Globalisation and the Development of Health and Social Policy

The course presents the main debates concerning the impact of economic, cultural and political globalisation on health and social welfare in different parts of the world, and the role of multilateral agencies (including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund) in influencing social and health policies in high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

Language of instruction is English.

The course will be offered provided that a sufficient number of students enrol.

None.

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

Knowledge

The student has advanced knowledge of

• main theoretical and empirical debates concerning how globalisation impacts upon health and social welfare policies and outcomes
• trends in economic growth, poverty and inequality, in the Nordic countries and in a global context
• the importance of the demographic and epidemiological transitions for understanding differences in health status and social welfare, in a Nordic context and globally
• the policies of multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national health and social policy
• the relationship between welfare policies, migration policies and labor market policies in the Nordic countries, and in a broader European Union context

Skills

The student can

• review and discuss different theoretical perspectives on the relationship between globalisation and national welfare policy development, with a particular focus on the Nordic countries
• investigate health and social policy outcomes in a Nordic and global context
• investigate how demographic and socioeconomic changes influence disease patterns and changes in health and social inequality nationally and globally
• challenges and opportunities associated with migration and population ageing in a Nordic context and globally

General competence

The student is capable of

• contribute to the debate on how various aspects of globalisation pose challenges as well as opportunities for the development of health and social policy, with a particular focus on the Nordic countries
• identify how health and social policy can be adopted to global policy challenges
• participate in the debate concerning how multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, WHO and IMF perform their roles with regard to global health and social policy challenges

The teaching takes place with in-person attendance on campus, and is organised into a series of lectures and seminars. Students are expected to play an active role. Lectures are given by the course lecturer and invited lecturers. Students will also be required to present papers, and discuss course themes during lectures and seminars.

The following coursework requirements must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

• Coursework 1: The student must submit a coursework paper of at least 1700 words (in addition to front page, list of content and list of references), written individually or in groups of max 4 students. A student must have approval from the course lecturer in order to write individually. The paper must be approved by the course lecturer.
• Coursework 2: The coursework 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 mandatory.

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

A student who is absent from the presentation will have to submit a compensatory coursework requirement within a given deadline.

The exam in the course is an individual supervised exam of 6 hours.

No aids are permitted.

Grade scale A - F.

At least 25% of the exam papers will be assessed by two examiners. The remaining papers are assessed by one examiner. The grades awarded for the papers assessed by two examiners form the basis for determining the level for all the exam papers.

Einar Øverbye