The main goal of the course Welfare and Labor Policy is to enable students to master the analytical tools for the study of social and labor policies and to apply them to understand the developmental trajectories of contemporary welfare states, including the socio-economic and political challenges they face. A special emphasis will be given to welfare and labor policy reforms introduced in the wake of the recent economic crisis. A major goal of the course is to enable students to critically assess the welfare state literature, as well as empirical developments and policy reforms.