Populism and the Welfare State in Europe

The course examines the populist phenomenon in Europe and its impact on welfare systems in the 21st century through both a theoretical and hands-on approach. In the first classes, students are introduced to the fundamental notions of what populism is, what identifies a political actor as populist and what distinguishes right-wing and left-wing variants of populism. We will explore the causes behind the success of populist actors in Europe and the political and policy consequences of this phenomenon in the national and European arenas.
Alongside theoretical notions, the course provides students with practical competences for understanding and analyzing the political and welfare implications of populism. After reviewing the main social policy challenges that characterize European welfare states nowadays, we will use the acquired concepts and analytical categories to understand how different populist actors interpret contemporary welfare issues and what policy solutions they propose. Classes will be centred on the analysis of both media and academic literature, on collective discussions of the topics at hand, and, at the end of the course, on the production of a report and a presentation.
The course is targeted for students with an interest in working opportunities that link academic knowledge with the analysis of current events and that require practical analytical skills in the fields of party politics, European socioeconomic systems, comparative social policy.

At the end of the course, after having attended classes and completed the course activities, students can expect to have acquired the following knowledge and skills:
- Knowledge and understanding: The course provides students with fundamental knowledge about the populist phenomenon in Europe, what characterizes populist actors and their socioeconomic impact when they reach relevant policy-making positions. It combines a theoretical perspective to identify and understand populism with a practical focus on empirical cases of European populist parties and welfare reforms. The course adopts a comparative lens to the study of populism as a variegated political phenomenon and its impact across different socioeconomic systems at the national and EU level.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to address critically, develop arguments and analyze empirical data on the relationship between populism and welfare. Through the comparative and policy-oriented approach of the course, students will learn how to apply analytical categories to answer both theory-driven and empirically-grounded questions in the fields of comparative politics, party politics, and social policy analysis.
- Making judgements: By the end of the course, students are expected to engage critically with the themes addressed in class and to conduct and illustrate original research, both individually and in group. By reviewing academic literature, selected media outlets and real-world cases, throughout the course students will learn how to analyze the socioeconomic preferences of different political actors and the content of welfare reforms. The course activities will foster their capacity to select which analytical tools, methods and data sources to use.
- Communication skills: Students will have the opportunity to develop their communication skills through the interactive discussion of required readings and by presenting the results of a group assignment at the end of the course. Working in group will offer a chance to develop relational, organizational and time management skills, such as prioritizing and distributing tasks among team members, and learning to present research outcomes in both written and oral form.
- Learning skills: The structure of the course and of the final assignments will allow students to develop their analytical skills, to autonomously engage with a research topic and to link theory with current, real-world political developments.