INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL POLICY
Compulsory course, 8th semester
(“Social Administration and Policy” Stream)
Spring semester, Academic year 2014-2015
Aims:
The course aims to:
• Develop an understanding of the principal approaches to the analysis of supranational and global social policies, and the role of international institutions.
• Explore the development and reform of supranational social policies with a main focus on global redistribution, global social regulation and global social rights.
Learning outcomes:
On completion of this course the students should have acquired:
• Advanced knowledge of the historical development of key international institutions and of the major contemporary approaches to their role in global social reform.
• Critical knowledge of the relationships between key political and economic actors influencing global redistribution, global regulation and global social rights.
• Ability to gather, assess and synthesize relevant information, data, research evidence and literature from various sources.
Content:
The course examines the role of key supranational and global actors in national social policy reform. The main actors examined are: the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade Organization, the UN and its social agencies, global think-tanks and epistemic communities, international NGOs and global social movements.
The course explores the institutional framework and the political dynamics at the supranational/global level influencing the goals and reform trajectories of national welfare regimes. Major topics covered are also: growing inequality between and within countries and increasing global poverty; the intensification of migration flows across the globe; the need to combat poverty not only for economic or social policy reasons but primarily as a key “human rights” issue; and the prospects of a “global discourse” on redistribution and social regulation by major actors at the international level.
The course consists of 13 weeks three-hour lectures/seminars during the winter term.
Recommended reading available through the Electronic Service for the Management of Academic Books and Readings (“Eudoxus” – Ministry of Education):
Bennett, A. L. and Oliver, J. Κ., 2001. International organizations. Principles and issues. (Greek translation, Athens: Gutenberg, 2006).
Stiglitz, J. E., 2002. Globalization and its discontents. (Greek translation, Athens: Livanis, 2003).
Further information
Detailed syllabus (for the 13 teaching weeks)
(1) Bennett, A. L. and Oliver, J. Κ., 2001. International organizations. Principles and issues. (Greek translation, Athens: Gutenberg, 2006) (Chapters 1, 4 & 11).
(2) Deacon, B., 2007. Global social policy and governance. London: Sage (Chapters 1-4 & 6-8).
(3) Petmesidou, M., 2004. The debate on global poverty. In: M. Petmesidou and C. Papatheodorou, eds Poverty and social exclusion. Athens: Exandas, pp. 29-86 (in Greek).
(4) Stiglitz, J. E., 2002. Globalization and its discontents. (Greek translation, Athens: Livanis, 2003) (Chapter 1).
(5) Notes that you have taken from the lectures.
It is also required that students consult other works included in the reading list (particularly these marked as recommended reading).
Assessment is based on class work and an essay of no more than 2500 words (30%), as well as on a 2-hour written examination in the end of the semester (70%).