outcomes of social policies is uneven across the regions of the world. In fact, research on social policy has been largely centered on advanced capitalist countries. During this course however, we will have the opportunity to look at a growing body of research focused on developing and transition countries.
We will start the seminar with the definition of social policy. After, in regard to the social and economic challenges in these regions of world, we will look at social policies that have been implemented to resolve these issues.
In the second part, we will read and discuss some important scholarships about social policy programs in developing and transition countries. Our main focus during the semester will be on the programs for the elderly (especially retirement policies), for workers (such as unemployment benefits), and for younger people (such as education).
In the concluding part, we will discuss the influence of these three social policy programs (education, work, and retirement) on each phase of an individual’s life.
The course is designed as an introductory seminar. No specific previous knowledge is expected.