PhD Courses in Denmark

Course description:

Policy, whether be it laws, national, regional, municipal or clinical guidelines, is an inherent part of welfare and care for various populations such as the sick, the poor, the unemployed, the vulnerable or simply citizens in general. While policy plays a central role in most applied and public sector research, the political nature of research and its implications for policy development and application in frontline practices in health- and welfare systems are rarely given critical attention. This calls for enabling future researchers’ consideration of the political nature of applied research and its unintended consequences in practice.

By taking an empirical point of departure (e.g. from primary care, mental health and addiction, childcare, and social services) the aim of this course is twofold. First, it aims to develop PhD candidates' theoretical understanding of the interconnection between the political nature of applied, public sector research and how such politized forms of research produces policy-informed frameworks for practice. Second, the course aims to optimize impact and minimize potential harmful effects by fostering candidates’ critical reflection on methodological and democratic challenges and unintended effects pertaining to the implementation of politized frameworks in health- and welfare settings.

The first objective is addressed by introducing how policy is studied from both realist, critical realist and constructivist angles in health- and social sciences. In realist-positivist implementation and evaluation studies, policy is often seen as authoritative plans presented by policy makers as top down, evidence-based plans for action that promises to fix pre-existing societal problems. In critical realist health- and welfare research and in welfare sociology and political anthropology, policy is also considered something that should either be developed bottom-up, experience-based or understood as something that co-produces the problems it promises to solve. The latter also considers how policies are “made to work” by frontline professionals and how professionals are required to deal with antagonizing policies in temporally, organizationally, financially and politically confined spaces in health- and welfare organizations.

The second objective is addressed by inviting candidates to participate in various learning activities where they use theoretical perspectives from the course to critically reflect on the limitations and challenges in PhD candidates’ own research projects.

Form of the course:

The learning activities consist of a combination of lectures, group work, discussions, and student presentations of course topics in relation to the students’ own PhD work. The lectures will focus on theory and methodological stances from implementation and evaluation studies, welfare sociology, and the anthropology of policy.

Using a written assignment pertaining to the candidates’ own research and peer feedback, candidates shall consider and critically reflect on how their own and peers’ research can best be understood in light of contemporary policy research. In addition, they shall consider how politically motivated research agendas reflect wider social concerns and tendencies in Nordic societies and beyond.