Dr Kitty Stewart OLD 2.36

This course is available on the BSc in Social Policy, BSc in Social Policy and Economics, BSc in Social Policy and Sociology and BSc in Social Policy with Government. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

The course analyses the purpose, design and impact of social security policies, meaning policies that protect and support household income at times when income from the labour market does not suffice. The need for social security arises both from demographic factors that affect nearly everyone during their life course - childhood, parenthood, old age - and from risk factors that end up affecting only some - unemployment, sickness and disability. The course takes a comparative approach, examining differences in the design of social security policies across welfare regimes and drawing on examples from different countries. Students will develop an understanding of the challenges and trade-offs that arise in designing social security policies to meet multiple goals, will further their knowledge about the ways systems function in practice, and will develop the tools for assessing the structure and effectiveness of social security in any given country. The course will also consider how successfully social security systems are adapting to meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century, including an aging population, migration, and the changing nature of employment brought about by rapid technological change.

Most of the examples in the lectures and readings relate to higher- and middle-income countries, but many of the issues covered are also relevant in countries where social security systems are less developed. Students will be encouraged to further their understanding of social security in their country of origin, or another country of their choice, and to draw on this knowledge in classes. 

15 hours of lectures and 15 hours of classes in the MT.

There will be no formal teaching in Reading Week (Week 6), but there will be an optional film on a relevant topic, followed by an informal discussion. 

Students will write one essay (1500 words) during the course of Michaelmas Term, and will receive feedback in preparation for the summative assessment.

R Walker (2005) Social Security and Welfare: Concepts and Comparisons. Open University Press.

J Hills (2015) Good Times, Bad Times: The Welfare Myth of Them and Us. The Policy Press.

J Millar and R Sainsbury (2018) (eds) Understanding Social Security, Third Edition. The Policy Press.

P Spicker (2011) How Social Security Works: An introduction to benefits in Britain. The Policy Press

J Kvist et al (2012) Changing Social Equality: The Nordic Welfare Model in the 21st Century. The Policy Press. 

N Barr and P Diamond (2009) Pension Reform: A Short Guide. Oxford University Press.

M Frolich et al (2015) Social Insurance, Informality and Labor Markets: How to Protect Workers While Creating Good Jobs. Oxford University Press.

An extended reading list will be provided, with specific readings for each week's topic.

Essay (100%, 3000 words) in the LT.