The much delayed welfare system post has arrived

There's a lot to read here but if you're looking for information on welfare systems stay with it-it'll help.

I've been getting a lot of enquiries about the welfare assignment, as I do every year.
So this post points you towards specific resources which may help you tackle what is a tricky assignment.

Firstly, a database that you probably won't have used before called Marketline offers very up to date social information (unemployment rates, economic forecasts, population distribution and social care statistics) on any country you can think of. I've blogged about how to use Marketline before so if you click here it'll take you to my previous instructions. Current statistics are invaluable in getting a good mark for this assignment. We know how fast the economic situation is changing in many countries at present and the research you'll find on Marketline is the most recent reliable data you can get. The reports are big (100 pages isn't unusual) so target the sections of the reports which are looking at social factors.

I also have two specific and quite new e-books I think are worth a recommendation.

The first of these is The Cameron-Clegg government: coalition politics in an age of austerity edited by Simon Lee and Matt Beech. It's from 2011. Chapter 7 is specifically looking at welfare reform so that's where I'd head first.


The second is The welfare state in post-industrial society: a global perspective by Jason Powell and Jon (Joe) Hendricks. It's from 2009. This book is split into two sections; the first half is looking at different issues relating to welfare (aging, immigration, healthcare...) and the second half is examining specific countries and how their welfare systems operate. Just bear in mind that things will have moved on in some countries in the last 2 and a bit years!


What I haven't mentioned yet is how to locate journal articles. From those training sessions I've done with individuals on this assignment, the most common problem is caused by students trying to find journals which compare two or three systems in one perfectly presented article. You're asking for too much! I think you need to separate out your searches and target individual countries (for example, search for "welfare state" or "welfare system" and Australia). Then your job is to compare the findings with whichever countries you decide to target. 


I told you there was a lot to read! Hope it all makes things a bit clearer and at least gives you some new ideas.