PSC 288(13) Comparative Social Policy, CRN 76859
Fall 2010 3:30-5:20
Professor Kimberly Morgan
Tompkins 203
Office: Hall of Government, Rm. 418
Phone: 994-2809
Email: kjmorgan@gwu.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:45-4 pm, or by appointment
Summary
This course examines the politics of social policy in comparative perspective. The aim is
to help you understand not only the varying ways in which nations have addressed social
issues, but also the political forces that have shaped these responses. The first two-thirds
of the class provide an overview of the historical and theoretical forces shaping
contemporary social provision in Western countries, using policy case studies to illustrate
these forces. The final third of the class then applies these lessons and models to see how
well they “travel” outside the West.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this class, you will:
 Explore important concepts in the field of comparative social policy, including
social citizenship, risk sharing, de-commodification, and welfare regimes;
 Examine the historical foundations of welfare regimes and the forces driving their
development in Western nations;
 Analyze contemporary policy issues affecting Western welfare regimes, including
globalization, demographic aging, labor market instability, and gender equality;
 Examine the relevance of tools and frameworks for the study of Western welfare
regimes to those outside the West;
 Strengthen your writing skills – both the mechanics of writing and your capacity
to construct analytical essays that aim to persuade.
Readings
Nearly all of the assigned readings are available through Blackboard. The exception is
the book listed below, which I suggest you try to purchase through Amazon or some
other on-line book dealer. We won’t be reading the book until the latter third of the
semester.
Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman, Development, Democracy, and Welfare States
(Princeton University Press 2008).
Blackboard
The required readings can be accessed through Blackboard’s e-reserve system. In
addition to the required readings, you can find a number of other useful things on
Blackboard, including a copy of the syllabus, helpful websites, and copies of any
handouts from class. I’ll also post the two take-home exam questions on the web when
the time comes, and information about the short research paper (see below).
1
Most of the readings have been scanned into the system as pdf files, and you can either
read them on your computer or print them out. You will find all readings under the “ereserves” heading in the Blackboard menu.
To log onto Blackboard, you will need a Colonial email address and be registered for this
course. To log in, go to http://blackboard.gwu.edu and type in your NetID and email
password. If you have any questions or problems, you can first try going to
http://helpdesk.gwu.edu. I suggest that you try to access Blackboard as soon as possible,
to make sure that you are in the system and understand some of its features.
Course requirements
(1) Class participation and weekly discussion questions: as a small seminar, class
participation is vital to the success of this course. For that reason, I will be keeping track
of who comes to class and how much they talk, and will factor this into your final grade.
To help foster discussion, I’d like you to email to me a set of questions each week that
the reading raised in your mind – the kinds of questions that might be useful for the class
to discuss. You should start doing this for the reading on week two, although everyone is
allowed two weeks of “amnesty” from having to send in weekly questions. I must
receive them by 1 p.m. on the day of class.
(2) Two take-home essay exams. I will post the questions on a set date, and you will
have 48 hours to complete these essays. You can choose the 48-hour period in which
you’d like write the essay; when ready, log into blackboard and click on the exam (under
the testing tab), and I will be able to see when you downloaded it. This means you
should not download the exam until you are ready to take it, as the clock will be ticking
from the time you first click on it.
(3) One short research paper. This paper is for you to develop your interest in a particular
area of social policy. The paper should be 12-15 pages, and examine an aspect of social
policy in another country (or countries), or else look at an American social policy in
comparative perspective. Everyone should meet with me once during the semester to
discuss their topic. We’ll discuss the paper on the first day of class and collectively set a
due date. Detailed specifications about the paper (length, font, citations, etc.) are posted
on Blackboard.
(4) Longer paper option. If you choose, you may write a longer research paper in lieu of
the second take-home exam and the short research paper. The paper should be 25-30
pages and you should discuss this with me in advance – preferably by the middle of the
semester – in the event that you would like to do this.
Grading
-- Discussion questions and class participation: 20%
-- Each take-home exam: 25%
-- Research paper: 30% (55% for longer paper option)
2
September 1: Introduction to the Comparative Study of Social Policy
Introduction to the themes of course; why study comparative public policy; benefits and
pitfalls of comparison; why does the U.S. rely so little on comparison?
HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
September 8: Why a Welfare State?
Why do welfare states emerge? What historical, economic, and ideational forces have
shaped their origins? What functions do they serve? And how does the concept of social
citizenship relate to social policy?
Chris Pierson, “On the origins of welfare state 1880-1975,” in Pierson, Beyond the
Welfare State? The New Political Economy of Welfare (1998).
T.H. Marshall, “Citizenship and Social Class,” chp. 4 in Class, Citizenship, and Social
Development.
Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our
Time, chps. 7, 11, 14, (Speenhamland; Man, Nature, and Productive Organization;
Market and Man. THIS IS AN E-BOOK AVAILABLE THROUGH THE GELMAN
LIBRARY CATALOGUE.
David A. Moss, “Introduction,” pp. 1-21 in Moss, When All Else Fails: Government as
the Ultimate Risk Manager (Harvard UP 2002).
Jane Jenson, “Who Cares? Gender and Welfare Regimes.” Social Politics 1997.
September 15: Characterizing and conceptualizing welfare states in the West
How can we classify and compare welfare states in Western countries? What tools help
us best understand the effects of different constellations of social policies? How should
we think about the American welfare state in comparative perspective?
Gøsta Esping-Andersen, “The Three Political Economies of the Welfare State,” (1989)
Maurizio Ferrera, “The ‘Southern Model’ of the Welfare State in Europe” Journal of
European Social Policy (1996).
Ann Shola Orloff, “Gender and the Social Rights of Citizenship” American Sociological
Review (1994).
Walter Korpi and Joakim Palme, “The Paradox of Redistribution,” American
Sociological Review Vol. 63, No. 5 (Oct., 1998), pp. 661-687.
3
Jens Alber, “What the European and American Welfare States have in Common and
Where they Differ: Facts and Fiction in Comparisons of the European Social Model and
the United States,” Journal of European Social Policy (2010).
Optional
If you’re having trouble making sense of Esping-Andersen, I’ve posted an article that
discusses the piece: “Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? A state-of-the-art
report.”
September 22: Labor, Capital, and Religion
What political shaped the origins and development of welfare state in the last 100 years?
How did the balance of class power shape the nature of welfare states? What role do
employers play? Has religion shaped the politics of social provision?
Esping-Andersen, “Power and Distributional Regimes,” Politics & Society 14, 2 (1985):
223-56.
Peter Swenson, “Varieties of Capitalist Interests: Power, Institutions, and the Regulatory
Welfare State in the United States and Sweden.” Studies in American Political
Development (2004).
Peter Hall and Daniel W. Gingerich, “Varieties of Capitalism and Institutional
Complementarities in the Macroeconomy,” pp. 5-22 only.
Kees van Kersbergen, “Social Capitalism and Christian Democracy,” pp. 174-191.
Sigrun Kahl, “The Religious Roots of Modern Poverty Policy.” (36 pages)
September 29: States, Political Institutions, and Societies.
What impact do political institutions have on the politics of social policy? Are
institutional structures determinative – are all social and political forces mediated through
political institutions? Which institutions matter most, and how do they matter? What
role does societal diversity play in shaping the welfare state?
R. Kent Weaver and Bert A. Rockman, “Assessing the Effects of Institutions,” pp. 1-41
in Weaver and Rockman eds., Do Institutions Matter? (Brookings 1993). Please skim
this as needed: it provides an overview of cross-national institutional differences.
Sven Steinmo “American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: Culture or Institutions?” in:
Larry Dodd and Calvin Jillson (eds.), The Dynamics of American Politics: Approaches
and Interpretations (1994), pp. 106-131.
Torben Iversen and David Soskice, “Electoral Institutions and the Politics of Coalitions:
Why Some Democracies Redistribute More than Others.” (May 2006).
Paul Pierson, “The New Politics of the Welfare State.”
4
Alberto Alesina and Edward L. Glaeser, “Race and Redistribution,” pp. 133-81 in
Alesina and Glaeser, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe (Oxford UP 2004).
Keith Banting, “Is a Multicultural Welfare State a Contradiction in Terms?”
SOCIAL ISSUES AND POLICY RESPOSNES
October 6: The Social Policy Challenges of Aging Societies
What impact does demographic aging have on welfare states? What policy challenges
does it pose and what are some potential solutions? What political, economic, or social
forces shape how different countries respond to these challenges?
James W. Vaupel et al., 2006, “Redistributing Work in Aging Europe,” Science June 30,
20056: 1911-13.
Esping-Andersen, “State and Market in the Formation of Pension Regimes,”
Steven Ney, “The Rediscovery of Politics: Democracy and Structural Pension Reform in
Continental Europe,” pp. 79-110 in Robert Holtzman et al., Pension Reform in Europe
(2003).
Pamela Herd, “Women, Public Pensions, and Poverty: What Can the United States Learn
from Other Countries?” Journal of Women, Politics & Public Policy 30, 2 (2009: 301-34.
Martin Feldstein, “The Case for Privatization.” Foreign Affairs (1997).
October 13: Health Care – Explaining American Exceptionalism
Is the US exceptional when it comes to its health care policies? Why – what political,
institutional, historical, or cultural factors have mattered the most? What does the Obama
administration’s health care reform achieve…or not achieve?
Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, “Why Can’t We Do What They Do? National Health Reform
Abroad,” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (2004): 433-39.
Sven Steinmo, “It’s the Institutions Stupid: Why Comprehensive National Health
Insurance Always Fails in America.”
Jill Quadagno, “Why the United States Has No National Health Insurance: Stakeholder
Mobilization against the Welfare State, 1945-1996” Journal of Health and Social
Behavior (2004).
Jacob Hacker, “The Elusive Cure: Public and Private Health Insurance after 1945,” in
The Divided Welfare State: The Battle over Public and Private Social Benefits in the
United States (2003).
5
William G. Weissert and Carol S. Weissert, “Why Major Health Reform in 2009-10
Won’t Solve Our Problems,” The Forum (2010).
For reference:
* Elisabeth Docteur and Howard Oxley, “Health-System Reform: Lessons from
Experience,” pp. 19-73 in Towards High-Performing Health Systems (OECD
2004).
October 22: Employment and Skills
How do different welfare states affect the acquisition of skills and one’s insertion into
labor markets? How do different social policy constellations shape labor market
performance, such as rates of unemployment or low-wage work? What solutions have
been tried to combat chronically high unemployment in some nations?
Margarita Estevez-Abe, Torben Iversen, and David Soskice, “Social Protection and the
Formation of Skills: A Reinterpretation of the Welfare State,” in Peter A. Hall and David
Soskice, Varieties of Capitalism (2001).
Margarita Estevez-Abe, “Gender Bias in Skills and Social Policy: The Varieties of
Capitalism Perspective on Sex Segregation,” Social Politics (Summer 2005): 180-215.
Jeylan T. Mortimer and Helga Krüger, “Pathways from School to Work in Germany and
the United States.”
Werner Eichhorst and Anton Hemerijck, “Welfare and Employment: A European
Dilemma?” pp. 201-36 in Jens Alber and Neil Gilbert, eds., United in Diversity:
Comparing Social Models in Europe and America (Oxford UP 2010).
Jelle Visser, “The First Part-Time Economy in the World: A Model to be Followed?”
Journal of European Social Policy (2002).
October 27: Changing Families and Family Policies
Why do nations have such different policies with regard to working parents and the care
of children? What is the role of the state, market, and the family in assuring the care and
well-being of families in different nations? How have family policies changed in recent
years? How should they change?
Kimberly J. Morgan “Employment Policies for Mothers During the ‘Golden Age’ of the
Welfare State, 1945-1975,” pp. 68-105 in Working Mothers and the Welfare State (2006).
Ann Shola Orloff, “Farewell to Maternalism? State Policies and Mothers’ Employment.”
IPR Working Paper 05-10 (Northwestern University).
Janet C. Gornick and Marcia K. Meyers, “Creating Gender Egalitarian Societies: An
Agenda for Reform” Politics & Society 2008: 313-49.
6
Michael Shalev, “Class Divisions among Women,” Politics & Society 2008: 421-44.
Arlie Hochschild, “The Nanny Chain,” (2002).
November 3: Globalization, Neo-liberalism and Welfare State Restructuring
Are globalization, neo-liberalism, or other economic forces undermining the conventional
welfare state? Does path dependency make major retrenchment difficult, if not
impossible? Are there other ways that welfare states are changing to adapt to new
economic circumstances?
Torben Iversen and Anne Wren, “Equality, Employment and Budgetary Restraint: The
Trilemma of the Service Economy,” World Politics 50, 4 (July 1998): 507-46.
Maurizio Ferrera, “The European Welfare State: Golden Achievements, Silver
Prospects,” West European Politics (January-March 2008): 82-107.
Jacob Hacker, “Privatizing Risk without Privatizing the Welfare State: The Hidden
Politics of Social Policy Retrenchment in the United States,” APSR (2004): 243-58.
Jane Jenson and Denis Saint-Martin, “Building blocks for a new social architecture: the
LEGO™ paradigm of an active society.” Policy & Politics 34, 3 (July 2006): 429-51.
Neil Gilbert, “Toward the Enabling State” (2004).
WELFARE REGIMES OUTSIDE THE WEST
November 10: Characterizing Non-Western Welfare Regimes
Do framework employed for thinking about Western welfare regimes travel outside the
region? Do they help us make sense of developments in the non-Western world? Or are
these welfare regimes subject to fundamentally different economic, political, cultural,
and/or institutional forces?
Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman, Development, Democracy and Welfare States
“Introduction,” and chp. 1 (pp. 1-78).
Geof Wood and Ian Gough, “A Comparative Welfare Regime Approach to Global Social
Policy,” World Development, 34, 10 (October 2006): 1696-1712.
Shireen Hassim and Shahra Razavi, “Gender and Social Policy in a Global Context:
Uncovering the Gendered Structure of the ‘Social.’ Pp. 1-39 in Hassim and Razavi eds.,
Gender and Social Policy in a Global Context (Palgrave Macmillan 2006).
Eric Wibbels, “Dependency Revisited: International Markets, Business Cycles, and Social
Spending in the Developed World.” International Organization (2006): 433-68.
November 17: The Evolution of Social Protection in Latin America
7
How can we characterize the welfare states of Latin America? How have they been
shaped by regime change, economic forces, international pressures, and gender relations?
What are the pros and cons of a commonly championed social policy in Latin American
countries – conditional cash transfers?
Haggard and Kaufman, chapters two and seven (pp. 79-113; 262-304).
Manuel Riesco, “Latin America: A New Developmental Welfare State in the Making?”
International Journal of Social Welfare (2009): S22-36.
Mitchell Orenstein, “The New Pension Reform as Global Policy.” Global Social Policy
(2005): 175-202.
Enrique Valencia Lomelí, “Conditional Cash Transfers as Social Policy in Latin
America: An Assessment of their Contributions and Limitations,” Annual Review of
Sociology (2008): 475-93.
Jennifer Pribble, “Women and Welfare: The Politics of Coping with New Social Risks in
Chile and Uruguay,” Latin American Research Review (June 2006): 84-107.
December 1: East Asian Welfare Regimes and their Reform
How can we characterize welfare state in East Asia? How have regime change,
economic development strategies, Confucianism or other cultural forces affected the
development of social policy in these nations? How are these welfare states changing
today?
Haggard and Kaufman, chapters three and six (pp. 114-42; 221-61).
Ian Gough, “East Asia: The Limits of Productivist Regimes,” pp. 169-201 in Ian Gough
and Geof Wood, Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America
(Cambridge UP 2004).
Sook-yeon Won and Gillian Pascall, “A Confucian War over Childcare? Practice and
Policy in Childcare and their Implications for Understanding the Korean Gender
Regime.” Social Policy & Administration (2004): 270-89.
December 7 (makeup day): African social policy systems
How can we best characterize social policy in Sub-Saharan Africa? What historical
forces have shaped these policies? What role has ethnicity played in hindering the
development of public goods? What implications does the weakness of social provision
in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa have for political efficacy and citizenship?
Adésín, Jìmí O., “Social Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Glance in the Rear-View
Mirror.” International Journal of Social Welfare (2009): pp. S37-51.
Lauren M. MacLean, “Constructing a Social Safety Net in Africa” (2002).
8
Lauren M. MacLean, “State Retrenchment and the Exercise of Citizenship in Africa,”
Comparative Political Studies (2010): 1-29.
James Habyarimana et al., (2007), “Why Does Ethnic Diversity Undermine Public Goods
Provision?” American Political Science Review.
9