The purpose of this course is to explore the ideas of some of the key theorists in the Social Policy field and to apply this work to the Irish case with particular relevance to Community and Youth Work. Such work explores the nature of the welfare state and what the chief motivations for the development of welfare regimes are. It also considers the reasons why different welfare regimes develop in different countries. These theoretical models are then placed in the the Irish context.
Collective and individual welfare: motivations and public support
Survey data indicating levels of support for the Irish welfare state; The altruism/self-interest debate: exploring the relationship between these concepts and the implications for welfare; Richard Titmuss and the ‘Universal Stranger’; Challenges to Titmuss; Robert Pinker; Julian Le Grand; Frank Field; Placing theoretical perspectives in the context of Irish Community and Youth sectoral concerns.
Placing Ireland Comparatively
Historical overview of the evolution of Western welfare states; How welfare states reinforce social stratification; How Ireland has been placed comparatively;
Placing the Irish welfare state in theoretical context
The Developmental Welfare State (NESC 2005); Irish welfare recipients: Knights, Knaves Pawns or Queens?;Individual V collective welfare: the Irish case; Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland: Options for the future; Austerity and the re-structuring of the Irish Welfare State.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 30 |
| Formal Examination | 70 |