Despite significant economic progress, today’s low- and middle-income countries host the vast majority of people living in poverty; access to healthcare remains constrained; a considerable segment of the workforce operates within the informal economy; large portions of the urban population reside in squatter settlements; and while some countries approach universal education, student learning outcomes remain low. How are countries in the Global South addressing these issues, and why do responses vary across and within countries? Why are some social welfare programs expanding while others are being scaled back? How effective and inclusive are these policies? This seminar employs a political economy perspective to explore these questions.

The seminar is divided into three parts. The first module introduces students to a political economy approach to studying social policy in the Global South. In the second module, we explore prominent social policies in the areas of social assistance, healthcare, labor markets, housing, and education. Applying the political economy framework, we analyze these real-world examples to grasp the political and economic forces that influenced the adoption of these policies and shaped their evolution. We also examine their impact on broader outcomes, including socioeconomic inequality, gender dynamics, and subjective well-being. In the third module, students are required to present a country case study on a social policy in a chosen country that answers the following question: "How have political and economic factors influenced the adoption and evolution of policy Y in country X, and how would you measure the impact this policy has had on outcome Z?" The seminar concludes with a reflection on the future of developmental welfare states.