ICSP: The International and Comparitive Social Policy group

Events : ICSP Study Day

International and comparative perspectives on social policy and economic crisis

Date: 7th and 8th September 2009
Location: University of Sheffield

Please note, this event has now taken place. A brief synopsis is included on this page, but see also the more detailed Study Day Report and Programme Summary for further information.

Synopsis

A decade on from the ‘Asian’ financial crisis of 1997, the world economy entered into what has been called unchartered territory with the spread of a financial crisis from the US housing loans system outwards to other financial sectors and countries. This has taken place against the backdrop of existing global economic relations and is compounded by other global crises in food and fuel, that have hit the poorest the hardest in all countries.

While the richest countries debate ideas of domestic and global ‘new deals’, the coping strategies of the poorest countries are taking many different directions which have direct implications for social policy.

In the wake of these developments, the ICSP organised this Study Day, which took place over 7th and 8th September 2009, to discuss some of the emerging issues.

This well-attended, free event was hosted by the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield, and was sponsored by the ICSP, with support from SPA and the Department of Sociological Studies.

It included stimulating keynote speeches by Professor Bob Deacon, Professor Michael Hill and Professor Amanda Barientos, insightful paper presentations from a wide range of participants and also vibrant discussions about various aspects of the global economic crisis and its actual and potential impacts on social welfare.

Please see the Programme Summary for more details on the presentations.

We also have also produced a more detailed Study Day Report, which includes a discussion of the key issues that were raised, along with plans for a publication on this topic in 2010.