Undergraduate Course: Understanding sustainable welfare and eco-social policy (SCPL10044)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course engages with one of the most difficult contemporary questions for social and public policy: how can we reach the goal of equitable and fair welfare policies for all without destroying our planet in the process? The dilemma at the heart of much of social policy is its continuing reliance on growth as the means of poverty alleviation and the answer to inequality. By engaging with the concepts such as 'wellbeing', 'sustainability', 'planetary boundaries', 'zero growth' and 'just transition', the course explores the ways social and public policy scholars and practitioners are responding to the challenge of rethinking the design and delivery of social policy in line with the notion of sustainable wellbeing.
The course takes an applied approach where students will engage with real-world policy dilemmas and critically appraise suggested solutions. The practical element of the course is further supported by contributions from external expert input. |
| Course description |
The course examines global environmental issues, such as climate change, from the perspective of social and public policy. These issues will be explored by linking scholarship on environmental policy, climate change policy and sustainability with core questions of social policy. How can we meet the goal of sustainability without compromising on the goals of social justice, fairness and equity? How can we continue to develop progressive social policies without reliance on economic growth as the main driver of such policies?
Students will engage with these types of questions through real-world cases drawn from a range of countries and organisations.
Examples of issues to be discussed:
- Climate change as a wicked policy problem
- Wellbeing and its measurements
- Wellbeing and welfare states in the global North and South
- Post-growth, de-growth, green growth
- Just transitions
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Ecological perspectives to social policy
- Social policy tools to achieve environmentally and socially just outcomes
Learning experience
The course will be taught through a weekly two-hour lecture/seminar. The lecture element of each session will introduce the core material and concepts for each week, which will be then discussed further in the seminar part of the session through group work and other interactive activities. Each session will consist of mini lectures, punctuated by discussion. In order to bring in external stakeholders and practitioners we may also make use of pre-recorded online material. In preparation for each session students will be asked to read both core academic text(s) and cases (these could draw, for example, on reports, journal articles, organisations) which will be used to demonstrate and better understand the key concepts introduced in the mini lectures. The assessment on this course will take the form of a policy brief and long essay. Preparations for assessment will be supported by making available illustrative examples of policy briefs and dedicated in-class advice sessions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students are welcome to take this course. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- To engage with the challenges of sustainability for social policy making.
- To evaluate social policy in the context of limits to economic growth and planetary boundaries.
- To compare welfare state approaches in achieving a green and just transition.
- To understand the challenges associated with the implementation of eco-social policies.
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Reading List
Buechs , M. and Koch, M. (2017) Postgrowth and Wellbeing. Challenges to sustainable welfare, Palgrave Macmillan.
Fitzpatrick, T. (ed.) (2011) Understanding the Environment and Social Policy. Bristol: Policy Press.
Gough, I. (2017) Heat, Greed and Human Need. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Hirvilammi, T. and Helne, T. (2014) 'Changing Paradigms: A Sketch for Sustainable Wellbeing and Ecosocial Policy', Sustainability, 6(4), pp. 2160-2175.
Laurent, E. (2018) Measuring Tomorrow. Princeton University Press |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Generic cognitive skills (comparison, evaluation, critical analysis)
Communication skills (verbal and written)
Effective engagement with others and autonomous work |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Markus Ketola
Tel:
Email: markus.ketola@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Brodie Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)51 3139
Email: Brodie.Hamilton@ed.ac.uk |
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