Employment and social policies

Duration

30h Th

Number of credits

Lecturer

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Social policies can be defined by their field of intervention. They aim to protect people against the occurrence of certain events or social risks (sickness, pregnancy, etc.). Their goal is to organise the running of certain social sectors (labour market, etc.), promote desirable behaviours (stop smoking services, professional training, etc.) or ban others (child protection). They are recognised as social because their role is to protect vulnerable categories (from employees within a work context to children in danger) and/or proceed with a redistribution through their services and benefits.
One of the main instruments of social policies is social welfare. But redistributive transfers can be achieved through other means such as social tariffs (public transport, nurseries, etc.), free services or the payment of subsidies (education, culture, etc.), taxation and special taxation tools (pensions, etc), direct benefits (employment allowance, etc.). In addition to these tools are the labour law, health regulations, regulations concerning alcohol consumption and smoking.
After a general presentation of all these policies and their stakes, the course will analyse some of these subjects from an economic point of view based on statistics and empirical research.
Introduction- Scope of employment and social policies
Chapter 1- Health sector
A. Social inequalities in health
B. Accessibility to health care
Chapter 2- Poverty
A. Poverty policy in Belgium
B. Childhood poverty
Chapter 3- Ageing: budgetary costs
Chapter 4- Redistributive effects of social services: health, education, social housing, public transport
Chapter 5- Performance of the welfare state in Europe
Chapter 6- Labour market statistics
Chapter 7- Employment policies
Chapter 8 - Collective bargaining

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define the main social policies
• Analyse and explain the impact of a policy on different economic variables
• Interpret statistics relating to these problems (Gini index, disposable income, allocated budgets, etc.)
• Interpret the results of empirical economic analyses
• Synthesize various texts (scientific articles, research reports, etc.)

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Notions of political economy

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

30h of classes

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Transmissive teaching and seminars (experts)

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Recommended or required readings

List of documents distributed during class

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Written exam

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Professor : F. FECHER, Bureau I.61A - Tél : 04/366 30 69 Email : ffecher@uliege.be

Assistant : F. VANDENINDEN, Bureau I.60, Tél : 04 366 48 90 Email : f.vandeninden@uliege.be