Submission

Welfare systems are experiencing structural transformations that require new and critical examination of the traditionally shaped social policy paradigms. The economic and social values that have shaped past policies in mature welfare systems are being questioned while developing welfare systems face mounting challenges. Rethinking sustainable welfare or sustainable welfare models is compelled by a series of interrelated societal changes that have become pressing globally: demographic and family changes, new migration patterns, the digitalisation of labour and public services, and the green transition.

There is a need to better understand how historical power relations have shaped social inequalities and injustices we see reflected in society today. Migration and green transition come from inequalities that have long been building. This is also true for many humanitarian catastrophes, including ongoing wars around the world. In other words, there is a need to move beyond focusing on the present only and bring in a historical perspective.

The societal and environmental transformations pose significant questions about the future organisation of welfare systems. There is a need for attention to how wars affect global social policy and social policies globally, as well as implications of war and forced displacement for people's well-being on a daily basis. The transformations and ongoing crises raise concerns about new and intersectional inequalities and the need to critically examine existing policies. There is an urgent need for robust comparative research to link policy interventions to outcomes.

Sustainable welfare is a contested concept that still needs to be theorized. It is unclear what sustainable welfare means in practice and how it can be achieved. Some scholars first and foremost focus on the need for green transition, whether from a growth or post-growth perspective. Other scholars argue for a broader conceptualisation and the inclusion of a focus on other structural transformations such as demographic and family change to critically assess the sustainability of existing welfare systems.

The organizers of the 2024 annual conference invite papers that discuss drivers and challenges of social policies, including but not restricted to sustainable welfare. Papers can have a global, world-regional, national, subnational, and/or local perspective.

RC19 encourages comparative and transnational research. Especially welcome are theoretically grounded empirical papers. Papers exploring new theoretical concepts and research methods in social policy are also welcome.

The annual conference will bring together an active and lively community of scholars from different fields of social policy studies, ranging from PhD students and early-career researchers to established scholars. Beyond the broad theme outlined above, we also invite RC19 members to present their recent work, even if it is not closely connected to this year’s conference theme.