Master of International Affairs   Master of Public Policy   Master of Data Science for Public Policy  

Welfare states in transition

Welfare states in advanced industrial democracies have faced transformative change over the last three decades. As economies have moved from manufacturing to service sector jobs, the role of financial services has risen, and the knowledge economy has started to embrace automation and digital tools, the role of work and the protection of citizens has started to change. In this course, we will look at these transformative changes through the perspective of the political economy and with a special emphasis on social inequality. We will show and analyze how closely the welfare state is intertwined with the economic system of particular countries and how governments have used the potential of the welfare state to reboost growth and job creation.

The course combines theoretical insights into the political economy of the welfare state, key insights into drivers of social inequality and policy responses in advanced industrialized countries.

The goals of the course are to 1) provide you with a toolbox for studying cross-country differences in inequalities, 2) give you an overview of the extent and structure of different forms of inequalities across advanced economies and, 3) understand how such inequalities are tackled from an international policy perspective to foster social cohesion.

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

Instructor