About this course
Social protection policies encompass a broad range of policy options available to governments to prevent households falling into poverty, protect households in poverty, promote and transform livelihoods. The important role played by social protection is widely recognized, and there has been an enormous expansion in programmes in the past three decades. However, the journey to fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals (1 and 4) related to the eradication of poverty and inequality is far from over.
Social protection policies, built on rigorous evidence, are a vital stepping stone on the way to building better lives for the poorest and most vulnerable on our planet. In this course you will be introduced to the core tenants of social protection, along with an introduction to some of the most common social protection instruments. With these fundamentals – and those learned in previous courses – you will be able to continue your exploration of this essential topic.
The course is well-designed to give students and researchers a strong background on impact evaluation methodologies and their practical applications. [...] The course has been quite beneficial to me as a researcher.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Understand key terms related to poverty
- Understand the distinction between social insurance and social assistance
- Understand key terms and the functioning of school feeding programmes
- Understand key terms and concepts related to the functioning of health systems
- Understand key terms and concepts related to the functioning of pensions
Prerequisites
- Master degree
- We recommend completing The Public Policy Process, Public Policy Analysis, or Introduction to Impact Evaluation before enrolling. If you haven't, please share your bachelor's and master's course lists for us to assess your eligibility.
Cost
600 EUR
Estimated Workload
The estimated workload is 60 hours including:
- 10-15 hours per week.
- 10-15 hours per assignments/ oral exams.
Duration: 10 weeks
- 1 week to access the platform and become familiar with the material
- 4 weeks of coursework
- 1 week to submit the final assignment and
- 2 weeks for potential resits.
ECTS equivalent
Participants will earn 2 ECTS credits and receive certification via an online educational badge.
Application Process
You can apply for each course by using the online application form.
During the application process, you will need to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
- A copy of your (valid) passport (PDF or JPEG)
After completing the application, you will receive a confirmation email along with the payment information. Once we receive the payment, we will register you as a participant for the course, and the Online Courses Administration Team will contact you. The administrative process typically takes an average of 5-10 working days.
If you have any questions regarding the application documents or the application process or if there are any clarifications you need before applying, please feel free to reach out to the Capacity Development Office at the email address: onlinecourses@merit.unu.edu.