Bachelor
2023/2024
Comparative Social Policy: Focus on the Post-Soviet Area
Type:
Elective course (Political Science and World Politics)
Area of studies:
Political Science
When:
4 year, 3 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Andrey Starodubtsev
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
4
Contact hours:
28
Course Syllabus
Abstract
What does contemporary social policy mean? Who and how formulates it? Which social groups deserve and not deserve the support from the state and the society, and why? Does the soviet legacy exist in social policy in the post-soviet countries? All these questions firm the basis of the class on comparative social policy which can be interesting for those who would like to understand the particularities of social protection and social support in the modern world, and want to expand their knowledge on public policy in the countries — former republics of the Soviet Union.
Learning Objectives
- What does contemporary social policy mean? Who and how formulates it? Which social groups deserve and not deserve the support from the state and the society, and why? Does the soviet legacy exist in social policy in the post-soviet countries? All these questions firm the basis of the class on comparative social policy which can be interesting for those who would like to understand the particularities of social protection and social support in the modern world, and want to expand their knowledge on public policy in the countries — former republics of the Soviet Union.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- determine the basic terms: welfare, social policy, welfare regimes, and characterise discussions around them
- reveals the main trends and features of the model of social policy (welfare regime) in the individual countries of the post-Soviet space
- names the main political problems of the formation and implementation of social policy and illustrates them with examples of post-Soviet countries
- explains the influence of the Soviet legacy on the development of social policy in the countries of the post-Soviet space
Course Contents
- What does social policy mean?
- Welfare states and welfare regimes
- Politics of social policy
- Social policy in the USSR
- Inequality in the post-Soviet countres
- Pension systems in the post-Soviet countries
- Health care in the post-Soviet countries
- Deinstitutinalisation of care
- Homelessness and unemployment
- Education in the post-Soviet countries
- Conslusions
Assessment Elements
- Activity
- PresentationA student prepares a policy paper in the format of presentation. The policy paper should be devoted to one social policy area in one or several post-Soviet countries. By conducting case study or comparative research, the student may explain 1) what political and other factors determine the design of the selected social policy area or 2) what political and other circumstances this policy area produces. The presentation should contain 10 - 15 slides. The recommended structure of the presentation is the following: 1) the main question of the paper; 2) methodological frameworks (how you answered the question empirically); 3) the list of sources and references; 4) main findings and arguments.
- EssayThe exam is conducted in the format of k essay which should be written in the class. A student chooses one of three topics formulated by the instructor. A student will have 80 minutes to write and submit the essay.
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Eich, F., Soto, M., Gust, C., & International Monetary Fund. (2012). Reforming the Public Pension System in the Russian Federation. [Place of publication not identified]: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=568185
- Engeli, I., & Allison, C. R. (2014). Comparative Policy Studies : Conceptual and Methodological Challenges. [Basingstoke]: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=997751
- Grusky, D. B., & Szelényi, S. (2018). The Inequality Reader : Contemporary and Foundational Readings in Race, Class, and Gender (Vol. Second edition). New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1795599
- Jeroen Huisman, Harry de Boer, David D. Dill, & Manuel Souto-Otero. (2015). The Palgrave International Handbook of Higher Education Policy and Governance. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Kennett, P. (2004). A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Kennett, P., & Lendvai-Bainton, N. (2017). Handbook of European Social Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1577575
- Kingdon, J. W. (2013). Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies, Update Edition, with an Epilogue on Health Care: Pearson New International Edition (Vol. Second edition). Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1418568
- Midgley, J., Surender, R., & Alfers, L. (2019). Handbook of Social Policy and Development. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Mkandawire, P. T. (2004). Social Policy in a Development Context. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=169348
- Plank, D. N., Ford, T. G., Sykes, G., & Schneider, B. L. (2009). Handbook of Education Policy Research. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=270704
- Tagaeva, T. O., & Kazantseva, L. K. (2017). Public Health and Health Care in Russia. Problems of Economic Transition, 59(11/12), 973–990. https://doi.org/10.1080/10611991.2017.1431488
- Wiemer Salverda, Brian Nolan, & Timothy M. Smeeding. (2009). The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality. OUP Oxford.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Anna Lukiyanova. (2013). Earnings inequality and informal Employment in Russia. HSE Working Papers. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.p.hig.wpaper.37.ec.2013
- Greve, B., & Greener, I. (2014). Evidence and Evaluation in Social Policy. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=672288
- Khmelnitskaya, M. (2020). Policy and Governance in Russia: Ideas and Discourses in Social Policymaking and Governance. Russian Analytical Digest, 254, 2–6. https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000421074
- Konstantinovskiy, D. L. (2012). Social Inequality and Access to Higher Education in Russia. European Journal of Education, 47(1), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3435.2011.01504.x