REGOLAZIONE E GOVERNO DELLE POLITICHE SOCIALI

The course aims to provide knowledge of the characteristics of the Italian welfare system, the issues related to regulation in social policies, and the role of law in the provision of services. Students will acquire specific awareness and an analytical perspective on the phenomenon of educational poverty, considered both as a general social issue and as a specific concern in the field of childhood and youth, as well as on the processes of mobilisation involving institutions and communities.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired:

1. Knowledge and understanding:
   Students will acquire knowledge concerning the evolution of the Italian welfare system, the main models of regulation in social policies, and the role of public institutions and Third Sector organizations in service provision. They will also deepen their understanding of the phenomenon of educational poverty, with particular attention to the social, territorial, and normative dynamics affecting conditions of child vulnerability and processes of social inclusion.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding:
   Students will be able to apply theoretical knowledge to the analysis of concrete cases and specific territorial contexts, critically interpreting social policies and intervention processes aimed at combating educational poverty. They will be able to use conceptual and methodological tools to analyze the relationship between institutions, communities, and social services, with particular attention to networking practices and processes of social mobilization.
3. Making judgements:
   Students will develop autonomous analytical and evaluative skills regarding welfare policies and socio-educational interventions, gaining critical awareness of social inequalities, emerging needs, and the effectiveness of strategies aimed at addressing educational poverty. They will be able to formulate independent reflections on processes of inclusion, citizenship, and child protection.
4. Communication skills:
   Students will acquire the ability to use appropriate language in the field of social policies and personal services, clearly communicating theoretical content, data, and analyses related to welfare and educational poverty. They will also be able to participate in discussions and group activities, presenting arguments and proposals effectively and consciously.
5. Learning skills:
   Students will develop skills useful for independently deepening themes and issues related to welfare, social policies, and educational poverty, integrating theoretical and normative sources as well as empirical data. They will acquire methodological and critical tools that support both further academic studies and continuous professional development in the social and socio-educational fields.

Attendance is strongly recommended, as it will enable students to achieve the expected learning outcomes and be actively involved in workshops using interactive teaching methods, as well as in developing independent projects on specific parts of the syllabus.
For the purposes of the midterm assessment, students who have attended at least 70% of the classes by the end of the course will be considered attending students.

The course programme examines, from a socio-legal perspective, the origins, evolution, and contemporary transformations of the welfare system, with particular attention to the Italian and European contexts. The course introduces the main theoretical and methodological tools necessary for the sociological and legal analysis of social policies, focusing on the processes of design, implementation, and evaluation of welfare interventions.

The first part of the course analyses the principal models of the welfare state, the development of social rights, and the historical evolution of social policies, with reference to modernization processes, economic and demographic changes, and the transformation of the role of the welfare state. Particular attention will also be devoted to the concepts of social citizenship, social inclusion/exclusion, and vulnerability.

Specific attention will be given to the socio-legal analysis of norms and policy implementation processes in order to understand the transition from formally recognized rights to substantively guaranteed rights. In this perspective, the course will examine institutional actors, territorial dynamics, and the critical issues related to access to social services.

The course will also explore research methods and techniques in the sociology of law and social policies, providing students with useful tools for the empirical analysis of social phenomena, inequalities, and welfare practices.

An important part of the programme will focus on the study of poverty in Italy, including its economic, social, and educational dimensions, as well as the main forms of social exclusion. Particular emphasis will be placed on child educational poverty, understood as the limitation of educational, cultural, and relational opportunities, as well as on territorial disparities and conditions of social vulnerability.

Finally, the course will examine the main public policies aimed at combating poverty and educational poverty, with reference to national, regional, and local measures, territorial services, the role of the third sector, and social intervention networks, also through the analysis of case studies and recent institutional reports.

Gori C. (ed.), Social Welfare Policies, Milan, Mondadori, 2022, chs. 1–7, pp. 3–124.

Prina F., “Implementation Processes of Norms: From Paper Rights to Substantive Rights,” Part II, Chapter II, in Outline of Sociology of Law, edited by A. Cottino, 2nd ed., 2020, pp. 303–340.

Ferraris V., “Research Methods and Techniques in the Sociology of Law,” Chapter 1, in Understanding the Sociology of Law, edited by R. Altopiedi, D. De Felice and V. Ferraris, Carocci, 2022, pp. 23–47.

Saraceno C., Benassi D., Morlicchio E., Poverty in Italy, ch. I (pp. 11–51), ch. III (pp. 77–95), and ch. VI (pp. 159–191), Bologna, il Mulino, 2022 (total 90 pp.).

Consoli T., “Policies to Combat Poverty in Sicily,” Urban@it Online Journal Working Paper, 2/2022, pp. 2–9.

Pizzo C., Grimaldi A., “Introduction,” in Security and Social Sciences, IX, 2/2022, pp. 13–24.

Siza R., “The Sociologist in Tackling Educational Poverty,” Clinical Sociology. Cognitive Paths of Saying and Doing, no. 24, 2020 (24 pp.).

In accordance with the learning objectives outlined above, the course adopts the following assessment methods:

Assessment of Knowledge and Understanding
Assessment method: written examination (for attending students) and oral examination (for non-attending students) with open-ended questions aimed at verifying the understanding of key concepts (welfare state, policy models, absolute and relative poverty, educational poverty, multilevel governance).
Objective: to assess students’ mastery of the theoretical framework and of the main conceptual and historical references related to social policies.

Assessment of Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Assessment method: analysis of case studies (e.g. measures to combat child poverty; Italian welfare reforms; inclusion policies and local social services).
Objective: to evaluate the ability to apply the interpretative models acquired during the course to the analysis of real public policies, connecting theory and practice.

Assessment of Making Judgements
Assessment method: oral discussion or short individual paper in which students are required to compare different approaches (e.g. universalistic vs selective model; basic needs approach vs capability approach).
Objective: to assess critical thinking skills and the ability to formulate independent evaluations regarding the effectiveness, fairness, and sustainability of social policies.

Assessment of Communication Skills
Assessment method: oral presentation of a topic or case study, using appropriate disciplinary language and demonstrating the ability to organize arguments clearly.
Objective: to verify students’ ability to communicate complex concepts related to social policies to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Assessment of Learning Skills
Assessment method: short reading reports on the course texts, including personal reflections.
Objective: to measure students’ capacity for critical synthesis and autonomous learning with regard to scientific literature and policy documents.