| CODE | SWP2142 | ||||||||
| TITLE | The Political Context of Welfare | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Social Policy and Social Work | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is intended to introduce students to the development of political thought and to key political concepts and controversies that are particularly relevant to welfare state analysis. Students will be assessed through examination and classroom debate. There are three parts to the unit. 1. The first part will outline the legacy of key political thinkers in different epochs including antiquity and the medieval era and in early and late modernity, particularly in relation to the grounds and nature of political obligation; the use and limits of public power; liberty, rights and social justice. It will also focus on the emergence, types, features, and classification of modern states, and the role played by welfare in nation state building. The emergence of political ideologies in and after the 19th century will also be covered, as will the broad contours of post-World War II politics in Europe. Students will be familiarised with different perspectives on political power, including pluralism; elitism; Marxism; corporatism; feminism; and the Foucauldian perspective. 2. The second part of this study-unit will focus on the five elements of liberal democracy; its institutional variations and key processes. The organs of the state, and their key functions, will be covered. It will also consider, and critique, the 'end of history' debate, and will briefly discuss emergent alternatives to liberal democracy. The roles of civil society and social movements will also be examined. 3. The third part will focus on defining and debating contested topics that are particularly relevant to students of social policy and social wellbeing, namely social justice and redistribution; paternalism; neoliberalism; globalisation and migration; populism; social media, polarisation and democracy. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to provide students of social policy and social wellbeing with a basic theoretical foundation in the political philosophy of welfare. In doing so, it is intended for this study unit to strengthen students' conceptual base, their skills in policy analysis and design, and their capacity for effective and respectful debate. It is also intended to provide an important conceptual foundation for other study units in the B.A. (Hons) Social Policy programme, that presuppose a robust understanding of the liberal democratic foundations of modern welfare states and the complex effects of emergent political developments on social wellbeing and the state's role in promoting it. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: Through assessment: - Compare and contrast the principles of major political traditions; - Appraise the relevance of key concepts in political theoryto contemporary welfare states; - Appraise the value of liberal democracy and its institutions to the welfare state; - Debate the different approaches to social justice and redistribution; - Critically analyse the concepts of neoliberalism, globalisation, and paternalism; - Explain the rise in populism and polarisation, identifying their drivers, manifestations and effects; - Evaluate social movements and their impact. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Develop arguments, from principle, for (or against!) the welfare state; - Identify the key principles underpinning different ideological approaches to the welfare state; - Evaluate welfare policies in terms of their implications for liberal democracy; - Recognise populist, paternalist and polarising arguments, and respond effectively; - Demonstrate the ability and attitude for effective and cordial debate (in class), recognising and respecting different philosophical arguments; - Source further readings to deepen one's knowledge of the social philosophical basis for welfare states. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: While there is no single set text given the broad reach of the unit, single chapters from the texts below will be provided for each lecture. Supplementary readings: - George, V. (2012). Major thinkers in Welfare. Contemporary issues in historical perspective. Policy Press. - Plant, R., Lesser, H. & Taylor-Gooby, P. (1980). Political philosophy and social welfare. Essays on the normative basis of welfare provision. Routledge and Kegan Paul. - McAuley, J. (2003). An Introduction to Politics, State and Society. Sage. - Siaroff, A. (2013). Comparing political regimes: a thematic introduction to comparative politics. University of Toronto. - Best, S. (2012). Introduction to Politics and Society. Sage. - Outhwaite, W. & Turner, S. (2018). The SAGE Handbook of Political Sociology (Vols 1 & 2). Sage. - Dryzek, J., Honig, B. & Phillips, A. (2008). The Oxford Handbook of Political Theory. Oxford. - Tosi, J. & Warmke, B. (2020). Grandstanding. The use and abuse of moral talk. Oxford. - Dutton, K. (2020). Black-and-white thinking. The burden of a binary brain in a complex world. Transworld. - Daly, M. (2011). Welfare. Polity. - Oakley, A. & Williams, S. (eds.) (2019). The politics of the welfare state (3rd ed). Routledge. - Fanning, B. (2021). Three roads to the welfare state. Liberalism, social democracy and Christian democracy. Policy Press. - Hay, C. & Wincott, D. (2012). The political economy of European welfare capitalism. Palgrave. - Bonoli G. & Natali, D. (2013). The politics of the new welfare state. Oxford. - Freedan, M., Tower Sargent L., & Stears, M. (eds.) (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies. Oxford. - Muller, J.W. (2016). What is populism? University of Pennsylvania. - Hogan, P. (2023). What is colonialism? Routledge. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Group Learning, Independent Study & Lectures | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Sara Mizzi Sue Vella |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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