These lessons are aimed to provide a theoretical and methodological background for the analysis of European welfare systems, their social and economic foundations. and their territorial dimension. Lessons are also aimed to provide an overview of welfare transformation from the PostWar era, outlining main characteristics of poverty, analysing future trends, with a specific attention on different policy areas and targets.

General part

1. What welfare state is. Origins and definitions
2. Welfare during the Trente Glorieuses. Socio-economic foundations.
3. Welfare transformations: retrenchement and recalibration between new and old social risks
4. Policy areas: pensions, labour, health, education, assistance, housing
5. How target groups change: age, gender, origin, class
6. The Italian case in a comparative perspective, and its transformations: activation; social investment; financing the system; territorial inequalities; innovation problems

Single subject part

7. Poverty
8. The territorial dimension of social welfare policy

None

Knowledge and understanding: studying suggested books and attending lessons, the student shall be able to know the origins and forms of institutionalization of welfare states, in their main models and policy areas. tudents shall also know and understand recent trends and transformations.

Applying knowledge and understanding: studying suggested books, attending lessons and discussing case studies, students shall have a command on main features of the Italian and international welfare systems, in order to be able to place his/her professional activity within weak and strong points of own welfare context; students shall also be able to critically assess and suggest measures designed according to most recent trends in welfare policy

Making judgements: studying suggested books, attending lessons and discussing case studies, students shall be able to assess features of welfare policies within the frame of national welfare models

Communication skills: studying suggested books, attending lessons and discussing case studies, students shall master the specific lingo of welfare studies

Learning skills: studying suggested books, attending lessons and accessing suggested sources, students shall be able to update their knowledge and understanidng on relevant welfare topics (stats, norms, policy changes)

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

According to students' interests, it is possible to organize seminars on revelant transformations of national and international welfare policies, as much as their analysis and implementation.

Teaching

Frontal lessons, in case complemented by seminars

Innovative teaching methods

Flipped classroom

Attendance

Attending actively a minimum of 75% of lesson hours.  Studying reference literature

Course books

To sit the exam, students must study four books - the two handbooks in section A; two books in section B:

Section A - Reference handbooks
Both of the following two:
a.1. Ranci, Costanzo e Pavolini, Emanuele (2024, in press), Le politiche di welfare. Seconda edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna 
a.2. Morlicchio, Enrica (2020) Sociologia della povertà, Il Mulino, Bologna

Section B - Focuses on welfare challenges
Two of the following:
b.1. Ciarini, Andrea (2020) Politiche di welfare e investimenti sociali, il Mulino, Bologna
b.2. Giorgi, Chiara (a cura di) (2022) Welfare, Carocci, Roma
b.3. Gori, Cristiano (a cura di) (2022) Le politiche del welfare sociale, Milano, Mondadori.
b.4. Greco, Maria Giovanna (a cura di) (2021) Contrasto alla povertà e rischio di esclusione sociale, Giappichelli, Torino
b.5. Oosterlynck, Stijn, Novy, Andreas, Kazepov, Yuri (eds.) (2020) Local social innovation to combat poverty and social exclusion, Policy Press, Bristol
b.6. Kazepov, Yuri, Cucca, Roberta, Barberis, Eduardo, Mocca, Elisabetta (eds.) (2022) Handbook of Urban Social Policy, Elgar, Cheltenham, (6 chapters, at student's choice))
b.7. Dubois, Vincent (2018) Il burocrate e il povero, Mimesis, Milano
b.8. Polizzi, Emanuele (2018) Costruire il welfare dal basso, Mimesis, Milano 
b.9. Gori, Cristiano (a cura di) Il reddito minimo in azione, Carocci, Roma
b.10. Pellegrino, Vincenza, Rodeschini, Giulia (a cura di) Il welfare pubblico partecipativo, FrancoAngeli, Milano
b.11. Sacchi, S. et al. (2023), Sostegno ai poveri : quale riforma?, EGEA, Milano. Free download here: https://www.torrossa.com/it/resources/an/5589989
b.12. Busacca, M. (2024) Sociologia del welfare, EGEA, Milano
b.13. Arlotti, M. (2024) Anziani, povertà e diseguaglianze sociali, il Mulino, Bologna

Assessment

The exam is aimed to verify students’ skills in putting together knowledge and practices to deal with complex and new problems in welfare systems.

Students can take this exam in two ways:

(a) students taking the class regulary only: written paper partially replacing course books. The paper shall be some 12-14000 characters; shall focus on current welfare topics – preferably in a comparative perspective. Students shall agree the table of contents and the reference literature (some 2 books or a corresponding number of articles) – to be chosen also outside suggested course books – with the course professor. The paper shall be delivered at least 2 weeks before the exam date. The professor will grade the paper; your mark can be improved by making requested improvements. When sitting for the exam, the essay will be discussed, together with 2 books among those in the list of course books. Please, note: the paper will be scanned with an anti-plagiarism software and AI-detector software. Plagiarism is considered a serious breach of academic integrity.

The final mark is based on student’ skills in using and connecting used textbooks, and in relating them with practice. It will also be based on the quality of writing (structure of a scientific text, logic of argumentation, syntax, and grammar). The use of literature in non-native languages is highly appreciated.

(b) both students taking the class regularly or not: oral exam. The student shall show to master core themes of this course, to use knowledge in practice, to elaborate ideas in autonomy, with a sound logic of argomentation. The exam will be based on course books, to be connected with practice and current debates in welfare. In particular, it is highly appreciated when students:

- are able to connect concepts, theories, approaches and researches in an organic and logic way – not just repeating slavishly books’ contents;

- are proficient in the professional lingo

- having taken part in research activities, are able to connect experience and knowledge.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Studying suggested literature

Attendance

Studying reference literature: it is possible to arrange an individualized programme

Course books

To allow students who do not attend classes to make up for what was covered during lectures through independent study, the following materials are provided, which cover the same content as the program to promote better understanding. 

A text of the student's choice from the following list (in addition to course books above):

a. Kazepov, Yuri, Carbone Domenico (2018), Che cos’è il welfare state, Carocci, Roma
b. Saraceno, Chiara, Morlicchio, Enrica, Benassi, David (2022), La povertà in Italia, Il Mulino, Bologna
c. Granaglia, Elena (2022), Uguaglianza di opportunità. Si, ma quale?, Laterza, Roma

Assessment

The exam is aimed to verify students’ skills in putting together knowledge and practices to deal with complex and new problems in welfare systems.

Students can take this exam in two ways:

(a) students taking the class regulary only: written paper partially replacing course books. The paper shall be some 12-14000 characters; shall focus on current welfare topics – preferably in a comparative perspective. Students shall agree the table of contents and the reference literature (some 2 books or a corresponding number of articles) – to be chosen also outside suggested course books – with the course professor. The paper shall be delivered at least 2 weeks before the exam date. The professor will grade the paper; your mark can be improved by making requested improvements. When sitting for the exam, the essay will be discussed, together with 2 books among those in the list of course books. Please, note: the paper will be scanned with an anti-plagiarism and AI-detector software. Plagiarism is considered a serious breach of academic integrity.

The final mark is based on student’ skills in using and connecting used textbooks, and in relating them with practice. It will be also based on the quality of writing (structure of a scientific text; logic of argumentation; syntax and grammar). The use of literature in non-native languages is highly appreciated.

(b) both students taking the class regularly or not: oral exam. The student shall show to master core themes of this course, to use knowledge in practice, to elaborate ideas in autonomy, with a sound logic of argomentation. The exam will be based on course books, to be connected with practice and current debates in welfare. In particular, it is highly appreciated when students:

- are able to connect concepts, theories, approaches and researches in an organic and logic way – not just repeating slavishly books’ contents;

- are proficient in the professional lingo

- having taken part in research activities, are able to connect experience and knowledge.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Students can request to sit the final exam in English, French or Spanish with an alternative programme.

I'm available to flank students interested to complete their internship doing research with a professor. I can flank students interested in the following fields

• Local social policies
• Educational policy
• Features, policies, and data on immigrant integration