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Identical coursesComparative Study of Social Security Systems in Europe (B-KUL-C03A4A)
Aims
Learning goals
This course aims at giving the participants a good knowledge of and insight into the various ways social security may be conceived in the different EU Member States. It should enable students to communicate with each other and with teachers coming from different national backgrounds. The fundamental purpose of the course is to "denationalise" the knowledge and way of thinking of participants, in order to give them a perspective that is receptive to a genuinely European study programme like the present one. The students will also be familiarised with the ways social security is conceived outside Europe.
This course contributes to the following learning outcomes:
The student is able to:
• design and carry out individual research projects in the area of social security, as well as participate in the conception, execution and supervision of team research;
• put his national/monodisciplinary approach in a broader perspective by including other disciplines and abandoning a merely national point of view;
• recognise national and temporal contingencies from essential social security boundaries;
• take up unfashionable positions if his research so demands;
• take part in and position himself on a good multidisciplinary and comparative basis in any debate concerning social security issues;
• deliver results and opinions that contribute to the advancement of social security related research in Europe;
• translate research results to the broader public;
• make research results relevant for policy making; be able to translate questions from policy-makers into research questions, deal with them and explain the results to policy-makers.
Is included in these courses of study
Activities
10 ects. Comparative Study of Social Security Systems in Europe (B-KUL-C03A4a)
Content
Students are provided with a systematic framework for analysing whatever social security system they may encounter in the course of their studies and future careers. In this unit, dealing with the basic concepts of social security, the following topics will be discussed :
• the concept of social security
• the sources of social security
• the administration of social security
• the personal scope of application of social security schemes
• the risks and benefits (in general; old age; survivorship; incapacity to work; unemployment; family; health care; and need)
• the financing of social security
• legal protection and law enforcement in social security.
Students are also introduced to the history of social security and social security and philosophy. The (background of the) social security systems of the EU member states will be discussed, with the conceptual framework in mind. The descriptions of the national systems shall thus be presented in a uniform manner, which will allow for easy comparison. The methodology of comparison will be touched upon as well as a comparative historic overview. Non-European systems will also receive attention.
The unit on the basic techniques of social security deals with the following topics:
• the traditional approach to social security;
• the search for the basic determinants of social security development (its origins and dissemination; typical national developments; evolution within
countries);
• a typology of social security systems (basic techniques; types of benefits; social security systems);
• social security as exponent of the industrial society; criticisms on the traditional social security approach; coping with a changing context.
Course material
Course reader
Format: more information
This course includes several lectures given during the Executive Summer School in Social Security oragnised at the end of August – beginning of September. An examination on the course is organised at the end of the Executive Summer School. Finally the students receive a home task.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Comparative Study of Social Security Systems in Europe (B-KUL-C23A4a)
Explanation
Written (2 home tasks) + oral (closed book):
1/3 of the final result is based on two written home task assignments; 2/3 is based on the oral examination.
Failure to hand in the home tasks leads to an NA (‘not taken’) for the entire course, regardless of the result of the oral exam.
Information about retaking exams
Oral examination (closed book)