Social Europe

1. Introduction. What is “Social Europe”?
2. Social Europe. Actors & theories
3. Social regulation in the Single Market
4. The impact of liberalisation on social policy
5. The European Social Dialogue
6. The European social fund
7. The soft coordination & socio-economic governance
8. Social Europe : present and future challenges

The objective of this course is to equip students with knowledge upon the links between economic integration and social integration in the (EU) European Union. It complements their general knowledge of EU policy making with more specific knowledge of policies, theories and topical debates pertaining to social issues in the EU.
 

• At the end of the term, the students should know the main policies and institutional aspects related to the articulation between national and EU social policy making.
• They should be informed about the main ongoing debates in the political and academic realm.
• They should be able to develop an analytical and critical apporach to any EU social policy issues through specific concepts and theories.

This course is based on 8 three-hours sessions. The first half of the sessions is dedicated to the lecture, interrupted by debates and Q&A moments.
The second half of the sessions is dedicated to a) discussion of the compulsory reading and presentation of their reading reports by 1 or 2 students b) presentations on the proposed case studies.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Crespy, A. (2019) L’Europe sociale. Acteurs, politiques, débats, Bruxelles: PUB.
Anderson, Karen (2015) Social Policy in the European Union, Palgrave.
Ferrera, M. (2005) The boundaries of welfare: European integration and the new spatial politics of social protection, Oxford University Press.
Kennet, P. & Lendvai-Bainton, N. (2019) Handbook of European Social Policy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Crespy, A. & Menz, G. (2015) Social Policy and the Eurocrisis. Quo vadis Social Europe. Palgrave.
De La Porte, C. Heins, E. (2016) The Sovereign Debt Crisis, the EU and Welfare State Reform, Palgrave.
Morel, N., Pallier, B. & Palme J. (2012) Towards a Social Investment Welfare State?: Ideas, Policies and Challenges, Policy Press.

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Amandine Crespy: acrespy@ulb.ac.be
Office: S.S.11.113

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Oral examination
• Oral presentation
• Written report

Oral examination

Oral presentation

Written report

Presentation on a proposed case study: alone or in tandem with another student
Reading report: written report on compulsory reading to be uploaded each week on the UV + report orally in class once during the term
Exam: 25-minute oral exam

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Case study: 20%
Reading report: 20%
Exam: 60%

Language(s) of evaluation

• english