Social innovation and the welfare mix

In line with the general learning objectives of the Master's program, the course aims at providing students with the fundamental theoretical and analytical tools for the comparative study of welfare state development and reform. In doing so, the course will focus on cross-national and cross-regime comparisons of welfare state institutions, addressing both long-term transformations and recent developments with a twofold objective. First, the course will offer a comparative overview of welfare reforms seeking to respond to old and new post-industrial risks and needs. Second, building on theories of welfare state change and continuity, the course will examine the drivers of welfare state reform, shedding light on those institutional and political factors that enhance and/or constrain policy change.

At the end of the course, the expected learning outcomes will be as follows:
Knowledge and understanding: students are expected to acquire a basic knowledge and critical understanding of key topics in comparative welfare state research, including: the variety of welfare regimes; the political economy of European welfare capitalism; the new politics of the welfare state; the social investment turn.
Applying knowledge and understanding: through the critical review of selected case studies, students will develop the ability to apply their knowledge and understanding to address contemporary empirical issues in the field of welfare state reform.
Making judgements: students will be introduced to a plurality of perspectives as a way to improve their capacity to deal with different arguments and claims in a critical way.
Communication skills: the course will develop students' ability to organize and communicate what they have learned, through group activities and class presentations.
Learning skills: the course aims at strengthening student's analytical skills, training them to be autonomous in collecting, organizing, and presenting data and empirical evidence.