Whereas the welfare state in the Global North has been a response to industrialization and the rise of the workers' movement, the Global South is characterized by different legacies of social policy that stem, among others, from their colonial histories and the influence of transnational actors such as international organizations. In recent decades, social policies have further expanded across the Global South, as international organizations such as the ILO have (re-)discovered global poverty and the widespread lack of social protection for certain groups in the so-called "developing world" as intertwined. In light of far-reaching societal transformations, there have certainly been large-scale social policy developments in these countries in recent decades.

This lecture series hosts eminent scholars of social policy, anthropology, development and related fields, who will present their work on new frontiers of research on welfare in the Global South. Overall, the lecture series enquires into the varying trajectories of welfare transformations in the Global South and their political, historical and social contexts.

All lectures, with exception of the first, will be hybrid events. To register to the Zoom events click here. 

Jingyu Mao is hosting a film screening event titled: »Worlds of Labour: from socialist China (1980s) to late-socialist Vietnam (2010s)«

The documentaries »North China Factory« (1980) and »Nimble Fingers« (2017) will be shown. After that there will be a discussion with the director of Nimble Fingers, Parsifal Reparato. The event is hosted via Zoom and everybody is welcome to join.