EU social policy through foresight practice

The purpose of this course is to familiarise students with social issues in European societies and how the European Union can approach them through policy making. The course will provide basic knowledge on the policies, institutions, actors, and political debates surrouding EU social policy. Its main feature is that it relies on students' active involvement and 'learning by doing'. Foresight methodology is used to develop creative thinking about policy problems and solutions in tomorrow's Europe, in the framework of a partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion as well as its Joint Research Centre.

In the autumn 2026, the module will focus on the following topic: 
Young Europeans and transformations of the workplace: visions and risks 
The world of work is undergoing profound transformations, including the expansion of telework, rapid technological change, and new management cultures. In particular, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in many sectors is reshaping the nature of tasks, employers’ expectations, as well as strategies in terms of education and skills. Combined with longerstanding labour market trends, these developments create both opportunities and risks in how they reshape social relations and the boundary between private and professional life. This is especially true for young people, who enter the labour market during formative years in which the search for a professional identity involves developing new skills and adapting to professional roles, alongside the challenges of their personal lives. There are signs that entry-level jobs are being squeezed due to the pervasive use of AI. While young people often appear best equipped to seize new opportunities, they also face significant challenges related to social inclusion, mental health, and well-being at work. Through their experiences, knowledge, and collective action, they also have the capacity to raise awareness about tomorrow’s world of work.

The purpose of this foresight-based course is to imagine new, socially progressive pathways for the development of workplaces in the EU. This involves deciphering current trends in technological, social, institutional, political, and environmental change, and understanding how they can exacerbate existing and emerging psychosocial risks or, conversely, be leveraged to ensure that young workers’ well-being is adequately protected and promoted. To do this, a specific methodology belonging to the foresight intellectual matrix (e.g. scenario building, ideal scenarios, back casting, etc.) will be applied in small groups. 
A further goal is to identify how the EU can contribute to positive developments with regard to young workers’ well-being in the workplace. The course will therefore equip students with the necessary knowledge of the legal, institutional, financial, and political underpinnings of EU social policy making. This is to forge a solid understanding of the EU action in the social domain, in particular from the point of view of the European Commission, in terms of both
navigating constraints and pushing for innovations in fluctuating political contexts.

Provisional work schedule
NB: by default, the sessions take place on Fridays 1-4pm or 1-3pm at IEE-ULB (Room Spaak), unless indicated otherwise

• 18 September: Introduction: EU social policy making & Foresight; 14.00-16.00
• 25 September: Background knowledge 1: EU & social policy – Policies, politics, institutions (2h) 13.00-15.00
• 2 October: Joint opening session: Foresight training @Joint Research Centre (Brussels) (2h) 14.00-16.00
• 9 October: Background knowledge 2: EU & social policy – Policies, politics, institutions, (2h) 14.00

• 23 October: Foresight Workshop 1 (3h) 13.00-16.00

• 6 November: Foresight Workshop 2 (3h) 

• 19 November: Foresight Workshop 3 (3h) - ATTENTION moved to Thursday!!! 13.00-16.00. 
• 27 November: Joint midterm session ULB-DG EMPL (location TBD): exchange & feedback (2h) 14.00-16.00
• 4 December: Foresight Workshop 4 (3h)

• 17 December: Joint closing session ULB-DG EMPL (@DG EMPL, EC) : Re-envisioning the future of affordable and sustainable housing in the EU – Presentations of and exchange on case studies (2h) - ATTENTION: moved to Thursday !!! 14.00-16.00 

• Develop knowledge about contemporary social issues in Europe
• Acquire knowledge about the relevant policy making procedures and actors of the EU
• Understand and implement foresight methodology
• Develop creative thinking about EU social policy making

Connaissances et compétences pré-requises ou co-requises

This course requires at least a basic knowledge of the EU political system.

This course unfolds over 10 sessions of a three-hour or two hours duration.
2 sessions will take place outside the ULB Solbosch campus at the premisses of the European Commission in Brussels. 

The teaching method is stongly anchored in learning by doing and more specifically in foresight methodology. 

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

Compulsory (textbook)

Crespy, A. (2022) The European Social Question. Tackling Key Controversies, Newcastle: Agenda.  
In the library 
Purchase as hard copy (PUB) or e-book (online) or for those unable or unwilling to purchase the textbook, a copy can be borrowed from the professor.

•M. C. Annosi, M. Balzano, A. Ciacci, G. Marzi and J. Terlouw, "Managing Generational Tensions Toward Digital Transformation: A Microfoundational Perspective," in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. 71, pp. 13802-13813, 2024, doi: 10.1109/TEM.2023.3285735
•Eurofound (2026), European Working Conditions Survey 2024: Overview report, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/european-working-conditions-survey-2024-overview-report
•European Commission, Joint Research Centre research on work:
•https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/scientific-activities/employment_en
•Steiert, Marc (2025) The EU and the regulation of young people’s work transitions, ETUI, The European Trade Union Institute, https://www.etui.org/publications/eu-and-regulation-young-peoples-work-transitions
•Sucha, Vladimir, Preserving human agency in the age of AI, EUI, STG, Policy Brief, 2025/12 - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93015
•Šucha, Vladimir (2026) The silent accumulation: AI as mental contaminant. Front. Artif. Intell. 9:1755151. doi: 10.3389/frai.2026.1755151

Support(s) de cours

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Prof. Amandine Crespy - amandine.crespy@ulb.be
Office: Building S, florr 11, room 11.113

Office hours: Please make an appointment by email.  

Campus

Solbosch

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

• Présentation orale
• Travail de groupe
• Rapport écrit

Présentation orale

Travail de groupe

Rapport écrit

•Participation: 25%
–Presence
–Preparation of sessions (readings, group work, etc.)
–Participation
•Assignment 1 – not evaluated
•Assignment 2 (vision) – 25%
•Assignment 3 – (policy road map) – 25%
•Assignment 4 – oral presentation at EC/EMPL – 25%

Construction de la note (en ce compris, la pondération des notes partielles)

•Participation: 25%
–Presence
–Preparation of sessions (readings, group work, etc.)
–Participation
•Assignment 1 – not evaluated
•Assignment 2 (vision) – 25%
•Assignment 3 – (policy road map) – 25%
•Assignment 4 – oral presentation at EC/EMPL – 25%

Langue(s) d'évaluation

• anglais