300550 Social Inequalities in the welfare state (S) (WiSe 2022/2023)

Social inequalities, for example in income, vary between welfare states. In the welfare state social policies and transfer payments can reduce social inequalities for example by reducing social risks, such as job loss and/or weakening involved adversity (DiPrete 2002; Diewald 2015). The welfare state, however, also plays a role in the generation of inequalities because it follows and reproduces specific perceptions and evaluations of heterogeneities, e.g. gender (Leisering 2003; Mandel & Semyonov 2006; Pfau-Effinger 1998). This seminar provides an overview of differences in social inequalities between welfare states and of theoretical approaches to specify the role of the welfare state for the generation, reproduction and weakening of social inequalities. Moreover, students will apply theoretical perspectives on the welfare state to different questions on persistence and change in social inequalities, e.g. due to changes in family policies, due to globalization, and digitalization and discuss existing research findings.

Requirements for participation, required level

Requirements for an active participation are the regular attendance of the seminar, the reading of the basic texts, the participation in a group work, and the moderation of the discussion on the basic text (20 minutes). For a graded individual participation an essay needs to be handed in until the end of the seminar.