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 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 (lectures 8-10), students will learn to write a scientific paper. Next, students, individually or in small groups (2/3 people) - depending on the number of participants in the workshop - will conduct comparative research on a topic of their interest in the field of comparative welfare state analysis. The results will be presented during the last two lectures. A class discussion will follow.

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

Attendance is mandatory.
Evaluation will be based on a) active participation (it is mandatory to attend at least 80 percent of the classes), b) in-class exercises/home assignments/presentations; c) the writing of a short scientific paper.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Amerigo Giuliani