This programme enables students to study a joint honours degree in the closely linked fields of social policy and economics. You will learn how to apply economic concepts to policy issues and about the connections between them.

International social and public policy covers real world issues such as poverty, disadvantage, international development, and welfare and work. It is about understanding and addressing social problems in society, and it examines the formation and implementation of policy, and how this affects people’s wellbeing. Economics is the study of scarcity, how people use resources and make decisions. The discipline of economics tackles a broad range of problems at various levels, from individuals' work behaviour and economic choices to recessions, international finance and trade between countries.

You will consider issues such as the fact that it is prosperous economies that can most easily introduce and support generous social policies; but the nature of social policy provision can have substantial impacts on how an economy performs. You will learn about issues facing societies around the world today such as how best to finance and provide cash benefits, health and social care, education and social services, and how the issues have been addressed in the past and in different countries. You will be taught about economic success at a national and international level (macroeconomics) and about the interactions of firms, governments and individuals within countries (microeconomics).