Non-Government Organizations as Development Agents

Master 2020/2021

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Elective course (Population and Development)

Area of studies: Public Administration

Delivered by: Department of Demography

Where: Faculty of Social Sciences

When: 2 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Alexandra Alexandrovna Moskovskaya

Master’s programme: Population and Development

Language: English

ECTS credits: 5

Contact hours: 48

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course aims at developing students' understanding of how the welfare is made jointly by government, business and communities; through what mechanisms there is a coordination of their interests and creation of institutions of interaction and exchange of resources; how can nonprofit organizations combine market resources (equivalent exchange based on the balance of supply and demand) with resources obtainable on the basis of non-market interactions (reciprocity, volunteerism, cooperation).

Learning Objectives

The course is aimed at increasing the sensitivity of students to various social problems and finding their effective solutions via not-for-profit organizations. The course is based on a combination of the development of theoretical concepts that explain the polymorphic nature of welfare production and decision-making in the interests of the population, with the development of tools for the application of theoretical concepts to the solution of specific social problems and analysis of the social consequences of decision-making. The use of knowledge in decision-making includes assessment of the situation, critical analysis of available decisions, developing proposals for improving the situation or improving the impact of decision-making that may be available to non-governmental organizations.

Expected Learning Outcomes

To know basic methods of obtaining empirical knowledge about social phenomena, providing opportunities for their use in any subject area of social science
To be able to argue the judgments pro and contra corporate social policy based on logics and facts
To be able to distinguish and analyze the main aspects of social policy and/ or nongovernmental non-profit organizations
To have basic academic skills, such as collecting, analyzing and logically presenting information and data on a certain topic, participating in a group discussion, writing an essay, making a presentation, etc.

Course Contents

"Welfare mix" and the place of different actors in its creation in modern societies
The activities of specific organizations are considered using the principles of separation of 3 public sectors of K. Polanyi, taking into account their specific ways of sharing resources, formality and informality, private and public relations, the market and mutual assistance. Welfare state and its reform towards mixed welfare systems in different societies. Typical agenda in the reforms of the last quarter of the 20th century and today, commonality and differences (on the example of different countries).
Corporate social responsibility and its application in social policy. Stakeholder management strategy.
Measures of state influence on CSR programs. Opportunities and limitations of business in solving significant social problems. The role of non-profit organizations in the implementation of CSR programs. Non-profit civil organizations in the system of social policy. Different role models of the state in the realization of citizens' interests. Various functions of NGOs in social policy: integration, substitution, competition.
Hybridization of third sector organizations and cross-sector interaction
Approaches to interpretation through the “multistakeholder partnerships”, “blended value”, and “blurring boundaries”, “double-“ and “triple bottom-line”. Typology of non-governmental organizations working in the social sphere on the basis of "organizational traditions"
Concepts and practice of social innovation
What different actors mean and what they do? Problems of legitimation of new solutions in social policy: interests of various actors, discourses, their coordination and creation of a new regulatory order. Variety of approaches to the interpretation of "social". Alternative approaches to solving social problems: "social economy", "social entrepreneurship", "social innovations", " social finance» Approaches to measuring social impact. Objective and method of measurement. General and specific methods of assessment, their application to differnet organizational types.

Assessment Elements

Seminar activity
Essay based on the topics of the missed seminar activities
Essay
Final exam
Seminar activity
Essay
Final exam

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (2 module)
0.2 * Essay + 0.4 * Final exam + 0.4 * Seminar activity

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Aluchna, M., & Idowu, S. O. (2017). The Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility : A Critical Approach to Theory and Practice. Cham: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1238318
Sandro Busso, & Nicola De Luigi. (2019). Civil Society Actors and the Welfare State. A historically-based analytical framework. Partecipazione e Conflitto, (2), 259. https://doi.org/10.1285/i20356609v12i2p259
Westley, F., McGowan, K., & Tjörnbo, O. (2017). The Evolution of Social Innovation : Building Resilience Through Transitions. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1663215

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Barr, N. (2012). Economics of the Welfare State. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.oxp.obooks.9780199297818
Georg M. Eichler, & Erich J. Schwarz. (2019). What Sustainable Development Goals Do Social Innovations Address? A Systematic Review and Content Analysis of Social Innovation Literature. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.F879E2B0
Ioanna Boulouta, & Christos Pitelis. (2014). Who Needs CSR? The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on National Competitiveness. Journal of Business Ethics, (3), 349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1633-2
The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility [Электронный ресурс] / А.Crane, D.Matten, A.McWilliams, J.Moon, D.S.Siegel, eds.; БД oxfordhandbooks. - Oxford University Press; 2008. – Режим доступа: http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199211593.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199211593 – Загл. с экрана.

Course Syllabus