The Welfare State and Social Innovation
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course provides students with the tools for the political understanding of recent transformation of the welfare state in terms of social innovation and welfare mix. For almost three decades, European countries have been striving to reform their social models, tailored on increasingly surpassed economic, socio-demographic and cultural structures. Reforms introduced at the national level, largely focused on the large programs of social protection, do not exhaust the array of ongoing transformations. In order to understand the breadth and nature of changes, this course moves beyond the perimeter of the public sector, directing attention towards recent developments in the market as well as in the third sector and civil society, and especially towards those new forms of intertwinement, collaboration and synergy that have been emerging between these two spheres (and often between them and the public sector) in welfare provision.
Expected learning outcomes
Students who attend the course will be able to address the issue of why different countries implement different social measures and policies, especially in times of crisis and in terms of social innovation; explore important concepts in the field of comparative social policy, including social citizenship, risk sharing, de-commodification, welfare mix, public-private partnership, social innovation, social investment; examine the forces driving welfare regimes' development in Western nations; analyze contemporary policy issues affecting Western welfare states, including globalization, demographic aging, labor market instability, gender equality, vulnerability and social exclusion, migration, populism; envisage the social and economic consequences of processes of welfare state crisis and the emergence of the "second welfare" paradigm; identify different approaches to explaining institutional variety in advanced welfare systems; examine the relevance of tools and frameworks for the study of Western welfare states and their recent transformation.
Lesson period: Second trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second trimester
Course syllabus
The course provides students with the tools for the political understanding of the recent transformation of the welfare state in terms of social innovation and welfare mix. European countries have been striving to reform their social models for almost three decades, tailored to increasingly surpassed economic, socio-demographic, and cultural structures. Reforms introduced at the national level, primarily focused on the extensive social protection programs, do not exhaust the array of ongoing transformations. To capture the breadth and nature of these changes, this course moves beyond the perimeter of the public sector, directing attention towards developments in the market as well as in the third sector and civil society, and especially towards those new forms of intertwinement, collaboration, and synergy that have been emerging between these two spheres (and often between them and the public sector) in welfare provision.
This course focuses on "poorly visible" forms of social innovation and welfare mix initiatives and projects and describes recent achievements in some selected European countries. Firstly, the course illustrates some analytical distinctions and clarifications on the notion of the welfare state, social innovation, social investment, welfare mix, and "secondo welfare" (for denoting the array of non-public welfare provisions which have been expanding in the last decade, the Italian debate has recently coined a new label: "second welfare," a notion that is very much connected with the discussion on social innovation and the future of social policy at the EU level). Secondly, the course will illustrate emerging trends, emblematic initiatives, and projects in European countries. Thirdly, the program will highlight such trends' problems, risks, and prospects.
More specifically, the following topics will be analyzed:
- Welfare state: basic concepts and short introduction on recent reforms
- Social innovation and social investment: theory and concepts
- Second welfare and welfare mix: concepts and nexus
- - Collaborative governance and co-design of local policies
- Social Innovation and the welfare state: searching for empirical evidence in selected countries
- The welfare state and social innovation at the time of Covid and future perspectives.
This course focuses on "poorly visible" forms of social innovation and welfare mix initiatives and projects and describes recent achievements in some selected European countries. Firstly, the course illustrates some analytical distinctions and clarifications on the notion of the welfare state, social innovation, social investment, welfare mix, and "secondo welfare" (for denoting the array of non-public welfare provisions which have been expanding in the last decade, the Italian debate has recently coined a new label: "second welfare," a notion that is very much connected with the discussion on social innovation and the future of social policy at the EU level). Secondly, the course will illustrate emerging trends, emblematic initiatives, and projects in European countries. Thirdly, the program will highlight such trends' problems, risks, and prospects.
More specifically, the following topics will be analyzed:
- Welfare state: basic concepts and short introduction on recent reforms
- Social innovation and social investment: theory and concepts
- Second welfare and welfare mix: concepts and nexus
- - Collaborative governance and co-design of local policies
- Social Innovation and the welfare state: searching for empirical evidence in selected countries
- The welfare state and social innovation at the time of Covid and future perspectives.
Prerequisites for admission
Students should be familiar with the basic concepts of political science to better understand the content of this course.
Teaching methods
This is an interactive course that envisages active participation on the part of the students.
Students, to be enrolled as "attending" (frequentanti), have to attend at least 80% of classes (16 out of 20 lessons). Those who cannot participate in, or fail to attend classes regularly, are considered "nonattendant students."
Non GPS students are encouraged to attend classes, but they are not obliged to. They can opt for the "non-attending students" program (programma per non frequentanti).
By attending classes, students take on the obligation to: do all the readings in advance and come to class prepared to discuss; actively participate in class discussions; take the moderator role in discussions when requested; make presentations when required.
The instructor reserves the right to call on less active students and gently encourage them to participate and share their thoughts.
Students, to be enrolled as "attending" (frequentanti), have to attend at least 80% of classes (16 out of 20 lessons). Those who cannot participate in, or fail to attend classes regularly, are considered "nonattendant students."
Non GPS students are encouraged to attend classes, but they are not obliged to. They can opt for the "non-attending students" program (programma per non frequentanti).
By attending classes, students take on the obligation to: do all the readings in advance and come to class prepared to discuss; actively participate in class discussions; take the moderator role in discussions when requested; make presentations when required.
The instructor reserves the right to call on less active students and gently encourage them to participate and share their thoughts.
Teaching Resources
A complete syllabus will be available at the course's beginning on the MOODLE platform.
A detailed reading list for attendant students will be available weekly on the course website. The "weekly syllabus" will include a list of readings sub-divided for each topic/teaching week.
Detailed readings for "non-attendant students" will be available by mid-January 2025.
A detailed reading list for attendant students will be available weekly on the course website. The "weekly syllabus" will include a list of readings sub-divided for each topic/teaching week.
Detailed readings for "non-attendant students" will be available by mid-January 2025.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Attendant students:
The assessment will be based on: participation in-class debates and discussions, presentations in class, and acting as a scheduled discussant; the final (written) exam will be on some articles listed by the instructor on the course website.
The grading system toward the final mark is the following:
- discussion questions and class participation: 20%
- presentations in class and acting as a scheduled discussant: 40%
- final (written) exam: 40%.
Non-attendant students:
The assessment will be based on a discussion in English (oral exam) around some articles listed by the instructor on the course website and two short research papers (3.500 words each) on a specific topic to be agreed upon.
These papers are for developing students' interest in a particular area of the welfare state and social innovation. One paper should be a literature review, and the other should examine a social innovation case from a comparative perspective. Everyone should contact and meet the instructor to define and discuss both topics.
Students who cannot attend classes are kindly requested to contact the instructor at their earliest convenience and, in any case, well in advance concerning the exam date. The two research papers are due at least two weeks before the oral exam date.
The grading system toward the final mark is the following:
- two research papers: 30% each
- oral exam: 40%.
The instructor reserves the right to modify the assessment system on particular occasions, keeping the syllabus constant.
The assessment will be based on: participation in-class debates and discussions, presentations in class, and acting as a scheduled discussant; the final (written) exam will be on some articles listed by the instructor on the course website.
The grading system toward the final mark is the following:
- discussion questions and class participation: 20%
- presentations in class and acting as a scheduled discussant: 40%
- final (written) exam: 40%.
Non-attendant students:
The assessment will be based on a discussion in English (oral exam) around some articles listed by the instructor on the course website and two short research papers (3.500 words each) on a specific topic to be agreed upon.
These papers are for developing students' interest in a particular area of the welfare state and social innovation. One paper should be a literature review, and the other should examine a social innovation case from a comparative perspective. Everyone should contact and meet the instructor to define and discuss both topics.
Students who cannot attend classes are kindly requested to contact the instructor at their earliest convenience and, in any case, well in advance concerning the exam date. The two research papers are due at least two weeks before the oral exam date.
The grading system toward the final mark is the following:
- two research papers: 30% each
- oral exam: 40%.
The instructor reserves the right to modify the assessment system on particular occasions, keeping the syllabus constant.
SPS/04 - POLITICAL SCIENCE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Maino Franca
Shifts:
Turno
Professor:
Maino FrancaProfessor(s)
Reception:
From January to Mid-March: Monday from 10.00 to 13.00. During the rest of the year: Monday from 14.00 to 17.00. I am available by appointment. I can be contacted by e-mail and MS Teams.
Department of Social and Political Sciences, Room no. 17, second floor