VI CONFERENCIA INTERNACIONAL de SOCIOLOGÍA de las POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS y SOCIALES
LAS POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS EN UN ESCENARIO INTERNACIONAL INCIERTO.

VI International Conference on Sociology of Public and Social Policies
PUBLIC POLICIES IN AN UNCERTAIN INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO

MAY 4-5, 2023

The war in Ukraine has opened a new global crisis with unprecedented effects on the planet as a whole, especially in Europe. This is yet another crisis to add to the series that began in 2008. Since then, there has been a chain of events with worldwide repercussions that have had varying degrees of impact at both international and local levels. The 2008 financial crisis, which triggered the so-called Great Recession, was compounded three years ago by the health crisis caused by the Wuhan virus pandemic. In addition, in recent months we have witnessed a worsening climate crisis - in the case of Spain, accompanied by a persistent drought - which, together with the effects of the war, has accelerated the rise in energy prices and an inflation rate unknown in the euro zone since its creation.

As a result of these crises, we are experiencing a world in transformation in which it is uncertain what the next challenge to be overcome will be. Geopolitical scenarios and the reconfiguration of the so-called international order directly affect public and social policies regardless of borders. As long as Putin's war in Ukraine does not end we will be brushing against the critical limit of the planet's history. The mutually assured destruction of Cold War times has resurfaced. The nuclear threat has come to the fore as more than a theoretical possibility. Geopolitical tensions and dysfunctions in the arena of international relations are making their effects felt in public and social policies.

There is an increasingly widespread perception of the increase in social inequalities and the risks of exclusion. In Spain, different political positions, with more or less success, are trying to alleviate this trend from the different administrations and levels of authority, with interventions to safeguard the jobs and resources of individuals and families. This is interpreted in different ways from different ideological positions. In any case, the social or welfare state in European countries has regained the leading role of other periods. On the one hand, it is intended to provide support to citizens at risk of exclusion, with the aim of promoting social cohesion, with equal opportunities. On the other hand, uncertainty has reached international dimensions, with serious threats to financial stability, the sustainability of the planet and peaceful coexistence in the field of international relations. This does not bode well for the future, especially for the most socially fragile countries and groups. The social or welfare state, necessary for some and reviled by others, faces hitherto unknown challenges.

In this scenario, the continuity and/or success of public and social policies are uncertain. Rigorous and well-founded social research is crucial to make a diagnosis and prognosis of the present and immediate future. This VI International Conference is presented as an appointment and occasion for the meeting, study and analysis of the reality and projection of public and social policies in a national and international context of permanent and accelerated change.