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Semester 2

Politics of the Welfare State (SCPL08005)

Course Website

http://www.ed.ac.uk/social_policy/

Subject

Social Policy

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

1

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

This course looks at the politics of the welfare state in the UK in the light of the dramatic economic events since 2008, including from an international perspective, and in the context of Brexit and the current Covid-19 crisis. The role of ideology, public opinion, political actors, interest groups and the media will be considered in understanding the directions that the British welfare state took in recent years. Specific social policy areas (e.g. education, housing, benefits and the labour market, public services) will be discussed in detail and current reforms will be scrutinised.

Course Description

The course analyses the ideological and political factors which have shaped the development of the British welfare state in the past and are shaping it in the present. Pivotal is the context of the financial and economic crisis that unfolded in 2008 and the Covid-19 crisis since 2020, which have important repercussions on social policy making. Students will be introduced to key welfare benefits and services, how they are delivered, funded and who benefits from them. The role of public opinion, key political actors, the media and their interplay are critically analysed. While the focus is on the British welfare state, an international and comparative perspective is taken with regards to the role of welfare ideologies, key institutional features, the impact of economic crises and other common contemporary challenges to the welfare state in Europe.Together with the courses Social Policy and Society, European Social Policy and/or Evidence, Politics and Policy this course will form a coherent introduction to Social Policy, but it can also be taken as a topical outside subject on a stand-alone basis.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 90%, Practical Exam 10%

view the timetable and further details for this course