CFP: Social policy and regimes of social welfare in Africa (Fribourg 14.09.2014)

International workshop organized by Daniel Künzler and Michael Nollert at the Division of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Fribourg on behalf of the Swiss Society for African Studies and the Swiss Sociological Association (Research Committee Economic Sociology).

There is a vast amount of scientific literature on social welfare in developed countries. In addition to research on individual strategies (micro level) and collective actors in specific policy fields (meso level), there is substantial research on welfare states (macro level). However, social welfare is not only provided by states but also by markets, households and non-governmental organizations. The description and analysis of these welfare mixes is frequently based on typologies, the most well-known being the differentiation between social democratic, conservative and liberal welfare regimes
(Esping-Andersen 1990, 1999). Research not only focuses on different social policies, welfare mixes and their outcomes such as reduction of poverty or inequality, but also on path-dependent developments and the variance of welfare regimes.

For other contexts, especially in the Global South where social policy is less pervasive, these concepts proved inspiring, but not directly transferable. In recent years, researchers increasingly began to empirically research other contexts and develop theoretical concepts for them. To underline the different position of states in the welfare mixes, typologies of welfare regimes were developed. Examples include the liberal-informal welfare state in Latin America, the productivist welfare regime and the emerging productivist welfare states, both in East Asia (Wood and Gough 2006). In this perspective, African countries are examples of the residual category, the insecurity regimes.

The Fribourg workshop seeks to provide a more nuanced and contextualized picture of the welfare mix in African countries based on the most recent typologies. Key note speakers will not only focus on these typologies, but also on (pre-)colonial legacies and its relations to welfare mixes. Additionally, two forums will host paper presentations that focus on social policy and regimes of social welfare in Africa. The organizers especially invite papers that use macro level conceptual frameworks to analyze cases of welfare mixes and explain their emergence or their outcomes. Additionally, papers can focus on regional and global influences on the welfare mix (e.g., processes of pressure and/or learning from international organizations or regional integration). The organizers furthermore look for paper proposals that further our conceptual and methodological understanding of regimes of social welfare in Africa. Comparative papers are strongly encouraged.

Call for papers:
Paper proposals of approx. 200 characters should be submitted to the contact address before 31 December 2013 and additionally include name
and institutional affiliation of the author(s). The organizers will support travel and accommodation for invited presenters.

Contact address:
Workshop “Social policy and regimes of social welfare in Africa” Daniel Künzler University of Fribourg, Division of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work
Route des Bonnesfontaines 11
CH-1700 Fribourg
Mail: daniel.kuenzler@unifr.ch<http://www.zasb.unibas.ch/?id=>
Phone +41 26 300 83 86, fax +41 26 300 96 63