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Economics of Social Policies

Code: 101157
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Sociology OP 4
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 3
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Guadalupe Souto Nieves
Email :
guadalupe.souto@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Guadalupe Souto Nieves
Laia Bosque Mercader

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

For Sociology students, it is highly recommended to have passed Political Economics (first year), Quantitative Methods for Social Research (second year), and Multivariate Data Analysis (third year).

For students of Contemporary History, Politics and Economics, it is highly recommended to have passed Tools for Empirical Economic Analysis and Introduction to Economics I and II (first year), and Public Economics and Public Policy (second year).

For Economics students, it is highly recommended to have passed Introduction to Economics and Statistics I (first year), and Public Sector Economics, Statistics II and Econometrics I (second year).

Objectives

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the economic analysis of social policies, with an emphasis on empirical evidence and its relevance for public policy decision-making. The course is structured around three main blocks: (1) basic concepts of public economics, (2) empirical tools of public economics, and (3) analysis of the main social policies —labour market, gender, health, education and redistribution—. For each thematic block, the theoretical analysis of public economic concepts is linked to real-world social policy applications. The course places particular emphasis on the evaluation of social policies through a critical analysis of relevant empirical papers. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand the main questions raised by contemporary social policies, interpret the data and quantitative evidence, and understand the basic empirical methods used in their evaluation.

Learning outcomes

  1. Students must be capable of assessing the quality of their own work.
  2. Demonstrating a comprehension of the analysis of social phenomena presented in English, as well as observing their strengths and weaknesses.
  3. Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
  4. Searching for documentary sources starting from concepts.
  5. Developing self-learning strategies.
  6. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  7. Generating innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  8. Defining the sociological concepts that interpret social policy.
  9. Comparing the different theoretical approaches concerning social policy.
  10. Relating them with the debates about state, social change and inequality.
  11. Comprehending the social interpretations of social policy in accordance with these approaches.
  12. Expressing the debates regarding these approaches, that refer to social policy.
  13. Relating the debates regarding these approaches, that refer to social policy, with the historical context in which they emerged.
  14. Defining the underlying social phenomena of social policies and conflicts about social needs.
  15. Comparing the reading of social policies from several ideologies of the social reality of Spain and Catalonia.
  16. Distinguishing underlying social policies of specific conflicts.
  17. Distinguishing sociological concepts, as well as the methods and techniques of social investigation commonly used to analyse social policy.
  18. Relating the concepts, methods and techniques used to analyse social policy with general theoretical and methodological debates.
  19. Relating the explanations of the access inequalities and the impact of social policies with the general theoretical and methodological debates.
  20. Work as part of a team and be able to argue own proposals and validate or refuse the arguments of others in a reasonable manner.
  21. Demonstrate capacity to adapt to changing environments.
  22. Capacity to continue future learning independently, acquiring further knowledge and exploring new areas of knowledge.
  23. Organise work in relation to good time management and planning.
  24. Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
  25. Comparing the reading of social policies from several ideologies of the social reality of Spain and Catalonia.
  26. Identify the role of the public sector in the Spanish economy.
  27. Analyse economic facts and decisions about efficiency and equity.
  28. Assess the main social expenditure programmes and their effects on economic growth.
  29. Communicating in oral and written form in Catalan, Spanish and English, in order to be able to summarise and present the carried out project in both forms.
  30. Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  31. Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.

Contents

Part 1 – The Public Sector

Topic 1: Introduction and review of basic microeconomic foundations. Consumer theory. Producer theory. The efficiency of competitive markets. The two fundamental theorems of Welfare Economics.

Topic 2: Foundations of public intervention. The four questions behind State intervention in the economy. Efficiency, equity and economic stabilization. Market failures: imperfect competition, public goods, externalities, incomplete markets, imperfect information, unemployment and inflation. Redistribution. Overview of social spending in Spain and the OECD.


Part 2 – Tools for the Analysis of Social Policies

Topic 3: Empirical tools of public economics. The aim of social policy economics. Direct and indirect effects. Correlation and causality. Experimental and observational data. Randomized controlled trials. Time-series analysis and cross-sectional data analysis. Quasi-experiments.


Part 3 – Social Policy Programs

Topic 4: The labour market. Minimum wage. Minimum income programs: guaranteed minimum income, universal basic income, negative income tax, earned income tax credits. Social insurance: pensions, unemployment, disability and sick leave.

Topic 5: Gender. Gender gaps in the labour market. The motherhood/child penalty and gender norms. Gender gaps in education. Gender inequalities in health. Family-friendly policies. Gender quotas. Women's empowerment and violence.

Topic 6: Health. Market failures in health: externalities and the problem of addictions. Health insurance: adverse selection and moral hazard. Organization and evaluation of healthcare systems. Income and ethnic inequalities in public health systems. Quality, efficiency and competition in public health systems.

Topic 7: Education. Rationale for public intervention in education. The education model. Returns to education: human capital theory and signalling. Inequalities in access to and outcomes of education. Organization of the education system: public vs. charter/private schools, school vouchers.​ Public financing of education: subsidies, scholarships and education credits. Evaluation of education policies: class size effects, teacher quality, preschool education.

Topic 8: Redistribution and welfare programs. Measures of inequality and poverty. Types of welfare programs: categorical and means-tested benefits, and cash and in-kind transfers.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Oral presentations and seminars 15 0.6 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 23, 24, 29, 31
Tutorials 30 1.2 1, 3, 30
Study and information collection 71 2.84 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30
Lectures 23 0.92 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26

The course combines lectures and seminars. In the lectures, the theoretical concepts of each topic are introduced and developed. The seminars complement the theory through the analysis of empirical evidence drawn from relevant research papers. The seminars are participatory: students' oral participation in the debate and discussion of the papers covered will be assessed. In addition, throughout the course students will be required to give an oral presentation on a current topic related to the course contents.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Discussion and oral presentations 40% 8 0.32 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31
Written exams 60% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

The assessment of the course consists of four activities:

  • Case study (15%): written submission and active participation in solving a practical case linked to the course contents.
  • Oral presentation (25%): oral presentation on a current topic related to the evaluation of a social policy, connected to the course contents.
  • Midterm exam (30%): written exam.
  • Final exam (30%): written exam.

The dates of the evaluation activities will be announced well in advance.

In case plagiarism is detected, the grade assigned to the activity will be 0.

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of assignments, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. Students must clearly identify which parts were generated using such technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a grade penalty or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

In order to pass the subject, students must participate in all the activities, and they need to get a grade of 5.0 or above.

Those students with 2 or less evaluation activites will be considered \"Not assessable\"

Grade revision process

After all grading activities have ended, students will be informed of the date and way in which the course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade revision following University regulations.

Retake process

According to the article 112.3 of the UAB Academic Regulations, those students who fail the subject can retake it in a unique exam, in the date scheduled by the Faculty, if they have participated at least in 2/3 of the avaluation activities obtaining a grade of 3.5 or above.

UNIQUE ASSESSMENT

Students who opt for this assessment modality must:

  1. Submit a written work on one of the social policies of the course contents (15% of the final grade). The detailed description of the content and the formal aspects of said work will be announced on the virtual campus at the beginning of the course. The date of presentation of the work is the same as the official one established by the faculty for the final exam.
  2. Make an oral presentation, lasting 10 minutes, of the work detailed in 1) (15% of the final grade). Said presentation will be made on the same date established by the Faculty for the final exam, and once theexam described in section 3).
  3. Take an exam in which the analytical capacity of the different policies worked during the course must be demonstrated (70% of the final grade). Said exam will take place on the official date established by the Faculty.

Grade revision process

Final grade revision will follow the same procedure as in the case of continuous assessment.

Retake process

The same system established for continuous assessment will be applied.

Bibliography

Main textbook

Gruber, J. (2022). Public Finance and Public Policy (Seventh edition). Worth Publishers: Nova York.

Specific materials will be announced over the academic year by the instructor.

Additional textbooks

Stiglitz, J. E., & Rosengard, J. K. (2015). Economics of the Public Sector (Fourth edition). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Stock, J. H., & Watson, M. W. (2020). Introduction to Econometrics (Fourth edition). Pearson.

Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J.-S. (2008). Mostly Harmless Econometrics. Princeton University Press.

Software

No specific software is required beyond the use of a word processor and spreadsheets.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed