BSc International Social and Public Policy

You will study a broad range of fields from social, economic and political standpoints. These include health and social care, social security, education, and urban issues as well as cross cutting dimensions like gender, race, international development and the impact of globalisation. You will examine issues such as levels of social security benefits and their eligibility conditions, the nature of private-public partnerships in health service provision, or the mix of local authority schools and academies.

You can also choose to take a specialism in Development, which focuses on middle and low-income countries and the way in which social and public policy are discussed, produced and implemented to deal with inequalities and to increase wellbeing. 

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This programme enables students to study a joint honours degree in the closely linked fields of social policy and economics. You will learn how to apply economic concepts to policy issues and about the connections between them.

You will consider issues such as the fact that it is prosperous economies that can most easily introduce and support generous social policies; but the nature of social policy provision can have substantial impacts on how an economy performs. You will learn about issues facing societies around the world today such as how best to finance and provide cash benefits, health and social care, education and social services, and how the issues have been addressed in the past and in different countries. You will be taught about economic success at a national and international level (macroeconomics) and about the interactions of firms, governments and individuals within countries (microeconomics).

International social and public policy studies real world issues such as poverty, social exclusion and global population change. It is about understanding and addressing social problems in society, and it examines the formation and implementation of policy, and how this affects people’s wellbeing. Economics is the study of scarcity, how people use resources and make decisions. The discipline of economics tackles a broad range of problems at various levels, from individuals' work behaviour and economic choices to recessions, international finance and trade between countries.

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The BSc International Social and Public Policy with Politics has social policy as its major subject and government as its minor subject; and the study of social policy will make up approximately 75 per cent of the degree.

International social and public policy studies real world issues such as poverty, social exclusion and global population change. It is about understanding and addressing social problems in society, and it examines the formation and implementation of policy, and how this affects people’s wellbeing. The subject is diverse and exciting, and plays a crucial role in contemporary politics. The study of politics involves analysing the ways in which individuals and groups define and interpret political issues and seek to shape government decisions.

Social policy and politics are closely linked. The social policies you see around you were not created in a vacuum but reflect an accumulation of decisions in which political behaviour by citizens and their representatives, and governments and other organisations at local, national and international levels, have all played key roles.

The programme is designed to provide you with the skills to understand how voters, political parties and politicians, civil servants, different governmental departments and agencies interact, whether proposing, modifying, blocking or implementing policies across the world. You will discuss current and past social policies and the analytical principles underlying them. For example, levels of social security benefits and their eligibility conditions, the nature of private-public partnerships in health service provision, or the mix of local authority schools and academies.

Full information here.

Samiha Begum

Degree: BSc Social Policy

Where are you from?

I’ve grown up in London and spent my whole life studying here!

Why did you choose to study your degree?

I grew up during the 2008/09 recession and spent many lessons at school asking my teachers questions about the changing policies that were happening at the time and who they’d affect. When I was 13, my geography teacher told me that I should study policy at university and that LSE would be the perfect place for it. 

I was always interested in politics, but more interested in change and how to achieve positive social change in society with a specific interest in understanding how to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable groups. I considered social policy to be the most important aspect of governance and knew that studying Social Policy at degree level would give me the ability to study on a macro level a range of different areas with the opportunity to specialise.

What did you enjoy most about your degree and being at the LSE?

You are right in the centre of any huge events or changes. The world changed a lot in the three years I spent at university, and with every policy change, election or crisis I felt like I had a front seat with leading commentators, professionals and academics to help develop my own understandings of it.

What are the benefits to studying in the Department of Social Policy?

You gain a very multifaceted  understanding of a range of policy related concepts  in the U.K. and internationally. BSc Social Policy is very robust, and specifically in relation to research methods, you leave with a wide range of specialised research skills that not many other undergraduate degrees can provide.

Another great benefit is that the Department of Social Policy is home to the leading researchers on the topics you study. A lot of the government or central reports I would study for my dissertation or summatives had the biggest contributions from my lecturers and on reflection, that is pretty amazing.

What are the benefits to studying at a London university?

London has an amazing ability to connect people and places. It’s a hub and there are so many opportunities available to you when you do study in London. Of course, socially it’s a great place to be and despite never lasting that long, London in the summer is one of the best places to be.

What have you done with your degree since graduation?

Since graduating, I worked as a researcher at the Institute of Race Relations. I worked with a range of different stakeholders including lawyers and community groups to carry out different research projects including on housing and police custody. In September I am due to join the Government Social Research Service on the Civil Service Fast Stream. My class peers from LSE who work in the Civil Service have told me how well suited Social Policy graduates are to the Civil Service so I am very excited to get started and contribute. Fun fact, I still keep in contact with my LSE Academic Advisor, Professor Lucinda Platt and she played a big role in advising and supporting me throughout the application process for this job.