The Welfare State: History, Theory, Philosophy

The aim of the course is

(i)For the students to understand the processes through which was the welfare state emerged. More specifically, the passage from medieval Christian charity to liberal personal responsibility and philanthropy in the 19th c. and from the initial legislation on social issues at the end of the 19thc. to the foundation of the post WWII welfare state.

(ii) To present and critically discuss theories aiming at explaining the emergence and development of the welfare state in relation to broader social structures such as the economy and the polity.

In parallel, to delineate non explicit functions which can be attributed to the welfare state as a level of social practice - on the micro level of creating subjectivities.

and (iii) To critically present the discourses which have been associated with the emergence, development but also the attack on the welfare state. These discourses relate to the broader political ideologies concurrent with the modern state, from the notion of rights and classical liberalism to neoliberalism.

Evaluation: Long written essay

 

Secretariat Code
51M204
Category
Optional Course
Credits
3
ERASMUS
Not available