Keynote Speakers

Wednesday 2 September: Keynote panel

Civil Society and the Future of Social Welfare panel: Reimagining Participation, Equity, and Policy in a Changing World

In the face of growing social inequality, political polarisation, and economic precarity, civic society has emerged as a vital force in shaping social welfare and public policy. From grassroots activism to institutional advocacy, civil society actors play a critical role in coproducing, delivering and contesting welfare services.

Birmingham, with its rich history of civic engagement and partnership with diverse communities, offers a compelling setting to explore these dynamics, with a long history of philanthropic activity associated with the Cadbury family and associated charities, the Birmingham settlement and its work and the University of Birmingham itself with its claim to be the first civic university to be granted a Royal Charter.

This panel seeks to bring together scholars, practitioners, and community leaders to examine the evolving role of civil society in addressing poverty and promoting social welfare. It will interrogate how civic participation intersects with state policy, market forces, and global trends, and how it can be harnessed to foster inclusive and equitable social outcomes.

Thursday 3 September: Keynote panel

The global social policy implications of and for high-income countries

• Professor Kate Bedford, University of Birmingham, UK
• Professor David Gordon, University of Bristol, UK
• Professor Ruth Patrick, University of Glasgow, UK

The panel session explores how Global North countries (which encompass countries with historically strong social welfare states in Europe and North America) can be better integrated into Global Social Policy scholarship and debates. As military spending goes up and equality, diversity and inclusion safeguards come down in some countries, the divide between North and South welfare systems is becoming blurred. Indeed, wealthy countries also now face their fair share of social welfare challenges in the shape of rising inequality and poverty, health disparities, educational inequality and environmental degradation. These challenges also raise important questions for the global leadership role of wealthy countries. Indeed, SDG 17 reminds us that high-income countries are expected to meet expectations in financing development, sharing knowledge and technology and supporting capacity-building in lower-income nations. How is this context evolving and how can countries continue to effectively address poverty and social welfare challenges at home and abroad?

Friday 4 September: Keynote panel

Global south expansion of social policy practice and scholarship

• Professor Armando Barrientos, University of Manchester, UK
• Professor Shireen Hassim, Carleton University, Canada

This focuses on the expansion of social policies in the Global South. It explores the need for greater interdisciplinarity and de-colonised study of social policy as it intersects with a wide range of public and civil society actors. Ever since the East Asia financial crisis in 1997, major developments in social assistance provision and targeted cash transfer programmes have gone hand in hand with growing interest on social protection by sister subject areas like International Development. Social policies are studied as allied frameworks and instruments in the context of a multi-dimensional understanding of human and social development. The expansion of social protection is evident in low- and middle-income countries, including countries traditionally reliant on foreign aid to address issues of poverty and conflict. Indeed, social protection is increasingly used as a tool of political stability, social investment, and conflict prevention, though more research is needed to better equip the policy and practice arenas in the mobilisation of social welfare services for equity, peace and security outcomes.

Both the above keynote sessions will be underpinned by a cross-cutting theme of how global social policy provides potential frameworks for cooperation and shared responsibility among nations and organizations, such as in response to pandemics, climate change, migration, and economic instability – which require coordinated international responses. As part of this approach, the sessions will incorporate discussion of the role of global institutions (like the UN, WHO, ILO, and World Bank) in setting norms, providing aid, and facilitating collaboration on social development goals. Issues that have animated mainstream social policy debates such as the rights and duties of citizens, the relative importance of the state in maintaining standards versus the regulation of the private sector, the financing of social welfare programmes are therefore reinforced and magnified at the global level and will inform the two thematic session.