Qatar - HBKU college presents executive programme on social policy with University of California, Berkeley

(MENAFN- Gulf Times)

The College of Public Policy (CPP) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) is encouraging applications for its new Executive Programme on Social Policy - Middle East, being delivered with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The programme-jointly organised between CPP's Programme for Social Policy Evaluation and Research (Prosper) and the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies ( CMES) at UC Berkeley - focuses on social policy analysis and delivery. It will prepare leaders with an intellectual foundation of analytic skills and knowledge of social policy design, which can be applied in diverse national settings.
Two intensive in-class modules, one in Doha from March 13-17 and one in Berkeley from August 1-9, will include faculty presentations, case discussions, guest speakers, and skill-building exercises plus two days of field visits to social agencies. Participants will gain a comprehensive overview of the philosophical issues, classic debates, prevailing assumptions, social accounting and recent trends in the social policy developments of modern welfare states.
Distinguished academics leveraging their expertise to present the modules are Dr Anis Ben Brik, associate professor and founder of Prosper at CPP, HBKU and from UC, Berkeley: Asad Q Ahmed, professor and CMES director; Neil Gilbert, Chernin professor of social welfare; and Daniel Mulhern, professor. The programme will also feature guest lecturers who are luminaries in the field of social policy.
“The executive programme is aimed at building capacity among professionals to play an effective role in analysing and delivering social policies amid shifts in thinking and practice. The programme will bring together the exceptional theoretical knowledge and regional focus that both HBKU and CMES at the University of California are known for. While participants will gain knowledge and a skill base that is unique, they will have opportunities to gain practical insight into the social policy landscape and also build their networks,” said Dr Anis Ben Brik.
Prof Asad Q Ahmed said:“We are very positive about exploring new opportunities to collaborate with a leading educational institution like HBKU through its College of Public Policy. As part of our teaching, research, and public service mission, UC Berkeley is committed to boldly confronting the most pressing global challenges, and establishing such dynamic international partnerships is fundamental to this effort.”
Upon completing the executive programme, participants will be able to identify the major trends and issues in the development of modern welfare states, the evolution of welfare regimes, privatisation, public-private partnerships, demographic influences, and new risks. They will be equipped to analyse the fundamental choices in the design of social welfare policies, classic debates, social values, theories and assumptions, and how alternative views of social justice are expressed in these policy choices. They will also be able to critically evaluate conventional metrics of social welfare policy such as social expenditures, poverty indices, and measures of inequality and social mobility.
The programme will involve a final project using empirical data to conduct a comparative analysis of social policy trends in welfare states. A joint certificate of completion will be issued by CPP and CMES at the University of California. The registration deadline for the executive programme on Social Policy is February 1.

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