B0340 - LABORATORIO DI METODO COMPARATO E WELFARE

Learning outcomes

The workshop aims to provide students with soft skills that may prove helpful in their future careers. The goal is to improve students’ skills through practical exercises. The workshop explores the main elements of the comparative method and has a twofold objective: 1) to make students understand what it means to do research by adopting a comparative method; 2) to enhance students’ ability to develop a research design. The main topics addressed will be as follows:

• Defining comparison
• What to compare: the units of analysis;
• The dimensions of comparison: space and time
• Key mechanisms
• Emblematic research with particular reference to the welfare state field.

Course contents

The workshop is primarily intended for second-year students and is divided into four parts.

In the first part (lectures 1-4), students will familiarize themselves with the principle concepts of comparative research, with particular reference to the welfare state. Specifically, the following topics will be covered:

• What does “comparing” mean?
• Comparison in the social sciences.
• The objectives of comparison.
• Case selection.
• How to compare.
• A practical example of the comparative method: “Capitalisms and Democracies” by Carlo Trigilia.
• Essential elements and critical issues in comparative welfare analysis:
• Challenges and problems in comparative welfare analysis.
• Typologies as a tool for classification.
•   A practical example of comparative welfare analysis: “The Three Words of Welfare Capitalism” by Gøsta Esping-Andersen.

In the second part (lecture 5), students will be introduced to some of the main databases and sources for welfare state analysis, including:

• Eurostat
• EU’s Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC).

Students will get familiar with the databases through exercises. Some exercises will be conducted in class, while others will be assigned as home assignments.

In the third part (lectures 6-7), students, individually or in small groups (2/3 people) - depending on the number of workshop participants - will present in class a brief critical analysis (about 10/15 minutes) of some emblematic research within the comparative welfare state literature. The presentations should highlight both the methodological and research design strategies used by the authors and the results of the comparative research. A class discussion will follow.

In the fourth part of the workshop (sessions 8–10), students will acquire the essential tools to prepare a scientific presentation. Afterwards, individually or in small groups (2–3 people, depending on the number of participants), they will select a topic of their interest within the field of welfare state analysis and prepare a presentation to be discussed in class. The presentations will take place during the final two sessions and will be followed by a collective debate.

Readings/Bibliography

Morlino L. (2020), La comparazione. Un'introduzione metodologica,, Bologna, Il Mulino.

Additional teaching materials (i.e., mandatory readings for each lecture in addition to the text; additional background material) will be made available to students on the Course page on virtuale.unibo.it.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be alternated with group discussions, exercises and student presentations.

Assessment methods

The assessment will be based on active participation in the sessions (attendance of at least 80% of the classes is mandatory) and on the completion of the two in-class presentations.

Teaching tools

Slides and other teaching materials will be available in electronic format on the Virtuale platform.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities:

please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Amerigo Giuliani