International Social and Public Policy

International social and public policy is a field that asks some of the most consequential questions facing modern societies: how should welfare systems be organised and financed, how should governments respond to poverty and inequality, what rights and protections do migrants deserve, and how do gender, race and class intersect with the way policies are designed and experienced? It brings together sociology, economics, political science and public administration to analyse these questions in a comparative and global perspective.

At the London School of Economics and Political Science you will explore how social policies are formulated and implemented in industrialised societies, transition economies and the Global South, examining the role of states, the non-profit sector, financial markets and communities in shaping welfare outcomes. You will engage with both theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, developing the skills to analyse policy choices and their consequences rigorously and critically. The programme runs over three years full time and includes a year abroad, giving you comparative international exposure to how different societies have approached the challenges of social policy.

Graduates from international social and public policy programmes at LSE are highly sought after in governments, international organisations, think tanks, non-governmental organisations, academic research and consultancy. Careers in social policy analysis, public administration, international development, human rights advocacy, health policy, migration policy and social research are all well-established destinations. The combination of analytical rigour and international orientation that the degree develops is particularly valued by organisations working on global social challenges.

Postgraduate study in social policy, public administration, development studies or economics provides a natural further step.