Employment sector is today one of the areas that has impacted the current COVID-19 pandemic, not only global wide but also, particularly, in the countries of the Global South. The economies and labour dynamics of the South are experiencing a worsening of their already deteriorated structures. The southern hemisphere has long suffered high levels of labour informality. The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the need to move towards formalizing labour relations, alongside providing better social and health securities.
What are the challenges countries in the South have experienced with the impact of COVID-19? Which have been the responses of governments from the Global South to face the impact of COVID-19 regarding social and health security, especially in a high labour-informality national context? What has been the role of labour movements and Unions to face these challenges? The aim of the course is to, through this topic and set of thematic questions, design qualitative research projects and implement the design and gathering of qualitative data through the Interview method.
The course provides students with the general outline and tools for Qualitative Research, establishing a coherent relationship between theoretical framework, methodological design, and the selection of the techniques within the qualitative perspective. The overall aim is to construct a research design, on topics relevant for the Master Programs: GPED/LPG, within the above presented general theme. This exercise could serve as the first step into the master thesis.