W2 2A – What do Welfare States do?

Accessing Resources on onQ

  • Introduction to onQ

    • Course reserves section enables access to readings provided through the library.

    • Previously, materials needed to be scanned and uploaded by students.

Annotated Bibliography Overview

  • Structure of the Annotated Bibliography

    • Requires five articles.

    • Each entry should include:

    • Full citation for article retrieval.

    • Summary of the article. This is where you put your reflection. So I want you to have like bullet points of why you think this article in particular is relevant to the topic that you’re interested in, for your Briefing Note, later.

    • Part of this you can cut and paste from the article.

    • It’s really like a precis, it’s a summary.

    • WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT is it’s relevance to your subject matter. Because it’s a notification for yourself when you do your Briefing Note of why you picked these articles.

    • Objective statement for the article.

    • Overview of the research methods used in the article.

      • Example: Marshall's methodology centers on philosophical discussions on citizenship.

      • Gustaf Anderson's methodology involves examining worker mobilization and political coalitions.

    • Brief summary of research results.

    • Relevance to the specific research topic, e.g., sustainable scaling:

      • Definition: Localized projects that are scaled up to national levels and can be reproduced in various settings.

Reflection Section in Annotated Bibliography

  • Students should provide bullet points explaining the relevance of each article to their research topic in their reflection, which serves as a personal notification for future briefing notes.

Grading Rubric Details

  • Selection and Relevance of Articles

    • Importance of selecting five articles that are interrelated and collectively address a coherent research question or policy issue.

    • Articles should build on each other.

    • There should be a clear indication of what issue you’re working on.

    • Engage with at least 10-15 articles to refine understanding of the chosen topic.

  • Areas evaluated in the assignment:

    • I want to have a clear sense of what your Research question is - is it clear? For example: How does the welfare state impact inequality and social mobility in developed countries?

    • Policy issue engagement in reflection section. Engagement with the issue, which is your Reflection part.

    • And then a good Description of research design, methodology, findings, and contributions.

    • Reflective engagement with the articles chosen.

Choosing Topics for Research - she’s going to be looking for whether our topic is a good research topic for our Briefing Note later on and how it aligns with current welfare state discussions and policy implications. Consideration should include its relevance to ongoing debates about social safety nets, its potential impact on various demographics, and the availability of data for analysis.

  • Wide range of topics in social policy available for research, including:

    • Social Assistance - what are policy makers interested in? What are some topics that you can do research on in this area?

    • Unemployment Insurance

    • Health Care, including:

      • Access to doctors, wait times, aging population, etc.

    • Child Care, Elder Care, Mental Health, Addictions, Harm Reduction, Long-Term Care, Education, and Post-secondary Education and how it prepares students for the labour market.

    • Consider current debates relevant to policymakers.

Research Resources to access on onQ

  • Course Home Useful Resources: LOOK UNDER USEFUL WEBSITES HEADING Features links to various websites for research, such as:

    • The Conversation: Accessible articles for public engagement on controversial topics.

    • Rise Up: Digital archive of feminist activism.

    • A variety of institutes producing relevant research materials.

Library Resources and Databases

  • Usage of library resources such as Web of Science for research: It’s a database, Use “All Collections”

  • Keyword search functions for topics like "health care Canada policy". or Ontario health care, if you’re finding there are too many articles coming up - so in other words narrow to get the best results for what you’re looking for.

    • Ability to filter results by date to assess recent research trends and topics.

    • Access to summaries but you can also click on full texts of articles for in-depth review and bibliography generation.

Briefing Notes Structure - SECOND ASSIGNMENT - HELPFUL TO LOOK AT THESE WHEN WORKING ON THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

    +    Briefing Note is a type of document that you give to your superior and your deputy minister in the policy world. (9:57)

  • Think of it as, like, an elevator pitch where you're trying to convince someone that this policy issue is important and should be acted on. 10:30)

  • Data driven - you don’t need to tell me that something is an important issue, because you’re showing me through data.

+    You want to have a couple of recommendations about what can be done to improve the effectiveness of welfare policies based on the data collected and analyzed throughout your research.

+    You’ll want to give a couple of ideas about what may have been done in other places

+    15:27DO NOT GIVE A NORMATIVE STATEMENT, LIKE SOMETHING IS WRONG OR YOU SHOULD OR SHOULDN’T DO SOMETHING Instead, focus on presenting evidence-based suggestions that highlight potential improvements, such as implementing targeted social programs that have shown success in comparative studies or advocating for policy adjustments that align with effective practices observed in other welfare states.

They need to be concise, precise and short. Think of it like an elevator pitch where you’re trying to convince someone that this policy issue is important and should be acted on by clearly outlining the key points, benefits, and potential impact of the policy. In preparing your Briefing Note, focus on succinctly articulating the main objectives of the welfare state, the services it provides, and how these contribute to social stability and economic growth. A well-crafted Briefing Note should include an overview of welfare state functions such as income redistribution, social insurance, and public services, alongside data and examples that illustrate their effectiveness in reducing inequality and fostering community resilience.

  • Title: Concisely state the main topic or question of your research.

  • Purpose: Clearly outline the objectives and significance of your assignment.

  • Summary of Sources: Provide brief descriptions of key articles and their contributions to your research.

  • Analysis: Discuss the implications of the sources and how they relate to your overall argument or thesis.

  • Definition: A concise document provided to superiors, akin to an elevator pitch aimed at influencing policy decisions.

  • Essential components include:

    • Issue identification.

    • Summary and background of the policy area.

    • Data-driven evidence supporting claims.

  • Recommendations based on data and constructive feedback from the research gathered.

Rubric Overview for Assignments

  • A positive rubric focuses on clear feedback indicating:

    • Elements done well in the assignment.

    • Areas needing improvement, fosters a growth approach to learning.

    • Emphasis on objective language and avoidance of normative statements.

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Social Policy Theoretical Perspectives (17:16)

  • Discussion of how changing societal factors like globalization and gender roles inform social policy development.

  • Exploration of historical frameworks for understanding welfare states, especially referencing Elizabethan Poor Law.

    • Historical significance of this law in shaping welfare systems:

    • Local community responsibility funded by local taxation (Poor Rate).

    • Types of relief offered:

      • Outdoor relief: Door-to-door assistance.

      • Indoor relief: Institutionalized support in poorhouses.

18:39 But this week, we're gonna spend some time looking at some of the theoretical perspectives that have informed and help explain how social policy is developed and how the welfare states are developed. Focusing on key concepts such as social justice, equity, and the role of government in addressing poverty and inequality. These perspectives will help us understand the motivations behind different welfare models and the effects they have on societal well-being.

So you might wonder, like, what why were we reading Marshall from, you know, the 1940s or Gosta Esping Anderson from the 1980s? The issues that they bring to light, there's still current issues that we grapple with in terms of understanding the welfare state, how it's designed, and what choices we face as a society.

And we're gonna start asking why public social programs are less developed in The US compared to European countries

Have to go back in history. There was something called the Elizabethan and Poor Law, also known as the Act for Relief for the Poor enacted in 1601. This law laid the groundwork for the welfare system in England by establishing that local parishes were responsible for the care of the poor, a concept that influences modern welfare policies and debates about public assistance programs. It marked a significant shift in how society viewed poverty and responsibility, leading to later developments in social safety nets that we see today.

 

26:33. Picks up on Marshall's quote about the smoke that arises from chimneys as being, you know, sort of that side effect of industrialization, which is an image of poverty.

Industrialization and Its Effects on Social Policy

  • The impact of industrialization on poverty, health, and social cohesion. Discussion of the concept of social cohesion and the implications of the division of labor influenced by industrialization.

  • 27:34. Contributions of thinkers like Durkheim who emphasized social integration through collective labor models.

34:32 Marshall's Reflection on Citizenship

He's looking in this context of both these things happening, this market economy that's commodifying individuals, There's greater individualization and class based discrepancy and inequality that's being created, this pushback against social protection, and this worry about what it means for I, what it means for a community

So this idea of solidarity, this normative idea that the welfare states should provide greater solidarity, you know, sort of reduce inequalities, redistribute resources. This idea that we're all in it together as a society, and we should protect the more vulnerable members in our society, this continues to be a normative value that shapes our understanding of the importance of the welfare state.

47:54. t all depends on your perspective, but Marshall is really important to remind us of this aspect of solidarity, the social cohesion in the love for state.

49:24. He his essay, Citizenship and Social Class, and you read a portion of that, is really a theoretical lens to try to understand this historical progression that he was witnessing in The UK from the Beverage report. The Beverage report was a practical expression of social citizenship while Marshall was trying to analyze how how did we get here. So he says citizenship is a status confirmed upon an individual by virtue of his or being a full member of community.

  • 49:24. Citizenship defined as a social status tied to full membership within a community. Marshall discusses the evolution of citizenship in three stages:

  • 50:59.

    • Civil Citizenship: Legal rights and legal protections, individual property established in the 18th century.

    • Political Citizenship: Seen as people gaining the right to vote. Expansion of voting rights.

    • Social Citizenship: which comes from this lobbying of workers from greater union, unionization protections for worker that translated into a reduction of risk in insecurity and more equalization across communities. Emergence of social rights.

    • And then he found that the enrichment of the universal status of citizenship extended to everybody in the community regardless of your status, social that sense of solidarity in communities.

55:18 and 56:46 He writes, “what matters is that a general enrichment of the concrete substance of civilized life, a general reduction of risk and insecurity, an equalization between the more and the less fortunate at all levels. Equalization is not so much better between classes as between individuals within a population, which is not treated for this purpose as though it were one class. Equality of status is more important than equality of income.”

This quote illustrates the fundamental principle behind welfare states—they aim to provide a safety net that not only addresses economic disparities but also fosters a sense of belonging and shared responsibility among all citizens.

56:46 and 57:43 So when he's talking about social rights, he's talking about this equality of status, everybody being treated with, you know, some form of dignity and respect. It's not necessarily in reference to, you know, equality of income. You can still have those discrepancies in income, but if you all see yourselves as part of a common project, part of a collective, then that can avoid fragmentation, tension, and so forth.

57:43

So for him, also, what's important is that social rights are what we call a social contract between citizens, members of a community. As a citizen of Canada, you have access to health care. That's your social contract. Regardless of your income, regardless of where you live, you have access. It doesn't mean that you have the same income as everyone, but you do have, you know, a basic access to health care.

58:57. I think it's a connection that you make with trust because we know that in societies that are really unequal, that leads to a decline in trust. Decline in trust towards institutions, decline in trust towards democracy, which then translates in more crime, which translates in a greater mistrust and so forth. You know, social cohesion is really important, and it's one of those themes that Marshall introduces to us, but that we'll come back and explore. You know, we'll look at welfare state architecture.

59:40. Marshall is there to remind us normatively of the importance of these social citizenship rights, these rights, this commitment to solidarity within communities that is really important.

Imagine a society with free elections, free of speech, a strong private market, but no public health care, no unemployment insurance, no public pensions, no income assistance. Individuals are expected to rely on wages, savings, family, or private insurance.

60:30 Do you think that this society is democratic in a meaningful sense? But do you think that everyone can fully participate in that kind of society equally and fully vote or fully express their political power?

62:15. Is it fair that where you're born or who you're born to has an impact on life?

63:33 you wanna make sure that everyone is socially included in that society in the same equal way to be able to participate and thaif they go through an unlucky spell or if they go through an illness or if their parents aging parents are ill and families are so small that they have to leave work to take care of them, or their child has cancer, and they have to take care of their children, they can't work, that they're still able to meaningfully be part of society when they are unlucky.

65:50 community building, belonging, solidarity is a really, really important part of the welfare state because it fosters a sense of connection among individuals, ensuring that resources and support systems are available to help those in need, promoting an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive regardless of their personal circumstances.

66:35 Like Marshall says, education is collective responsibility. It's a social responsibility. We should care that our population is civilized because that has a benefit on us al

36:53 Beveridge Report and Social Protection in the UK

  • Video.

  • So this is in the early nine nineteen forties, the beginning of thinking practically about the social protections in the welfare state that we should put in place.

  • 40:54 He's proposing something that's universal, accessible to everyone regardless of class.

  • So it's not only universal accessible to everyone, but it would guarantee a decent kind of minimal level of resources for civilized life or an ideal life that includes access to healthcare, education, and housing, ensuring that every individual can meet their basic needs and participate fully in society. This foundational concept aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by providing a safety net that supports individuals during times of need, thus fostering a more equitable and stable society.

45:03. It's not difficult because some it it it's all comes down, according to Gosta Esping-Anderson, to choices.

  • Introduction of the Beveridge Report during post-WWII aims to create a comprehensive system of social security:

    • Universal social insurance and children's allowances for all citizens.

    • National minimum standard that promotes individual freedom alongside social responsibility.

Discussion of Social Risks vs. Individual Risks

  • Distinction between individual responsibility for private risks (foreseeable behaviors) versus social risks (unequal impacts like illness or economic downturns).

  • Collective responsibility emphasized in social policy for managing social risks to ensure inclusivity and equality in opportunity.

Concluding Thoughts on Social Cohesion

  • The role of solidarity and social integration underscored as essential for functioning democracies.

  • Importance of shared social risks and community cohesion in reducing polarization and fostering trust with institutions.