Public Policies and Social Transformation

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

The pedagogical strategy consists in promoting the active participation of students, giving a reasonable margin of choice for individual contributions and valuing the collective discussion of topics proposed by students under the program. All work is organized according to a pedagogical plan prior agreed by the group, so that the topics correspond most closely to the scientific interests of the students and their dissertation projects.

Learning Outcomes

The central objective is to discuss the challenges that public policies are currently facing in result of diverse processes closely interconnected: retrenchment of welfare state, neo-liberalistic orientation in welfare reforms, devastating effects of non-regulated economy global on citizen’s wellbeing, increase in inequalities and poverty at world level, amongst other processes.

Among the skills to be acquired this unit includes the understanding of the process of building up the welfare state and the recognition of the existence of different regimes and models between them based on contextual differences (path dependency), the relationship of the crisis and the reform of public welfare with a change in the circumstances of these systems, and identification of signals that allow us to understand the meaning of the changes underway.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. The state and public policies.

2. Social change in Portugal and worldwide.

3. The role of public policies in reducing inequalities.

4. Crisis and public policies.

Head Lecturer(s)

Joana Carla Marques Vale Mendes Guerra

Assessment Methods

Final Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Continuous Assessment
Synthesis work: 40.0%
Research work: 60.0%

Bibliography

BOTTOMORE, Tom (1992) “Citizenship and social class, forty years on”. In T.H. Marshall and Tom Bottomore, Citizenship and Social Class, London: Pluto Press.

CASTEL, Robert (2009) La Montée des Incertitudes. Travail, Protections, Statut de l'Individu. Paris: Seui.

ESPING-ANDERSEN, Gosta (ed.) (1997) Welfare States in Transition. London: Sage.

GOUGH, Ian; WOOD, Geof (eds.) (2004) Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Social Policy in Development Contexts. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.

PAUGAM, Serge (org.) (2007) Repenser la Solidarité. L'Apport des Sciences Sociales. Paris: PUF.

TURNER, Bryan (ed.) (1993) Citizenship and Social Theory. London. Sage.