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Politics of Social Policy: A Comparative Historical Perspective

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Foundation Core SPG2PP410 4

Semester and Year Offered: 3rd Semester (Monsoon Semester)

Course Coordinator and Team:      Ekta Singh

Email of course coordinator:           ekta@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites:            None

Aim:  This is a survey course designed to introduce students to the configuration and dynamics of social policy in countries that represent different welfare models. While aimed at identifying trends and patterns, the course is intended to help students understand the distinctiveness of social policies in different contexts and the forces -both historical and cultural - shaping them. The course adopts a political economy perspective to make sense of comparative social policy. By comparing what counts as social policy (and what does not) in different contexts - both temporally and geographically, the course problematizes the concept of social policy to discern any possible ‘politics of social policy’. The overarching theme that cuts across the course is exploring role of ideas, institutions and political agency in determining the shape of social policy in Europe, North America, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Comparative case study method is adopted to compare select policies across regions.

Course Outcomes:

At the end of the course students will be able

  • To understand the purpose, relevance and tools of comparison in political analysis.
  • To be aware of the diverse forms and meanings of social policy across different regions to discern any possible ‘politics of social policy’.
  • To understand the socio-economic and political rationale for the particular nature of social policies in specific regions of the world- role of ideas, institutions and political agency in determining shape of social policy
  • To discern trends and patterns in social policy configuration and derive crucial insights from important policy experiences in other environments.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

  1. Understanding Social Policy: Key Concepts, Theories and Ideologies

 The unit introduces students to ‘comparative methods’ as an analytical tool through an exposition on different units, levels, and scales of comparison. The purpose and relevance of a comparative approach in illuminating the policy process in different contexts and its contribution to the development and confirmation of theory will be stressed. At the same time the limitations and challenges of a comparative framework will be discussed. Particular emphasis will be laid on ‘comparative case study’ method in discovering contrasts, similarities, or patterns across cases.

  1. Comparative Social Policy: Theories and Methods

The module will introduce students to the concept of ‘social policy’ by laying emphasis on how ‘social policy’ is different from ‘public policy’. The endeavor would be to help students see social and economic policies in conjunction. In other words, emphasis will be laid on political economy of social policy. Rather than treating ‘social policy’ as a universal category, the module will focus on the differential ambit and purview of what has come under social policy in different regions at different points of time across the world.

  1. Mapping Social Policy Globally: A Comparative Historical Approach

The module will adopt a comparative historical approach to acquaint students with the historical development of social policy (and welfare state) as it emerged in Europe and the diverse forms it took in different parts of the world. The idea is to help students situate historically the discourse of social policy and appreciate the prevalence of any possible ‘politics of social policy’.

  1. Regime Type and Social Policy: Moving Beyond

The module will explore the relationship between regime types and social policy outcomes. In particular, the emphasis will be on understanding whether authoritarian and democratic regimes produce different types of policies? Is democracy really better than authoritarianism in promoting human welfare? Students will be encouraged to see democracy and authoritarianism not as dichotomous but in a continuum. The difference in what counts as social policy in the two regimes will also be stressed.

  1. State Capacity and Role of Bureaucracy: The module will investigate the role of bureaucracy in the success or failure of social policy. Idea of ‘street-level bureaucracy’ and its implications for shaping social policy will be stressed. In addition, the module will focus on - What do we mean by ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ state and its relationship with bureaucracy? The larger point of discussion will be the impact of political institutions and the differential roles that bureaucracy has been adopting in different contexts at different points of time.

Assessment Details with weights:

  • The first assessment will involve a book review that uses a comparative frame which will include a write and individual presentation (50%).
  • The Second assessment will consist of a final examination (50%).

Reading List:

  • James Mahoney & Dietrich Rueschemeyer ed. (2011). Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Science, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
  •  J Clasen ed. (1999). Comparative Social Policy: Concepts, Theories and Methods, Blackwell, Oxford.
  • Christopher Pierson (ed.), Beyond the Welfare State? The New Political Economy of Welfare, Cambridge, Polity Press, pp. 102-140
  • Paul Pierson ed. (2001). The New Politics of the Welfare State, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 410-56
  • Anis Dani, Arjan DeHaan Inclusive States: Social Policy and Structural Inequalities.
  • Ian Gough and Geof Wood, Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America , Cambridge University Presss.
  • Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman (2008), Development, Democracy, and Welfare States, Princeton University Press, 2008
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