PERb1005 Theory of Social Policy and Social Development

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Ondřej Hora, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Ondřej Hora, Ph.D.
Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Social Policy and Social Work – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
TYP_STUDIA(B) && ! VPLb1102 Social Policy
none
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The cource social policy theory focuses on defining and explaining the meaning of social policy from different perspectives. The course focuses on the objectives and the general context of the functioning of social policy without the intention of discussing individual sub-areas of social policy in detail (e.g., family policy, pension policy, employment policy). The core of the course is understanding the nature and importance of social policy, its history, objectives, principles, forms, and effects. The course, in multiple aspects, places social policy in the broader framework of European social policy (comparative policy, reference to the most critical foreign authors).
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will: - Understand social policies' content, meaning, principles, and effects. - Know the development of social policy and the different forms of social policy in European countries. - Know the basics of the design and assessment of policy measures.
Syllabus
1) Introductory meeting, project assignment 2) Objectives and fundamental underpinnings of social policy. Types of social policy. 3) Historical introduction: origin and development of social policy until 1990. 4) Social events, social problems and social risks. Perspective of social development. 5) Basic approaches and principles of social policy implementation. 6) Social policy as a political process: actors, the role of interests in social policy, legitimacy of social policy. 6) Expected effects of social policy. 7) A comparative perspective on social policy: welfare state regimes. 8) Design of social policy measures and instruments. 9) Basics of assessment of social policy measures. 10) Contemporary developments in social policy. 11) Presentation of projects I. 12) Presentation of projects II. 13) Final knowledge test.
Literature
    required literature
  • MERTL, Jan. Sociální politika. 7., přepracované a aktuali. Praha: Wolters Kluwer, 2023
  • The Development of welfare states in Europe and America. Edited by Peter Flora - Arnold J. Heidenheimer. New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1984, 417 s. ISBN 0878559205. info
  • RÁKOSNÍK, Jakub and Igor TOMEŠ. Sociální stát v Československu : právně-institucionální vývoj v letech 1918-1992. Praha: Auditorium, 2012, 416 s. ISBN 9788087284308. info
  • BARR, N. A. The economics of the welfare state. 4. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, 408 s. ISBN 019926497X. info
  • Ken Blakemore, Louise Warwick-Booth (2013). Social Policy: An Introduction. Open university press: Berkshire.
  • Peter Dwyer, Sandra Shaw (2013). An Introduction to Social Policy. Sage Publications. London/Thousand Oaks.
  • ESPING-ANDERSEN, Gosta. The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990, xi, 248 s. ISBN 0-691-09457-8. info
  • HOLUB, Martin, Jan MERTL, Pavlína MILLIONOVÁ, Milan ŠLAPÁK, Jaroslav VOSTATEK and Petr VÍŠEK. Typologie sociálních dávek a událostí v pojistném a nepojistném systému sociálního zabezpečení z hlediska vhodnosti a efektivity. 1. vydání. Praha: VÚPSV, v.v.i., 2019, 266, 5. ISBN 9788074163555. URL info
  • RÁKOSNÍK, Jakub. Sociální stát jako kategorie výzkumu historické sociologie. Historická sociologie. 2009,1: 65-79. DOI: 10.14712/23363525.2017.53
  • HORA, Ondřej, Miroslav SUCHANEC and Martin ŽIŽLAVSKÝ. Evaluační výzkum (Evaluation Research). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 112 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6886-5. info
  • Research handbook of policy design. Edited by B. Guy Peters - Guillaume Fontaine. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar publishing, 2022, xvi, 486. ISBN 9781839106590. info
    recommended literature
  • KREBS, Vojtěch. Sociální politika. 6., přepracované a aktuali. Praha: Wolters Kluwer, 2015, 566 stran. ISBN 9788074789212. info
  • TOMEŠ, Igor. Povinná sociální solidarita. Vydání první. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2018, 223 stran. ISBN 9788024638355. URL info
  • DUKA, Martin and Ivanka KOHOUTOVÁ. Sociální politika : učebnice pro obor sociální činnost. Edited by Ivana Duková. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada, 2013, 200 s. ISBN 9788024738802. info
  • ŠTEFKO, Martin. Úvod do sociální politiky pro právníky. 1. vydání. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, 2023, 384 stran. ISBN 9788076300279. info
  • SIROVÁTKA, Tomáš. Česká sociální politika v perspektivě sociálních investic (Czech social policy in social investment perspective). Fórum sociální politiky. Výzkumný ústav práce a sociálních věcí, v.v.i., 2016, vol. 10, No 5, p. 7-14. ISSN 1802-5854. URL info
Teaching methods
Lectures, group projects.
Assessment methods
Final group project, final written test, oral examination.
Language of instruction
Czech
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
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