MSc International Social and Public Policy (Development)

This broad-ranging programme examines how societies respond to global challenges resulting from social, demographic and economic change, and issues around poverty, migration and globalisation. Looking at low, middle and high-income countries, you’ll gain the skills to identify key social challenges and analyse the social and public policies designed to tackle these issues.

We approach the policy process from an international, interdisciplinary and applied perspective. You’ll delve into the differences between social policy development and implementation in different countries and the roles of stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, families and markets.

Building on this foundation, you’ll then follow one of seven streams.

You can take either the general stream:

• MSc International Social and Public Policy

Or you can choose one of the following specialist streams:

• MSc International Social and Public Policy (Development)
• MSc International Social and Public Policy (Education)
• MSc International Social and Public Policy (Migration)
• MSc International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations)
• MSc International Social and Public Policy (Research)
• LSE-Fudan Double Master's in International Social and Public Policy

Our department is rated number one in the UK for social policy (Good University Guide 2024). We were also awarded the highest UK ranking for research in the field of social policy in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021). So, you’ll be studying in a vibrant, highly rated research environment.

This page covers information about the specialist stream: MSc International Social and Public Policy (Development).

This stream equips you with the analytical tools to understand and critically evaluate social development challenges in low and middle-income countries. You’ll explore various international policy and development themes, such as race, regulation, civil society and conflict, and compare how different countries address these challenges.

Optional courses enable you to tailor your studies to your interests and career goals. Current courses cover topics such as migration, non-governmental organisations, social policy and development, and social movements and activism.

You’ll complete a dissertation on a social development topic (agreed with your supervisor).

When you graduate, you’ll have the skills to contribute to the design and implementation of policies that promote sustainable development worldwide.

Extensive background reading is not essential but it's advisable for you to do some reading before commencing the programme. The following is a list of reading that will be useful for the compulsory courses:

• D Béland and R Mahon Advanced Introduction to Social Policy (Edward Elgar, 2016)
• T Faist Cross-Border Migration and Social Inequalities (Annual Review of Sociology, 42: 323-346, 2016)
• M Hill and F Varone The Public Policy Process, Seventh Edition (Routledge, 2017)
• J Howell and J Pearce Civil Society and Development: A critical exploration (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001)
• T Mkandawire (ed.) Social Policy in a Development Context (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)
• N Yeates (ed.) Understanding Global Social Policy, Second Edition (The Policy Press, 2014)
• A Hall and J Midgley Social Policy for Development (London: Sage, 2004)