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International Policy Focus Field: Social, Labor and Employment Policy
Globalization and regional integration have sharply increased the international salience and ramifications of domestic social, labor, and employment policies. Thus regulation of labor standards has become a hot button issue for international organizations, regional trade agreements, public pressure campaigns, and corporate codes of conduct. At the same time, widespread uncertainty about how to respond to economic, social, and demographic change has stimulated growing interest in cross-national policy learning. The European Union is seeking to coordinate the social and employment policies of its member states, while international organizations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development promote the adoption of best practice approaches on a global scale. Both international regulation and policy learning, however, require robust comparative knowledge of national employment and welfare systems to understand how proposed solutions may be adapted to fit different institutional contexts.
Students in this focus field prepare themselves for a wide range of analytic and managerial careers in international organizations, domestic government agencies, NGOs, think tanks, and multinational businesses.
Field coordinator: Jonathan Zeitlin
La Follette School faculty in this field
Electives from Other Departments
Students may take courses from other departments depending on their interests. Students should consult their advisors if they are unsure whether a course is appropriate for their focus field. These elective courses include:
SOC 918: Comparative Sociology of Contemporary Capitalism
SOC 925 Labor in the Global Economy
GEO 444 Health and Social Welfare in Western Society
ECON 467 International Comparisons: Industrial Firms and Industrial Organizations
AAE 577 Economics of Growth and Class Structure in Low Income Countries
SOC 924 Citizenship and the Welfare State in the US
SW 920 Child, Youth, and Family Policies & Services
SW 921 Child Welfare
POP HEA 635 Cross-National Health Systems and Public Policy
POP HEA 718 International Health System
ENVIR ST 575 Assessment of Environmental Impact
BUS RMI 650 Sustainability, Environment and Social Risk Management
Core Courses
PA 818 Quantitative Tools for Public Policy Analysis
PA 880 Microeconomic Policy Analysis
PA 850 International Governance
PA 854 Macroeconomic Policy Analysis
PA 860 Workshop in Public Affairs, International Issues
PA 799 Professional Development Workshop
Recommended Public Affairs Electives
PA 827 Internship
PA 841 International Business and Government
PA 855 Governing Work and Welfare in the European Union
PA 856 Trade, Competition and Governance in a Global Economy
PA 857 Political Economy of Corruption and Good Governance
PA 866 Global Environmental Governance
PA 867 Government Finance in Developing Countries
Public Affairs Electives for this Focus Field
PA 809 Energy Analysis and Policy Seminar
PA 819 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy
PA 864 Health and Health Policy
PA 871 Public Program Evaluation
PA 881 Cost-Benefit Analysis
PA 882 Social Welfare Policy and Management
PA 890 Federal Budget and Tax Policy and Administration
Regional Focus Fields
Students can add a focus on a region and take courses from outside departments that offer courses on that region. Certificates are offered in the following departments:
African Studies, East Asian Studies, European Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Global Cultures, Global Health, Middle East Studies, Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, South Asian Studies and Latin American, Carribean, and Iberian Studies.