Models of Solidarity and Social Politics

The course aims to illustrate the values and objectives underlying different 'models of solidarity', to provide students with a general understanding of the functioning of different welfare regimes in different countries and geographical areas, and to show how they are the result of the interaction among four areas of social regulation - the market, the state, the family, and the community. Adopting this perspective from a historical-evolutionary angle also allows us to understand the dynamics of transformation of welfare systems, outlining the role of specific factors - such as economic growth, changes in the mode of production, demographic trends, institutional factors, social demands and strictly political dynamics.

In line with the overall objectives of the faculty, the course aims in particular at understanding the specific role of political factors - regime type, form of government, party systems, dynamics of political-electoral competition - in the institutionalisation of different 'solidarity models' and in shaping the content of specific welfare reforms. To do so, we will first introduce the basic concepts for the study of social policies and the analysis of the historical-comparative evolution of welfare systems. Subsequently, through an in-depth examination of different political science approaches aimed at explaining institutional change in social protection systems, we aim to allow students to understand and interpret the most recent welfare transformations.

The course aims primarily at providing students with the knowledge and analytical tools necessary to study social policies in a comparative perspective. The focus on concepts and main analytical dimensions, as well as the adoption of the comparative-historical perspective, should enable students to develop the ability to analyse complex systems such as welfare regimes, by understanding the interactions between these and economic, demographic, social and, above all, political dynamics. Studying for the exam will therefore allow students to acquire the tools to understand, describe and interpret the political, institutional, economic and social dynamics shaping the transformation of welfare states.
Specifically, the course aims to provide the information and skills necessary to: i) analyse and make independent judgments about social policy proposals and reforms; ii) analyse the economic, social and political consequences of welfare reforms; iii) identify the underlying reasons for a given social policy decision. In addition, students will learn to find and use the main qualitative and quantitative information sources (databases) to analyse welfare systems and related political dynamics.