This website is the result of our course Social Problems and Public Policy at the University of Amsterdam. In this course, we read, think, talk and write about the construction of ‘social problems’ and how ‘public policy’ is implicated in this.

The aim is not to evaluate policy, but to (better) understand and critically examine the problematisation of social phenomena, the ways in which they are understood and addressed by various authorities – ranging from national and local governments to international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank – and how this affects people in their everyday lives.

With this website, we share our insights with readers and listeners beyond our course and beyond the university. This way, we aim to contribute to our collective understanding of social problems and public policy and to provide inspiration for ideas about developing a better world to live in.