SFV4600 Comparative Social Risk Management Course description

The course presents main social protection strategies with regard to major social risks, as well as evaluation methods to assess the advantages and disadvantages of health and social policy interventions.

Language of instruction is English

None.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has advanced knowledge of

• social protection strategies, in particular related to major social risks: unemployment, sickness, disability, lack of a provider, child abuse, and old age
• the interplay between protection provided by the state, the voluntary sector, the family and the market
• principles of social insurance and health insurance
• strategies for providing residual or universal social and health assistance
• the extended family as a risk-managing institution
• problems with social protection coverage and strategies for extending coverage
• strategies for efficient delivery of health and social services
• policy evaluation methods in health and social care

Skills

The student can

• identify similarities and differences in social and health protection strategies in high-, middle-, and low-income countries
• investigate the arguments for and against public management, public/private partnerships, outsourcing and other strategies with regard to the delivery of publicly provided health and social services
• analyse processes of social/health policy implementation
• evaluate social/health policy outputs and outcomes

General competence

The student is able to

• participate in the debate on how to organise and implement social welfare and health policies, in a national as well as international context
• participate in the discussion of which evaluation strategies that are most useful in various contexts, with regard to evakuations of social welfare and health policies, in a national as well as international context
• participate in the debate concerning how to frame health and social policy goals across countries and cultures

None.

The course is organised into a series of lectures and seminars. Students are expected to play an active role. Students will also be required to present papers, and discuss course themes during lectures and seminars.

The following coursework requirement must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam.

Students must submit a coursework requirement paper of eight pages (+/- 10%), calibri, pt. 12, paragraph 1.5, written preferably in groups (4-5 students). Students who wish to write individually (around 4-5 pages) must get permission from the course lecturer. The topic of the work requirement will reflect main areas of the course curriculum and lectures.

The coursework requirement papers are to be presented at a seminar, or poster session, or zoom gathering. Participation in the seminar, or poster session, or zoom gathering is a mandatory part of the coursework requirement.

Students whose papers are not approved after the first submission will be given the chance to resubmit. Papers that are not approved after two submissions will disqualify students from sitting the final examination.

Students may use a spelling dictionary, as well as a bilingual dictionary during the written school exam.

Grade scale A - F

Simon Innvær

Einar Øverbye