New Directions in Social Policy Project: Methodology Workshop in Geneva

UNRISD held a methodology workshop in Geneva on 15-16 January 2015 as part of the three-year research project New Directions in Social Policy: Alternatives from and for the Global South. The aim of the workshop was to establish a coherent comparative framework and methodologies for the case studies foreseen in the project. Participants included representatives of the research teams working on each case study: China; India; Indonesia; Russia; South Africa; Egypt and Tunisia; and Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Six experts were also invited to participate in the workshop, to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the thought processes behind their concepts, theories, approaches and methodologies to the practice of their research methods.

Participants at the workshop concluded that there is preliminary evidence of innovations in social policy, new actors, a trend toward universalism, and "pushing the envelope" in terms of rights-based or redistributive approaches. The country research teams will begin their primary research from March and expect to produce a first batch of research papers in late 2015.

Please see the event page for a write-up of the workshop discussions and a brief presentation of the case studies and methodology.