About this course
The course discusses key issues affecting the quality and accessibility of public services as well as new, emerging visions in sectors such as health, energy, transport, and others. In particular, through struggles to resist commercialisation of public services and the environmental crisis, workers and trade unions, in coalition with other social movements, can play a fundamental role in the realisation of these visions.
This course was first launched in 2024.
Key concepts
quality public services, transformation, equality, transparency, democracy, care for the environment, trade unions, social movements, commodification of public services, privatisation
Course structure
Chapter I: Introduction to the Course
Chapter II: Towards Universal Public Services: Challenges and Possibilities for Transformation
Chapter III: Quality Health and Social Care for All
Chapter IV: Expanding and Strengthening Public Transport
Chapter V: Towards a Vision of Energy Democracy
Course materials and workload
This course has 4 content chapters. The chapter contains a series of units; each unit is composed of one video lecture, two quiz questions, a reflection question, a key reading, as well as additional reading materials. All these can be downloaded and used offline. Zoom workshops with the course contributors provide a space to dive deeper into the topic (wherever available, these are located under the video lecture).
The estimated workload for each chapter, including key readings, is around 8 hours.
Course contributors
Acá tenés la lista para el curso The Future is Public en inglés, ordenada alfabéticamente por apellido y manteniendo el mismo formato de image_962caa.png:
Baba Aye, Health and Social Sector Officer, Public Services International (PSI)
Ms. Nice Coronacion, Deputy General Secretary, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Philippines
Alana Dave, Urban Transport Director, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), United Kingdom
Dr. Bruno Dobrusin, Our Public Transport Program Advisor, International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), Canada/Argentina
Prof. David Hall, Visiting Professor at the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), University of Greenwich, United Kingdom
Dr. Frank Hoffer, Non-executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy, Germany
Mr. Brian Kamanzi, Energy Policy Research Officer, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), South Africa
Mr. Colin Long, Just Transitions Officer, Victorian Trades Hall Council, Australia
Mercy Nabwire, Organizing and Education Officer, Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), Kenya
SungHee Oh, Director of International Affairs, Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU), South Korea
Prof. Dr. Nicolas Pons-Vignon, Professor of Labour Transformation and Social Innovation, SUPSI, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherrer, Professor for Globalization and Politics, and Executive Director of the ICDD, University of Kassel, Germany
Jason Schneck, Doctoral Researcher, SUPSI and University of Zurich, Switzerland
Irene HongPing Shen, Organizer and Program Developer, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, USA
Sean Sweeney, Director of International Programs, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, USA
Dr. Tolga Tören, Lecturer and Researcher, Department of Labour Policies and Globalisation, University of Kassel, Germany
Dr. Edlira Xhafa, Executive Director, Global Labour University Online Academy