8th ESPAnet Conference 2010Social Policy and the Global Crisis:
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3. Comparative methodology
Neglected issues and innovative methods: Identifying best practice
Social policy researchers routinely make complex decisions about how to design their comparative studies. The big five questions for the comparative researcher are: How many and which cases should be included? How should the cases or observations be conceived and what are the key concepts? How can counterfactuals be utilized and their usage evaluated? Which indicators provide measures on these concepts that can be compared across time and space? How can different methodologies help best address the issue in question? Despite the important implications that comparative social policy researchers’ decisions on these issues have for the findings of their analysis, it is rare that scholars at length discuss the challenges they face, the choices they make and the implications these choices have for research and policy recommendations. The purpose of this stream is to present and discuss the choices social policy researchers have to make in comparative research and in particular how to improve the state of the art.
In this stream we therefore invite papers that pay explicit attention to the methodological challenges and decisions that concern case selection, concept formation, the role of counterfactuals, establishing of measurement validity, and multi-method design. We welcome papers that address one or more of these key issues. We encourage papers to apply new approaches in comparative social policy and through such applications demonstrate the strength and weaknesses of the new approaches. We do not invite literature reviews, theoretical papers, and papers already accepted for publication. Innovative papers discussing or applying new approaches are prioritized.
Abstracts answering this call for papers should preferably make clear what the paper is about, what the contribution is, and how the contribution is made.
Convenors:
| Patrick Emmenegger | Olli Kangas | |
| Centre for Welfare State Research, SDU, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M., E-mail: emm@sam.sdu.dk |
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Kela, The Social Insurance Institution, Research Department, Nordenskiöldinkatu 12 (PO Box 450), SF-00250 (00101) Helsinki E-mail: olli.kangas@kela.fi |
Friday, 11:30-13:30 Room 04, Session 3./A
Presentations
1. Robert Hagfors and Jouko Kajanoja: Welfare States and Social Sustainability: An Application of SEM and SOM in a virtuous circle environment [abstract] [paper]
2. Carina Schmitt: The Diffusion of Welfare Policy – Applying Spatial Econometrics to Comparative Social Policy [abstract] [paper]
3. Kati Kuitto: Identifying Welfare Policy Patterns by Means of Disaggregated Spending Structure: An Application for 27 European Countries [abstract] [paper]
Contributed papers:
1. Teemu Turunen: Commitment to Employment and Organisation: Finland in a European Comparison [abstract] [paper]
Friday, 14:30-16:30 Room 04, Session 3./B
Presentations
1. Jon Kvist: Measuring the New Welfare Regimes [abstract] [paper]
2. Johan De Deken and Jochen Clasen: The Neglected Dependent Variable: Problems in Assessing and Interpreting in Case Loads and Benefit Recipiency [abstract] [paper]
3. Antonis Roumpakis: Why and How Time Matters? The Case for Open-Ended Causality on Comparative Historical Research [abstract] [paper]
Contributed papers:
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Friday, 17:00-19:00 Room 04, Session 3./C
Presentations
1. Henrik Lolle and Lars Torpe: Measuring Social Trust in Cross-Country Analysis [abstract] [paper]
2. Jana Javornik Skrbinsek: Is Policy Index an Effective Analytical Tool in Comparative Research of Childcare Policies? [abstract] [paper]
3. Barbara Vis: Which Approach to Select for Moderate Large-N Studies? On the Comparative Advantages of fsQCA and Regression Analysis [abstract] [paper]
Contributed papers:
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Important dates
17 November 2009 = Call for stream convenors
18 December 2009 = Deadline for stream convenors
25 January 2010 = Call for abstracts
29 March 2010 = Deadline for abstract submission
3 May 2010 = Registration starts
6 June 2010 = Reduced fee application deadline
21 June 2010 24:00 (CET) = Early bird registration deadline
13 August 2010 24:00 (CET) - Deadline for submission of papers
16 August 2010 - Deadline for Registrations and payments
Registration fee is 160 Euros for early birds, 210 Euros for late birds. Central and Eastern European PhD students and professionals can apply for a reduced fee of 60 Euros at info@espanet2010.net until 6th June.
Registration opens on the 3rd May, early bird registration closes on the 21th June at 24:00 (CET).
Theme of the Conference
The theme of ESPAnet’s 2010 Annual Conference is the social consequences of the global financial crisis and its differential impact across Europe. The main questions for consideration include:
How is the crisis affecting already existing inequalities? How are different social classes and groups, especially those in poverty, affected by the crisis? What are the adaptable capacities of the different “worlds of welfare”? Does the intensifying social vulnerability lead to the re-structuring of the programs to provide more security? How far have new programs been developed, and how far have new questions of social policy and welfare been opened up by the crisis?
We would like to broaden the horizon of social policy analysis and see global environmental concerns taken into account: How far are responses to the crisis re-thinking the role of the national and international/global state and the role of the European Union in creating economically, socially and environmentally sustainable societies?